I’m proposing something stronger than that: it’s not appropriate to post arguments for religious faith here at all. In fact, I’m proposing something stronger than that: if you don’t understand why theism is ruled out, you’re not ready to post here at all.
it’s not appropriate to post arguments for religious faith here at all.
Agreed, with reservations. (Some might be useful examples. Some might be sufficiently persuasive prima facie to be worth a look even though we’d be astonished if they turned out actually to work.)
if you don’t understand why theism is ruled out, you’re not ready to post here at all.
If theism were just one more thing that people can easily be wrong about, perhaps you’d be right. As it is, there’s huge internal and external pressure influencing many people in the direction of theism, and some people are really good at compartmentalizing; and as a result there are lots of people who are basically good thinkers, who are basically committed to deciding things rationally, but who are still theists. I don’t see any reason to believe that no one in that position could have anything to offer LW.
Once again: Would you want to keep out Robert Aumann?
“Still, we can agree that Aumann is not on board with the programme...”
What on earth are you talking about? A legendary rationalist is “not on board with the programme” here at a website ostensibly devoted to the discussion of rationality because he might be a theist? Get a grip. There is no such “programme” that would exclude him.
The site would be helped most not by categorically excluding theists, but by culling out all the blinkered and despicable cult-like elements that seem to worm their way persistently into the manner of speaking around here.
Aumann is a mathematician-of-rationality, not a rationalist. Completely different skillset. It would be great to have him here, but not because he agrees with the site’s basic goals and premises.
I’m proposing something stronger than that: it’s not appropriate to post arguments for religious faith here at all. In fact, I’m proposing something stronger than that: if you don’t understand why theism is ruled out, you’re not ready to post here at all.
Agreed, with reservations. (Some might be useful examples. Some might be sufficiently persuasive prima facie to be worth a look even though we’d be astonished if they turned out actually to work.)
If theism were just one more thing that people can easily be wrong about, perhaps you’d be right. As it is, there’s huge internal and external pressure influencing many people in the direction of theism, and some people are really good at compartmentalizing; and as a result there are lots of people who are basically good thinkers, who are basically committed to deciding things rationally, but who are still theists. I don’t see any reason to believe that no one in that position could have anything to offer LW.
Once again: Would you want to keep out Robert Aumann?
Um. No. Busted.
Still, we can agree that Aumann is not on board with the programme...
“Still, we can agree that Aumann is not on board with the programme...”
What on earth are you talking about? A legendary rationalist is “not on board with the programme” here at a website ostensibly devoted to the discussion of rationality because he might be a theist? Get a grip. There is no such “programme” that would exclude him.
The site would be helped most not by categorically excluding theists, but by culling out all the blinkered and despicable cult-like elements that seem to worm their way persistently into the manner of speaking around here.
Aumann is a mathematician-of-rationality, not a rationalist. Completely different skillset. It would be great to have him here, but not because he agrees with the site’s basic goals and premises.
Or to put it another way: expert on rationality versus expert at rationality?