Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
I wanted to share the information on these guys being thesits and discuss it. Maybe why men of their caliber was convinced to believe in a god. I really don´t give a damn if you are atheist or theist for the sake of it. I have never in my life tried to convince people to believe in a deity and I am not openly a theist IRL.
Maybe why men of their caliber was convinced to believe in a god.
Most likely because their parents raised them that way. Note that none of them was a Hindu or Shintoist or Muslim. If it isn’t surprising that people who happen to be born in the same continent tend to revere the same deity, then it shouldn’t be surprising that some of them persist in that belief even after they study some branch of science.
Let’s directly address the unstated point: Do you find it admirable that those scientists were theists? Why?
Also, let’s address a point that is even more important: Today’s scientists are, as a group, less religious than used to be the norm. How do you interpret that?
And let’s address the question that has not been answered: The appeal to authority is not a valid argument, so how is the topic of theistic scientists relevant to the rationalist community?
Maybe they were raised that way. But take Einstein for example, he was surrounded by many atheists. We have to assume he was man enough to make a decision of his own.
Do I admire them? Not for their outspoken christian belief. I don´t. I might admire their moral if it follows christian values that I agree with. I don´t know if they did follow such values though.
I don´t appeal to authority since there is no thesis I argue for.
How is this topic relevant to the rationalist community? Well, how is AI research directly connected to rationality? I didn´t know there were taboos here. Since I don´t think many people even know these guys believed in a god whatsoever, I find it useful to let people know it. It might be noteable that even though they had to be very rational in some aspects in order to achieve what they did, they were still raised/otherwise convinced to believe in a god.
I wanted to share the information on these guys being thesits and discuss it. Maybe why men of their caliber was convinced to believe in a god. I really don´t give a damn if you are atheist or theist for the sake of it. I have never in my life tried to convince people to believe in a deity and I am not openly a theist IRL.
Most likely because their parents raised them that way. Note that none of them was a Hindu or Shintoist or Muslim. If it isn’t surprising that people who happen to be born in the same continent tend to revere the same deity, then it shouldn’t be surprising that some of them persist in that belief even after they study some branch of science.
Let’s directly address the unstated point: Do you find it admirable that those scientists were theists? Why?
Also, let’s address a point that is even more important: Today’s scientists are, as a group, less religious than used to be the norm. How do you interpret that?
And let’s address the question that has not been answered: The appeal to authority is not a valid argument, so how is the topic of theistic scientists relevant to the rationalist community?
Maybe they were raised that way. But take Einstein for example, he was surrounded by many atheists. We have to assume he was man enough to make a decision of his own.
Do I admire them? Not for their outspoken christian belief. I don´t. I might admire their moral if it follows christian values that I agree with. I don´t know if they did follow such values though.
I don´t appeal to authority since there is no thesis I argue for.
How is this topic relevant to the rationalist community? Well, how is AI research directly connected to rationality? I didn´t know there were taboos here. Since I don´t think many people even know these guys believed in a god whatsoever, I find it useful to let people know it. It might be noteable that even though they had to be very rational in some aspects in order to achieve what they did, they were still raised/otherwise convinced to believe in a god.
Let’s write down two columns.
One will be titled, “Newton’s great ideas,” and the other will be titled, “Newton’s inexcusable folly.”
Gravitation, color theory, cubic equations, and calculus belong in the first column.
The philosopher’s stone, sacred geometry, end-of-the-world predictions, and the color indigo belong in the second column.
If you have any good argument why his belief in God doesn’t belong in the second column with the rest of the nonsense, please show it.
Why do you think so? Especially if “many people” is about the well educated LW community.