So does everyone, at some level. But in my experience, whenever I felt superior over people because I didn’t share some of their beliefs that seemed crazy to me, after several years I’d usually feel embarrassed on recollection, considering how much even stupider stuff I believed myself at the same time. From what I’ve observed, once you’ve assessed someone’s character and abilities relevant to the business at hand, making conclusions based on their general religious and ideological beliefs is a fool’s game, unless perhaps it’s something that just screams weirdness.
I’m pretty sure I am not a supporter or voluntary member of any organization that causes as much harm as the Catholic church.
Well, that depends not just on factual questions, but also on normative questions of how exactly harm should be quantified. But still, I’d point out that the same principle applies here. You’re talking about an institution that faces strong opposition by many prominent high-status people, and you’ve clearly been exposed to their convincingly argued accusations against it. However, are you really sure that all the institutions that command much more unanimous respect and allegiance by respectable people, and are attacked only by various disreputable fringe individuals, could not be blamed equally convincingly by a truly neutral observer?
But in my experience, whenever I felt superior over people because I didn’t share some of their beliefs that seemed crazy to me, after several years I’d usually feel embarrassed on recollection, considering how much even stupider stuff I believed myself at the same time.
Same here; I get embarassed at how that moronic pretentious former-me kept feeling superior to others.
AngryParsley:
So does everyone, at some level. But in my experience, whenever I felt superior over people because I didn’t share some of their beliefs that seemed crazy to me, after several years I’d usually feel embarrassed on recollection, considering how much even stupider stuff I believed myself at the same time. From what I’ve observed, once you’ve assessed someone’s character and abilities relevant to the business at hand, making conclusions based on their general religious and ideological beliefs is a fool’s game, unless perhaps it’s something that just screams weirdness.
Well, that depends not just on factual questions, but also on normative questions of how exactly harm should be quantified. But still, I’d point out that the same principle applies here. You’re talking about an institution that faces strong opposition by many prominent high-status people, and you’ve clearly been exposed to their convincingly argued accusations against it. However, are you really sure that all the institutions that command much more unanimous respect and allegiance by respectable people, and are attacked only by various disreputable fringe individuals, could not be blamed equally convincingly by a truly neutral observer?
Same here; I get embarassed at how that moronic pretentious former-me kept feeling superior to others.