h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Belief is largely irrelevant surely. I don't believe in anything, including the scientific methods. If a thing is there or works, then it is or does, if it isn't or deosn't then it isn't or doesn't.

Whether or not I believe in the table in front of me makes no difference to its existence.

I'm not a sceptic, I'm a Pyrrhonic Methodist

Yes, it's largely irrelevant.
But although your belief in the table in front of you makes no difference to its existence, it makes a difference to your interaction with it. Human perception is flawed, and the scientific method depends on the universe being predictable, which we can never absolutely prove, as is pointed out in my soon to be EG entry A918461. (Although that bit isn't in there because of me. )
But enough of that, you are a loon, and I don't like these overly philosophical debates... well, not when I'm loosing anyway. My fellows at The Freedom from Faith Foundation A665101 do however. You should head over there, if you haven't already. I'm sure they'll welcome another pagan. What is a pyrrhonic methodist anyway? My searches only turn up pyrrhonic skeptics.

Well, it depends. If I decide to believe it doesn't exist, could I walk through it? No. Although I'll agree it might stop me trying to leave cups of tea and ash trays on top of it .

I shall wander over there immediately. Well would, if I had not done so already on your suggestion.

A Pyrrhonic Methodist is a fancy name for a skeptic. I think I came across it in a book by Robert Anton Wilson. Skeptic doesn't imply the right degree of rant

Ah. Well Robert Anton Wilson is a loon. Or so it appears from the books by him I've read. I might be a Pyrrhonic Methodist as well. I'm certainly a Logical Positivist and rabid atheist. And hungry, wish the oven would heat up faster.

I have this brilliant quote at home somewhere in my siggy file, and I can't remember who said it or what the exact wording is (I'll look it up when I get in this evening).

'I contend that we are all atheists. When you understand why you dismiss all other gods, then you will understand why I dismiss yours.'

Yeah, that's one of my favourites. It doesn't work very well on believers though, since their reasons are irrational.

After reading The Salmon of Doubt, I now have a new favourite. It's even more useless in an argument, but it's very relevant to this site.

"I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting. But it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously."
- Douglas Adams

If you think about it, belief tends to be irrational, almost by definition. I try explaining this to people and they don't get it, but never mind. I have the same problem with faith as well.

Funny how you can be subject to weird experiences and still not really believe in anything. People just don't get that one, not even when you start talking about models. Chuck in 'And anyway, I prefer the Copenhagen Interpretation' and they get really confused

There are 6 billion people on the planet, weird stuff has to happen to some of us.
My friend once picked up the phone right when I called him. He was going to call me, and the phone hadn't had time to ring, so he was kind of freaked out when I started talking to him. Weird yes, but one of us usually called the other around that time of day to decide what we'd do that afternoon.
And almost weird stuff happens all the time and isn't noticed, and... Um, I'll stop now. I'm not good at sermons, and this is preaching to the convicted.

Or is it the convinced, or the converted, or the condemned... I should get back to work I think.

... I've had the phone thing happen to me three times. Just for kicks, I once asked my statistics professor how he would work out the probability of such an occurrence happening, say, five times in someone's lifetime (in the modern world, say post 1965 or so). It's never happened with a cell phone, however, and anyway at the time I asked, cell phones were relatively rare, most commonly being large, heavy silicon bricks most frequently used used in yuppie assault cases. I can't remember what he worked out, but it was very, very complicated (he'd taken my comment seriously Stats profs!)

- JD

You might find it interesting to visit the page of a Reasearcher called "Justin the Preacher". However, just be warned. Arguments with him go nowere because he is, as far as I can tell, inable to understand even simple logical arguments.