Concepts of God and Religion

[patrice]

51. CHOOSE that or don't. Let others do the same. None of that means anyone should not stand

for their own choices and sometimes standing for one's own choices includes saying that CHOICES are real and if I want mine respected, unless I'm somekind of god, I must at least be willing to hypothetically respect others' truths. That is, unless all we are doing is an infinite regression, but if that's your thing, then SAY that, so others can make their choices about that. Don't claim more than you are actually doing.

I say, for any true rationalist, that includes the recognition of limitations on the nature of what is referred to as "proof". That doesn't mean that you are/I am wrong, nor does it mean that you are/I am right. It means that you know what you say you know (in terms of our shared epistemology). That specific epistemology/knowing has a specific context. Though probabilities can be high, they are STILL probabilities RELATIVE to context. You are making no claims outside of that, therefore, you don't know everything that it is possible CAN stand in somekind of relationship to what you are claiming that you know. Yeah, you can inductively identify some new hypothesis, but that also has to be validly and reliably tested in its context and IS therefore dependent upon that context. I'm not saying I know what all of that adds up to; I'm just saying THOSE are the facts and people should STOP abusing them.

That's the WHOLE paradigm upon which peer review of science is founded. CHOOSE it or not and, unless you're a god, unless you know everything, all contexts, recognize that your claim to your own choices means nothing unless others can do the same in terms of their own contexts.

Btw, "cut and paste" ??, ha, ha . . . No.
But, thanks for the laugh, really.

FOUR fingers!!!!