Nice explanation of fundamentalist thinking from Haruki Murakami.

[Kablooie]

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer and this is a short excerpt from his new book 1Q84.
Two characters are discussing the value of holding beliefs that are observable and provable.

"Most people are not looking for provable truths. ... truth is often accompanied by intense pain, and almost no one is looking for painful truths. What people need is beautiful, comforting stories that make them feel as if their lives have some meaning. Which is where religion comes from.”

“If a certain belief – call it ‘Belief A’ – makes the life of that man or this woman appear to be something of deep meaning, then for them Belief A is the truth. If Belief B makes their lives appear to be powerless and puny, then Belief B turns out to be a falsehood. The distinction is quite clear. If someone insists that Belief B is the truth, people will probably hate him, ignore him, or, in some cases, attack him. It means nothing to them that Belief B might be logical or provable. Most people barely manage to preserve their sanity by denying and rejecting images of themselves as powerless and puny.”


BTW:
In Japanese the word for the number '9' is kyu, ergo "Q" in the title.

[3waygeek]

1. Another explanation of fundamentalist thinking...from 3waygeek.

It's an oxymoron.

[Kablooie]

2. Alright. Fundamentalist headspace.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. Is there a link to this?

I would like to read more.

[Matariki]

5. Here. You can download the first chapter (for free)

http://www.amazon.com/1Q84-Haruki-Murakami/dp/0307593312/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320796128&sr=8-1

Murakami is a great author. If you've never read anything by him I highly recommend...

[AsahinaKimi]

6. arigatou!

honto desu!

[Matariki]

8. dou itashimashite

(did i get that right?) ;-)

[AsahinaKimi]

9. Yes!!

Hai!! ii desuyo!!! :applause:

[Kablooie]

7. You can probably order the original Japanese version from Amazon Japan.

go to http://www.amazon.co.jp and search for 1q84.

They ship worldwide.

In Japanese the book is in 3 volumes.
The English version says it's only the first 2 volumes.

I'm reading it now and am near the end. It's very strange, like all of Murakami's books, but absolutely gripping.
It's a little worrisome that the third volume isn't available in English.
I'll probably finish it within a week.

[tcaudilllg]

4. Fe ruling over Ti.