What did you want to be when you were little?

[BigOto2]

Yeah, that's my main area of interest. I kinda want to prove Christianity and Buddhism wrong to be honest, but I don't think its really possible given our trapped inside the universe.

[James]

Yeah, that's my main area of interest. I kinda want to prove Christianity and Buddhism wrong to be honest, but I don't think its really possible given our trapped inside the universe.

Those claims are unfalsifiable... (also, why specifically those two? )

At the moment, I'm studying to be an engineer, but I still have my eyes set on becoming a world-class poker player. (A beautiful blend of probability, logic, and psychology; my three favourite disciplines )

[BigOto2]

Those claims are unfalsifiable... (also, why specifically those two? )

At the moment, I'm studying to be an engineer, but I still have my eyes set on becoming a world-class poker player. (A beautiful blend of probability, logic, and psychology; my three favourite disciplines )

I would want to prove any religion wrong, being athiest, but Buddhism and Christianity are the two that I'm most influenced by. Sometimes I can't believe Mom believes in such statements like "Desire = Suffering" and the existence of 2,000+ gods... It just doesn't make sense to me, especially that she converted just a few years ago. I just let her be though, as I can only constructively oppose her arguments.

[rockdet]

In some ways, you'll realize pretty quickly that desire = suffering. Perhaps not to a religious extent, but being an extremely cynical individual, I must admit this is pretty dark as a train of thought, though pretty much true for me.

Gods? Don't mention it

"E=mc^2 you can relate, how we made God with our hands"

[PB_guy]

Perhaps, you might get beyond the desire to prove something wrong, and instead look for what is true?

The problem lies in Weltanschauung, (or worldview in English). Everyone has one, and it overrules our perception of the universe.

Just for a taste, these are excepts from Dr. John MacArthur's book "Thinking Biblically". and sum it up fairly well;

What is a worldview? A worldview comprises one's collection of presuppositions, convictions and values from which a person tries to understand and make sense out of the world and life. “A worldview is a conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality. “A worldview is, first of all, an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life.”

and

How does one form a worldview? Where does one begin? Every worldview starts with presuppositions-i.e., beliefs that one presumes to be true without supporting independent evidence from other sources or systems. Interpreting reality, in part or in whole, requires that one adopt an interpretative stance since there is no “neutral” thought in the universe. This becomes the foundation upon which one builds.

Ian

[tensorpudding]

If you suppose the hypothesis of this Weltanschaung theory, then it would be more interesting to figure out the convictions that undergird the beliefs of the religious in how they accept their religions, and try to formulate evidence that they are unsound. But that's not likely to work, because most people, when confronted with evidence that their foundational assumptions about the world and human nature are wrong, will be put into a kind of cognitive dissonance that is much easier to resolve through ceding the argument but keeping the beliefs, or attacking the evidence against those beliefs, than by replacing those beliefs with a different set. The way to erode superstition and faith of that nature is not to turn the hardened adults, but to permeate the public discourse enough such that young people will be able to find and hear your opinion early enough so that they are amenable to listen to it. The development of secular society have disconnected many people from the traditions of their parents and caused a general loss of faith over the past generations, which is probably why many people of faith are so frightened of it and try to subvert it in the USA.

[PB_guy]

Excellent point, but you cannot escape your worldview. You can only exchange it for a different one. Once you start looking at the worldviews your associates/antagonists adhere to, you may start to find fallacies in your own.

... it would be more interesting to figure out the convictions that undergird the beliefs of the religious in how they accept their religions, and try to formulate evidence that they are unsound.

This statement presupposes that your opponent's worldview is unsound. But how is it that you are sure that your own worldview is sound and that theirs is not?. There is a set of rules, called logic, that are (or should be) independent of your or any worldview. If a given worldview is inconsistent by the rules of logic, then you might say that it cannot support itself logically. That would give you an independent set of rules by which to judge a particular worldview. However, if your own worldview becomes threatened, I can guarantee that you will react with emotion and not logic. You just have to see the exchanges over the 'global warming' arguments to see this in action. Watch for 'ad hominem' attacks, as they usually arise first when people's worldviews are threatened.

Ian

[Ida]

I'm curious though. What branch of engineering did you study?

Mechanical engineering. My program sort of had a focus on developing countries though, so we spent a month in a factory in Kenya, and I did my Bachelor's degree project in Tanzania.

[rockdet]

Woah that's impressive. Did you climb the Kilimandjaro? B)

[Phazite]

Yeah, that's my main area of interest.

It's my main area of interest as well. Perhaps you could become a scientist.

At the moment, I'm studying to be an engineer, but I still have my eyes set on becoming a world-class poker player. (A beautiful blend of probability, logic, and psychology; my three favourite disciplines )

Now I must ask you. Which branch of engineering are you studying?

I would want to prove any religion wrong, being athiest, but Buddhism and Christianity are the two that I'm most influenced by. Sometimes I can't believe Mom believes in such statements like "Desire = Suffering" and the existence of 2,000+ gods... It just doesn't make sense to me, especially that she converted just a few years ago. I just let her be though, as I can only constructively oppose her arguments.

Being an athiest don't necesarily imply the desire to disprove religions (I'm sure you agree). I think the important thing is critical thinking.

Excellent point, but you cannot escape your worldview. You can only exchange it for a different one. Once you start looking at the worldviews your associates/antagonists adhere to, you may start to find fallacies in your own.

This statement presupposes that your opponent's worldview is unsound. But how is it that you are sure that your own worldview is sound and that theirs is not?. There is a set of rules, called logic, that are (or should be) independent of your or any worldview. If a given worldview is inconsistent by the rules of logic, then you might say that it cannot support itself logically. That would give you an independent set of rules by which to judge a particular worldview. However, if your own worldview becomes threatened, I can guarantee that you will react with emotion and not logic. You just have to see the exchanges over the 'global warming' arguments to see this in action. Watch for 'ad hominem' attacks, as they usually arise first when people's worldviews are threatened.

Ian

Can't disagree here. I think the best I can do is try to challenge myself and try not to be too attached to my beliefs that aren't grounded in solid reason and evidence. I don't think I hold many strong views because I'm so uncertain about everything. Still, I can't deny that I hold a world view and would feel emotionally uncomfortable if it were threatened. Maybe this is one down side of being a human.

Mechanical engineering. My program sort of had a focus on developing countries though, so we spent a month in a factory in Kenya, and I did my Bachelor's degree project in Tanzania.

Nice! Sounds like an "Engineers Without Borders" type of project.