I believe we all have blind spots of stupidity where things we didn't think all the way through lurk. That's because there only so many hours in a day and so much effort we can spend on those questions. So we wander around with some half baked thoughts.
If someone gave some serious thought about what's in your blind spot, he'll notice you're believing bollocks but he might not notice he does too.
I agree with this, as you say we all have areas where we believe something without enough evidence or understanding as to why we believe it. As /u/spaceghoti says,the problem lies not in believing things we cannot prove but rather in not being willing to question a belief when it is challenged. If you don't allow for questioning of a belief, then you are able to believe in anything and as a result are very susceptible to manipulation within your beliefs.
I lost my belief in god because in the end, to give a very short summary, I could give no reason why my belief made more sense than other religions that did not include needing to have faith. Then my next question was, why do I have faith in this religion rather than the others that require the same. I think reaching that question was the end.
True, but this then gives us a clear delineation between a skeptic and a partisan. A partisan doesn't care that what he believes may also be bollocks, while the skeptic will acknowledge the possibility and seriously consider it. Partisans don't care if they wrong so long as it conforms to what they expect to be true.
I know I believe in bollocks and want to find out what part of what I believe is.
Someone religious once tried to convince me to adopt his view for the comfort of certainty. I told me it's not comforting at all to me, not being able to question feels like a mental straightjacket.
I firmly believe in striving to be a bit less wrong than yesterday.
I believe we all have blind spots of stupidity where things we didn't think all the way through lurk. That's because there only so many hours in a day and so much effort we can spend on those questions. So we wander around with some half baked thoughts.
If someone gave some serious thought about what's in your blind spot, he'll notice you're believing bollocks but he might not notice he does too.
I agree with this, as you say we all have areas where we believe something without enough evidence or understanding as to why we believe it. As /u/spaceghoti says,the problem lies not in believing things we cannot prove but rather in not being willing to question a belief when it is challenged. If you don't allow for questioning of a belief, then you are able to believe in anything and as a result are very susceptible to manipulation within your beliefs.
I lost my belief in god because in the end, to give a very short summary, I could give no reason why my belief made more sense than other religions that did not include needing to have faith. Then my next question was, why do I have faith in this religion rather than the others that require the same. I think reaching that question was the end.
True, but this then gives us a clear delineation between a skeptic and a partisan. A partisan doesn't care that what he believes may also be bollocks, while the skeptic will acknowledge the possibility and seriously consider it. Partisans don't care if they wrong so long as it conforms to what they expect to be true.
I know I believe in bollocks and want to find out what part of what I believe is.
Someone religious once tried to convince me to adopt his view for the comfort of certainty. I told me it's not comforting at all to me, not being able to question feels like a mental straightjacket.
I firmly believe in striving to be a bit less wrong than yesterday.