[lbo-talk] Appeal to Ignorance

[Jeffrey Fisher]

On 6/17/05, Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu> wrote:
> >[lbo-talk] Appeal to Ignorance
> >Chris Doss lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com
> >Fri Jun 17 01:02:42 PDT 2005
> <snip>
> >--- Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu> wrote:
> >You are merely restating what I said in the sentence that follows
> >the  question above in
> ><http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/pipermail/lbo-talk/Week-of-Mon-20050613/012754.html>.
> >
> >Besides, my question concerns respect and disrespect, reverence and
> >irreverence.  Why should statements that are impossible to prove or
> >disprove be held in higher regard than empirical statements, so much
> >so that it is acceptable to be irreverent toward the latter but not
> >toward the former?
> >
> >---
> >I don't care whether you respect or disrespect it or whatever.
> 
> Well, perhaps, you don't, but, then, you shouldn't have responded to
> my reply to Jeff as it doesn't concern you.  It seems to me that
> there is no reason to hold statements about metaphysical postulates
> in higher regard than statements about the empirical world (including
> demonstrably false ones), but some people do, including on this list.
> So, I'm asking why.

ok. if i'm the only self-identifying atheist on this list who thinks
that, comparing religion to spam and the acceptance of religious
belief to being a "sucker" and responding to spam, is condescending
and disrespectful of religion and of self-identifying religious
people, then i will shut up and not say another word on this. scout's
honor.

note that i don't ask whether they deserve to be disrespected or
condescended to, but whether this way of talking in fact does it. so
if you like yoshie's approach because it puts religious belief in the
category where it belongs, then you actually agree with my point.
indeed, if you thought it was funny, you probably agree with me.
whether or not they deserve it or it doesn't matter is a separate
question.

j

-- 
Among medieval and modern philosophers, anxious to establish
the religious significance of God, an unfortunate habit has prevailed
of paying to Him metaphysical compliments.

  - Alfred North Whitehead