Rare Earth; how rare? (Introduction)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Monday, December 12, 2011, 00:53 (4517 days ago) @ David Turell

But for me, a more personal answer is this: I don't think in terms of my own lifetime, David. An answer now based on obvious ignorance is worth nothing. But preparing the way for the future, so that the question(s) can conceivably be answered? THAT is the true work of a philosopher. THAT is Nietzsche's builder, the ubermensch incarnate.

Fair enough, but I'm happy with a current belief.

You don't have to answer this... but the crux of the entire debate over God and religion for me has always been a disdain of faith. Why faith?

Well, maybe not much of a question, but I just... really cannot understand how holding a belief on faith can make anyone feel better. Especially when knowledge is out there. I don't know if I'm just damaged for some reason, but I've gone to great lengths to *remove* faith from my life. I don't just mean this in a religious sense, but in an all-encompassing sense. Part of why I always challenge authority is because titles mean nothing and trust is always better than faith. And trust is earned, not freely given. Faith is freely given.

If knowledge is out there--even if I don't have immediate access to it--then my belief held on faith might be false... so why hold to a belief that might be false? It's... inefficient at the least. Especially considering that our human instincts are to defend beliefs we like, it seems too great an expenditure of life to accept, uproot, accept, uproot, etc...

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"