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• (January 12, 2023, 01:18:11 AM)

[xolik]

If, in an alternate universe, I had children of my own, I would raise them with a basic understanding of what religion was and then leave it up to them to decide if they want to pursue the matter further.

[pbsaurus]

That's pretty much what were going to do with Ian.  Give him the gifts of critical thought and information and then let him decide. 

[Joe Sixpack]

When he's old enough -

Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan

and

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman as told to some other guy.

[Crystalmonkey]

Carl Sagan was the man.

As far as the discussion on 'rights', rights are an intellectual creation that allow us to talk about ethical systems in more conscious/meaningful/useful terms. (I.e. "That ethical system is immoral because it violates Right X etc...) That statement doesn't explain why we would feel we have Right X or why Right X is more useful, etc.., and I point this out because there is evidence that human ethics are actually influenced by Human Evolution. (Perhaps in a related fashion, our conscious discussion of rights is influenced by subconscious ideas already inherent...)

Besides the fact that there's actual observable phenomenon (Similarities across cultures that weren't seemingly influenced by each other), think of it this way.

In terms of evolution, who is better off (generally speaking): a single person, or a group of people. I'd say the group of people, as they are better able to deal with larger threats and are also able to provide more resources. (This should be seen as common sense...) Any advantage that helps that group work better will be more likely to be passed on over things that do the opposite. (Co-operation vs Competition) That's not to say that all co-operation is good and all competition is bad, just that things which help the group succeed (and similarly help the individuals produce offspring) are more likely to be passed on.

Or, just looking at it from a family scale: who is more likely to survive, a family that cares for it's young or a family that doesn't? (Human family, where the baby isn't capable of taking care of itself...)

That's not to say that we should infer moral judgments based on these innate beliefs, since some people are naturally violent and we don't think THAT'S acceptable just because it's a natural tendency. This is all just to give us a better understanding our ethical systems.


Edit: Forgot to add this:

As far as Ivan's point about questioning the "Right to Exist", if the evolutionary foundation of ethics (i.e. they're innate parts of human nature) are to be believed, then it could be imagined that it would rarely come up.

You might think it odd if someone were to question whether there SHOULD be justice in the world or whether we SHOULD be interested in justice, for instance, since it's just an innate part of human nature and we take it for granted sometimes. (Not necessarily that there IS justice in the world, which is a separate issue.)

[RelandR]

I have a Right to balance out my Left,

... else my world would come tumbling down and I couldn't get up.

That would suck as I am pretty sure that I DO NOT have a Right to LifeAlert^TM

[Novice]

And the whole thing comes tumbling down like a house of cards, and you start over.

My brain every day. By the way, Bender's big score didn't live up to the futurama name for me. It sucks, I get to listen to all the people talk about that show now that it's on CC because they never watched it on [AS]. . .

[ivan]

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman as told to some other guy.

QFT.

And everything else written by and about Mr. Feynman.

And our approach with Number One Son is as outlined above, as well. Not only with religion, but with everything, including music and art.

But not politics.

[Joe Sixpack]

Kudos to Ivan for showing excellent taste over the last couple of days.  It speaks well of your character.

[Crystalmonkey]

Kudos to Ivan for showing excellent taste over the last couple of days.  It speaks well of your character.

ivan is awesome by definition. (No joke, look it up.)