CharlesR comments on Reflections on rationality a year out - Less Wrong

90 [deleted] 31 March 2011 01:35AM

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Comment author: CharlesR 31 March 2011 03:43:52AM *  3 points [-]

I think Sam Harris gets it mostly right.

I think that “atheist” is a term that we do not need, in the same way that we don’t need a word for someone who rejects astrology. We simply do not call people “non-astrologers.” All we need are words like “reason” and “evidence” and “common sense” and “bullshit” to put astrologers in their place, and so it could be with religion.

Comment author: CronoDAS 01 April 2011 07:34:38PM 7 points [-]

I'd like to bring up a comparison with a similar term that isn't used much any more: "abolitionist". It's very rare to find anyone these days who wouldn't agree with those in the pre-Civil War United States who called themselves abolitionists. We don't need the term today, but we did need it back then...

Comment author: ohwilleke 31 March 2011 09:23:57PM 0 points [-]

"Reason" and "evidence based" are both quite nice words to convey the idea.

Comment author: bekkerd 31 March 2011 08:00:23AM 0 points [-]

Thanks for this. That talk was an informative read.

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