khafra comments on Rationality Quotes October 2011 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: MinibearRex 03 October 2011 06:41AM

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Comment author: RobertLumley 03 October 2011 03:55:31PM 2 points [-]

The engineer does not believe in black magic, voodoo, or rain dances. The engineer believes in scientific truth, that is, truth that can be verified by experiment.

Samuel Florman

Comment author: khafra 05 October 2011 04:57:28PM 3 points [-]

No vote, but I've known several engineers who believe in black magic, voodoo, and/or rain dances.

Comment author: Emile 22 October 2011 08:35:58PM 0 points [-]

Is this a reference to Agile methodologies?

Comment author: khafra 22 October 2011 11:47:08PM 3 points [-]

Heh, it could be--but no; this is about a few educated, professional engineer friends of mine who are into pagan, asatru, ceremonial magick, and voudoun. Quite literally, black magic and voodoo (although I have yet to meet any who are well versed in native american ceremonies).

Comment author: bogus 23 October 2011 12:03:25AM 2 points [-]

In all fairness, paganism, voudoun and magick are more like shared ceremonial practices than "religions" in a conventional sense. And these ceremonies might well have instrumental value as mind-hacking devices: "worshiping" a voudun "form" probably primes your mind towards that form's attributes (love, war etc.). This is especially useful in collective ceremonies, where it also acts as a screening/signaling device.

Comment author: Xom 22 October 2011 09:00:32PM *  2 points [-]