lavalamp comments on What Can We Learn About Human Psychology from Christian Apologetics? - Less Wrong

39 Post author: ChrisHallquist 21 October 2013 10:02PM

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Comment author: ChrisHallquist 22 October 2013 03:58:25PM 5 points [-]

I'd actually be surprised if LessWrong made many deconverts (though such people would be interesting to hear from, if they exist). The Sequences take atheism and a vague respect for rationality for granted, and focus on arguing about other topics. And the Sequences have shifted my beliefs around on some of those other topics, most notably Bayesianism.

The comparison to apologetics is more apt, I think, for sites like Rational Wiki, which Konkvistador aptly described as, "what a slightly left of centre atheist needs to win an internet debate... an ammunition depot to aid in winning debates."

Comment author: lavalamp 23 October 2013 11:50:05PM 6 points [-]

I'd actually be surprised if LessWrong made many deconverts

raises hand

One could argue that LW just made the inevitable happen faster, though.

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 24 October 2013 08:14:13AM *  6 points [-]

Connotationally about "just made the inevitable happen faster": Sometimes the timing makes a huge difference. For a man, being just a few years late may result in a marriage where "coming out" would mean losing all contact with their children. For a woman, being just a few years late may result in being married to an old polygamous guy and having no chance to get even high-school education.

All the religion needs to win is to keep you long enough so that it can keep your children, too.

Comment author: lavalamp 24 October 2013 07:30:53PM 1 point [-]

Yeah, good point, agreed-- I'm possibly in the former category there, it's hard to say.