Re: virus: Faith, Logic and Purpose

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Fri, 7 Nov 1997 12:59:51 -0800 (PST)


On Thu, 6 Nov 1997, David McFadzean wrote:

> Is it because the belief comes from someone we have good reason to
> trust? (assumption) Is it because the belief comes from someone we don't
> have good reason to trust? (faith)

This is a false dichotomy. The second case (faith) does not exist in
nature. Unless you are saying, and it looks this way from here, that if
*your* belief comes from someone *I* don't trust, then it is faith.
That's not really what you're saying is it?

> Is the belief non-falsifiable, but somehow useful if true? (faith?
> assumption? I don't know.)

These are the interesting ones to me.

Why is it so hard to classify this one? What, by the way, is your
criteria for classification in one category of another? How are you
drawing the line? What distinction are you making?

-Prof. Tim