Great quotations

This is why we need a philosophy section.

“You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe.”
--Carl Sagan.

“Interviewer: Didn't Sagan want to believe?
Druyan: he didn't want to believe. he wanted to know.”
― Ann Druyan.

“Arguments from authority carry little weight – authorities have made mistakes in the past. They will do so again in the future. Perhaps a better way to say it is that in science there are no authorities; at most, there are experts.”
― Carl Sagan.

Let's make it multi-input thread

“There's only two people in your life you should lie to...the police and your girlfriend.”

Jack Nicholson

Quote: odiousgambit

“There's only two people in your life you should lie to...the police and your girlfriend.”

Jack Nicholson

Caveat... Nicholson is a good liar, because he's still alive.

The most convincing liars are those
who say as little as possible. But
the other kind of liar is the bullshit
artist, who makes up stories out of
whole cloth. They don't get away
with it for long, they soon have a rep
for not being truthful.

Quote: Evenbob

The most convincing liars are those
who say as little as possible. But
the other kind of liar is the bullshit
artist, who makes up stories out of
whole cloth. They don't get away
with it for long, they soon have a rep
for not being truthful.

Web of lies is difficult to keep track of. Too many things to keep track of. More ways to trip up in newly discovered contradictions.

Once worked with a girl (long time ago) who just fabricated lie after lie about her life. It was so obvious you just had to shake your head after awhile, it just wasn't worth arguing with her over the nonsense.

She had big boobs though and was attractive. So...I kinda let it go.

I have a willingness to accept but a deep seated need to believe the evidence prior to acceptance.

true-believers are shallow and will "believe" in whatever is trendy at the moment: the 2000 meltdown, is a good example. Nothing melted down at 1,000 but at 2,000 the world implodes.

take someone who believes this massive daycare abuse ... dozens of late deliveries, dozens of early pickups streams of adults coming and going... yet dozens of molestations going on all day? absurd. facilitated communication, utter nonsense. People simply want to believe in something.

"I'm an atheist. This means not only that I refuse to arrange my life according to your belief, but that I'm not willing to even suffer a minor inconvenience for it. Your problem is the vast majority of religious believers are not willing to do so, either."

--Nareed.

"They had a choice between God and life. They chose God. I stand here and marvel at their stupidity."

--Nareed.

Prejudices may give some people a simpler view of the world, but it comes at great cost to the people who are their targets.

Took that idea from an article on neuroscience. It's easy to paint a whole group with a stereotype, but individuals within that group are punished when they differ from the stereotype.