Why is a faith a virtue.

Post by **_Tarski** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:53 am

Faith is always promoted as virtue and something God wants us to have.

Lets take faith belief in things that cannot be seen or measured. Faith in the sense of "take on faith that X is true".

But, it isn't a virtue in many other contexts since it doesn't protect from delusion. Asking for proper evidence is a virtue in science and medicine.

Was faith in Zeus a virtue for the Greeks?

Is faith in L Ron Hubbard a virtue?

Is faith in Yaweh a virtue?

Why or why not?

Post by **_truth dancer** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 1:56 am

Hey Tarski,

I find that no one really believes faith is a good thing.

What many do believe is that faith in their particular belief system is a virtue.

;-)

~dancer~

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:06 am

Is faith in the existence of Iraq a virtue?

Post by **_Tarski** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:25 am

asbestosman wrote:Is faith in the existence of Iraq a virtue?

I just can't bring myself to think of that as faith. It could be verified at anytime and I know people who have been there, no one is doubting it etc etc.
I can see it too via TV. I know hundreds of reason why it iexists. In fact, nothing would make sense if I found out it didn't exist. Too many thing would then have no explanation. Where did those reporters go? Where did my brother go. How did those soldiers die etc. Who fount a war with Iran?

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 2:33 am

Tarski wrote:I just can't bring myself to think of that as faith. It could be verified at anytime and I know people who have been there, no one is doubting it etc etc.

Alright, should I take the accuracy of transfinite arithmetic on faith? I know lots of people who doubt it. Of course those people are generally ignorant, but they still doubt it.

I can see it too via TV. I know hundreds of reason why it iexists. In fact, nothing would make sense if I found out it didn't exist. Too many thing would then have no explanation. Where did those reporters go? Where did my brother go. How did those soldiers die etc. Who fount a war with Iran?

I can't see my consciousness on TV directly, but then the effects of it are just as readily available. Should I take my intuition of consciousness on faith? Some would claim that nothing would make sense without these intuitions.

Post by **_Tarski** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:02 am

asbestosman wrote:. Should I take my intuition of consciousness on faith? .

Absolutely not! Especially not.

In fact, you might guess that I think intuitions about the nature and reality of consciousness are deeply flawed, even flat wrong. Consciousness turns out to not be unified, continuous, presented to an inner minds eye, or any number of the things it seems to be.

Post by **_Tarski** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:03 am

Someone needs to answer my specific questions with at least yes or no.

Post by **_The Dude** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:27 am

Faith and skepticism are two ends of a spectrum. If you have faith in something you are, essentially, suspending skepticism.

Who honestly thinks the existence of Iraq is a question of faith vs. skepticism? Give me a break!
Or the sun will rise tomorrow. You must be joking.

My wife loves me. Well, that depends on your current relationship with your wife. Sometimes that is a matter of faith and skepticism.

God is a humanoid of flesh and blood.

There's a celestial teapot circling the earth.

Britney Spears is having a 3rd child, and it's half alien.

Definitely, faith vs. skepticism is called for in these situations.

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:29 am

Tarski wrote:Was faith in Zeus a virtue for the Greeks?

Is faith in L Ron Hubbard a virtue?

Is faith in Yaweh a virtue?

1) Maybe
2) No
3) Yes

Why yes for 3? I don't know, I just take it on faith.

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:32 am

The Dude wrote:Who honestly thinks the existence of Iraq is a question of faith vs. skepticism? Give me a break!
Or the sun will rise tomorrow. You must be joking.

Actually Tarski was the one who brought it up in my Horton Hears a Who thread in the Old Testament forum. He was stretching me so I threw it back at him as well as a few other things which will hopefully get him to think a bit more and clarify his own thoughts or at least the expression of them.