Skeptics, Atheists and Curmudgeons talk a lot about Rational thought and being rational. But try to find one who defines exactly what that means. These folks give the very strong impression that rational thinking is whatever pops out of their mind/mouth at that moment... so long as it is, at bottom, materialistic.
Rational thought is not the exclusive property of someone who up and claims it. So What is it? We must be clear on this before continuing a journey into the realm of our subjective reality space: this is of the utmost importance in being able to filter out the chaff.
Fortunately there is a series of nine articles on this site that addresses exactly that: Reason and rational thinking. This series is located under the article category label "Reason". Click on that, and those articles will be presented (backwards, in blog fashion). There are a couple of other things in there too.
If you are not clear on the constitution of rational thinking and logic, feel free to go through those articles; if you have questions, let them fly, I'll get the answers back to you.
Then we'll wrap up the Basic Reality series.
2 comments:
Hi Stan,
It's a very intriguing question for me: Why do skeptics/atheists use label as "reason", "logical" "rational" or "critical thinkers" to define themselves?.
These labels are rampant in pseudoskeptical/atheists groups and propagandists. In fact, many of them use e-mail addresses like "rationalguy@...", or create wiki-like websites like rationalpedia, or things like that.
I don't understand that. I don't see materialism or atheism as intrinsically more rational than other worldviews or metaphysical doctrines. Even if they're correct, the evidence in their favor isn't so conclusive or absolute as to have so much faith or confidence in them.
They seem to imply that non-atheists or non-materialists aren't rational. But in the history of philosophy, many culvators of reason and logic were theists (e.g. Thomas Aquinas and the scholastics) and idealists (e.g. Schopenhauer). These philosophers can be right or wrong on certaing topics, but they weren't irrational.
I don't understand the genesis of the common atheist delusion according the which only atheists/materialists are rational.
I've thought that it's a rhetorical/propaganda ploy used by professional prominent atheists to fool young atheists, and give them a sense of intellectual superiority and elistism. If atheism = reason, and be rational is good, then is good to be an atheist.
The elitism makes them feel as exclusive members of a selected group of geniuses and "superior" human beings guided only by the light of reason and science.
This is the same elitist and self-reforcing feeling of members of many sects.
What do you think?
Hi ZC,
I think you answered your own question quite well. Atheism and elitism go hand in hand.
Gotta dash,
Stan
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