Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id OAA10804 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 26 Sep 2001 14:42:16 +0100 Message-ID: <003801c144ce$fe8eaec0$0d03bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: "memetics" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: Fw: Dawkins was right all along Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 09:58:03 +0200 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-bounces@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Kenneth Van Oost <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2001 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: Dawkins was right all along
>
> Philip wrote, Scott wrote,
> > > So are you implying that being an atheist makes you superior
> > > to someone who is religious? Are you free from the possible
> > > biases inherent in a mindset and its polarizing
> > > anti-religious extremes?
>
> << Hi all,
>
> Superior is not the best chosen word here, though !
> It means, outstanding, authoritative, unappoachable,... that is not what
> is meant here.
> Philip, in a way, expresses what I am saying all along, that each of us
> is trapped, and fixed within all possible biases inherent to any mindset.
> What we see, hear, experience,... study is getting clouded by the way
> we live, our genetic and memetic background, what we have studied.
>
> In a sense, Bush and his administration is driven to act as they will act,
> by their own and the American mindsets. Bush is a conservative, reven-
> ge, getting even, security.... are the holy grail for such people.
> This is strenghtened by the lack of respect for others and the arrogant
> attitude of the American administration and politics.
> If by the way, Bush would have walked one mile in somebody's shoes
> to understand why people attack the USA he would now know better
> than to attack an innocent people.
>
> I, for one, did not walk one mile in somebody's shoes, but I do understand
> and I do understand why in other matters like this people think you need
> the experience, you need to have studied the things you want to talk
about.
> That is not true, empathy only works in such circumstances when you take
the
> place of the scientist at the particular moment of finding, studying,
expe-
> riencing,.... something. That is something you can 't do. Empathy only
works
> from out your experience, you don 't have to walk one mile in somebody's
> shoes to understand what we study or what she/ he believes in.
>
> What we experience is empathy, and in a sense that is just alike what the
> hardliners of any religion feels and experiences.
> Any hardliner can 't grasp the real motives of any god or of any rule. He/
> she too does this from out his/ hers own experience which is than linked
> to his/ hers genetic, social, memetical, psychological,... background.
>
> All is circumstancial, taking the place of any scientist, feeling,
> experiencing,
> ...taking the place of any god, thinking like he did/ does....is placing
> your-
> self above the scientist or the god. You can come that close to any felt
> experience of anyone and everyone ( like now, we can ' feel ' the pain of
> the New Yorkers or of any American), but can 't grasp the " real " sense
> of it all.
> And even you have any experience at first hand, what you really will
> experience, see, even hear and feel,... will than already be twisted by
> how your mind works.
> A really " true " picture of what is out there you can 't have.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Kenneth
>
> ( I am, because we are) acting under noone's control
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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