That's an interesting point. I don't think we have a good way, in a post-enlightenment world, of dealing with alternatives which people believe are sensible (in the "can be sensed" sense), present them selves as alternative hypothetical worlds, but are essentially incommensurable. I don't mean that to be a criticism of the approach nor an appeal for special pleading.
I think often the best thing to do in these situations is to keep quiet.
I get the impression that throughout much of America and maybe even Europe, we'd be goaded out of silence by belligerent religious types, whereas personally it's more often a belligerent atheist who insists on launching charges.
As faith is so occult, I think that if two pilgrims went to a shrine and felt blessed, -- describing it in common terms, -- along with an atheist who felt nothing, -- describing it quite differently, -- then there's no more reason to think that the pilgrims experience was more alike than to that of the atheist than there would be if it were two English people and a French person describing something blue/bleu.
(Another kind of religion is the belief that there are /more/ illusions than are commonly considered proper to hold).
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Date: 2013-05-25 12:45 am (UTC)I think often the best thing to do in these situations is to keep quiet.
I get the impression that throughout much of America and maybe even Europe, we'd be goaded out of silence by belligerent religious types, whereas personally it's more often a belligerent atheist who insists on launching charges.
As faith is so occult, I think that if two pilgrims went to a shrine and felt blessed, -- describing it in common terms, -- along with an atheist who felt nothing, -- describing it quite differently, -- then there's no more reason to think that the pilgrims experience was more alike than to that of the atheist than there would be if it were two English people and a French person describing something blue/bleu.
(Another kind of religion is the belief that there are /more/ illusions than are commonly considered proper to hold).