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Somewhat off topic, but I've noticed people using the word 'religious' in arguments like this to mean more or less 'positions that one holds that are not based

Somewhat off topic, but I've noticed people using the word 'religious' in arguments like this to mean more or less 'positions that one holds that are not based on logical reasoning but strong personal preference'. Wouldn't dogmatic be the more appropriate word choice?

Latty 9y ago
I'd argue that being dogmatic is a subset of being religious, and the superset of the term "religious" is applicable to the analogy at hand. Of course, if you have a more favourable view of religion than me, you might disagree.
- pythonaut_16 9y ago
  I think there's a subtle difference. While dogmatic is often used when in context of religions it's not exclusively related to religion. Google's definitions of religion: >the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. >a particular system of faith and worship >a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance and of dogmatic: >inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true I think the most precise use of religion is in connection with faith or a core belief system and lifestyle (which some open source advocates certainly fit), while strong positions in a particular topic or narrow scope, e.g. the GPL, tend to be better described as dogmatic. Which, reading back to the parent comment and the scope of the thread, I guess either could be used fairly appropriately. A better place of where I think dogmatic would be the preferred wording would be in reference to tabs vs. spaces or vim vs emacs.
watwut 9y ago
I would call it religious, because they (including some I know personally) attribute strong moral value to the whole thing. It is not just that they strongly prefer certain license, it is that they see close source developers as morally less worthy and inherently less "good" (whether professionally or ethically).

Latty 9y ago

I'd argue that being dogmatic is a subset of being religious, and the superset of the term "religious" is applicable to the analogy at hand. Of course, if you have a more favourable view of religion than me, you might disagree.

pythonaut_16 9y ago
I think there's a subtle difference. While dogmatic is often used when in context of religions it's not exclusively related to religion. Google's definitions of religion: >the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. >a particular system of faith and worship >a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance and of dogmatic: >inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true I think the most precise use of religion is in connection with faith or a core belief system and lifestyle (which some open source advocates certainly fit), while strong positions in a particular topic or narrow scope, e.g. the GPL, tend to be better described as dogmatic. Which, reading back to the parent comment and the scope of the thread, I guess either could be used fairly appropriately. A better place of where I think dogmatic would be the preferred wording would be in reference to tabs vs. spaces or vim vs emacs.

watwut 9y ago

I would call it religious, because they (including some I know personally) attribute strong moral value to the whole thing. It is not just that they strongly prefer certain license, it is that they see close source developers as morally less worthy and inherently less "good" (whether professionally or ethically).