5 ms·

I'm afraid an afterlife would not leave Dennett in good humor.

pmarreck 2y ago
I think it would. Even if he was wrong about it, it's important to air the thinking around it regardless of belief. The proposition, for example, that consciousness is basically an illusion without empirical basis, one would have to take up as belief, I guess (paradoxically), since to most of us, that would seem like gaslighting (i.e., "if your conclusion is that Descartes was wrong and that we can't even know we are conscious, then I beg to differ")
- mensetmanusman 2y ago
  I think that I think, therefore I think I am.
  - pmarreck 2y ago
    no point in not making it recursive I think that I think that I think, therefore I think that I think I am It's kind of interesting that this is still on HN front page at the same time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40092985 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40092985
arduanika 2y ago
I'm guessing that was GP's joke. Similar to Vonnegut's joke at a memorial service for Asimov at the American Humanist Society: "Isaac is up in Heaven now". It's amusing that when I searched for the exact quote just now, I found this HN comment from 2011, on the "in memoriam" thread for Dennett's fellow horseman: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3360710 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3360710
- dredmorbius 2y ago
  Whether Dennett was right or wrong about a deity, he's meeting his maker ;-)
- erickhill 2y ago
  Man I miss Hitchens something fierce.
  - freedomben 2y ago
    Indeed. Do yourself a favor and don't watch any of the videos of him on youtube. That razor sharp wit combined with spontaneous humor will make you really mad at cancer.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
    - tzakrajs 2y ago
      Also: Do yourself a favor and (dont? er do?) read/listen to his brother's books! Particularly The Phoney Victory. He writes polemics as good as Christopher. Truly a yin to the yang. I like the way they argue, although I don't necessarily agree with everything they argue.
undershirt 2y ago
God forgive us. May his memory be eternal.
- swat535 2y ago
  He may forgive but I am not sure his soul would have wanted to be with Him, based on what I have seen from him he would rather be in oblivion than an Eternal Church.. Obviously I don’t claim to know his true heart.
robwwilliams 2y ago
LoL. We will have to live for him and breathe his dust.

I think it would. Even if he was wrong about it, it's important to air the thinking around it regardless of belief. The proposition, for example, that consciousness is basically an illusion without empirical basis, one would have to take up as belief, I guess (paradoxically), since to most of us, that would seem like gaslighting (i.e., "if your conclusion is that Descartes was wrong and that we can't even know we are conscious, then I beg to differ")

mensetmanusman 2y ago
I think that I think, therefore I think I am.
- pmarreck 2y ago
  no point in not making it recursive I think that I think that I think, therefore I think that I think I am It's kind of interesting that this is still on HN front page at the same time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40092985 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40092985

arduanika 2y ago

I'm guessing that was GP's joke. Similar to Vonnegut's joke at a memorial service for Asimov at the American Humanist Society: "Isaac is up in Heaven now". It's amusing that when I searched for the exact quote just now, I found this HN comment from 2011, on the "in memoriam" thread for Dennett's fellow horseman: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3360710 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3360710

dredmorbius 2y ago
Whether Dennett was right or wrong about a deity, he's meeting his maker ;-)
erickhill 2y ago
Man I miss Hitchens something fierce.
- freedomben 2y ago
  Indeed. Do yourself a favor and don't watch any of the videos of him on youtube. That razor sharp wit combined with spontaneous humor will make you really mad at cancer.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - tzakrajs 2y ago
    Also: Do yourself a favor and (dont? er do?) read/listen to his brother's books! Particularly The Phoney Victory. He writes polemics as good as Christopher. Truly a yin to the yang. I like the way they argue, although I don't necessarily agree with everything they argue.

undershirt 2y ago

God forgive us. May his memory be eternal.

swat535 2y ago
He may forgive but I am not sure his soul would have wanted to be with Him, based on what I have seen from him he would rather be in oblivion than an Eternal Church.. Obviously I don’t claim to know his true heart.

robwwilliams 2y ago

LoL. We will have to live for him and breathe his dust.