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Pardon me for not getting this, but how can what I wrote be interpreted as "ignorance is bliss"? Shouldn't the conclusion be the opposite of that?

by Udo 13y ago

johnchristopher 13y ago
I may very well be the one not getting it (english is not my first language and I am sleepy at the moment). Allow me to try to rephrase your explanation: it states that religion act as a kind of shield for the brain[1] (this is bliss) while at the same time blinding him to hard facts[2] (this is ignorance). Did I read too much in your explanation or summarized too much ? [1] external influences [2] the ability to freely reason about data specifically and the environment generally
- Udo 13y ago
  No, that is sort of what I meant to say, except that I would never use the word bliss for describing the state of a host brain. You could argue about the meaning of ignorance, but I really don't think this catch phrase fits well with the statement I tried to make. Competitive inhibition is a more apt term for what's actually going on.
  - johnchristopher 13y ago
    Ah, yes! It just hit me. [Here was an incoherent rambling from someone who really should go to sleep]. Your explanation fitted my biased model but I focused on my beliefs, not yours. My mistake, sorry. Don't know if I made much sense, really sleepy now :] On a related note, I remember Dawkins spoke about memes and how ideas can be seen as some kind of virus that are subject to evolution.
    - Udo 13y ago
      I'm willing to talk about it on your terms, you don't have to bend to my mental models. I just don't have enough data yet to reason about yours ;) > On a related note, I remember Dawkins spoke about memes and how ideas can be seen as some kind of virus that are subject to evolution. I haven't read his books yet, but this stands to reason. Memes share a lot of characteristics with organisms, and humanity has built a great eco system for them in recent years. The first time I realized that ideas are actually evolutionary programs was in the 90s when I read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.

Pardon me for not getting this, but how can what I wrote be interpreted as "ignorance is bliss"? Shouldn't the conclusion be the opposite of that?

by Udo 13y ago

Pardon me for not getting this, but how can what I wrote be interpreted as "ignorance is bliss"? Shouldn't the conclusion be the opposite of that?

johnchristopher 13y ago

I may very well be the one not getting it (english is not my first language and I am sleepy at the moment). Allow me to try to rephrase your explanation: it states that religion act as a kind of shield for the brain[1] (this is bliss) while at the same time blinding him to hard facts[2] (this is ignorance). Did I read too much in your explanation or summarized too much ? [1] external influences [2] the ability to freely reason about data specifically and the environment generally

Udo 13y ago
No, that is sort of what I meant to say, except that I would never use the word bliss for describing the state of a host brain. You could argue about the meaning of ignorance, but I really don't think this catch phrase fits well with the statement I tried to make. Competitive inhibition is a more apt term for what's actually going on.
- johnchristopher 13y ago
  Ah, yes! It just hit me. [Here was an incoherent rambling from someone who really should go to sleep]. Your explanation fitted my biased model but I focused on my beliefs, not yours. My mistake, sorry. Don't know if I made much sense, really sleepy now :] On a related note, I remember Dawkins spoke about memes and how ideas can be seen as some kind of virus that are subject to evolution.
  - Udo 13y ago
    I'm willing to talk about it on your terms, you don't have to bend to my mental models. I just don't have enough data yet to reason about yours ;) > On a related note, I remember Dawkins spoke about memes and how ideas can be seen as some kind of virus that are subject to evolution. I haven't read his books yet, but this stands to reason. Memes share a lot of characteristics with organisms, and humanity has built a great eco system for them in recent years. The first time I realized that ideas are actually evolutionary programs was in the 90s when I read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.