Great Thinkers

» PhiloProf - Do you have a belief that you "know". If yes then WHY?

ghulkman,

Thank you for your response. As a college teacher I hear the same things that you mention. When I teach critical thinking it amazes me how many students do not know how to think but sure know how to believe.

I do not try to change someone's beliefs. But if my child, and I have a few, believes in things that are incorrect I try and teach them logic and decision making so they can understand the WHY behind things not and not do them 'just because'.
It seems to me that society today gives equal weight to 'feelings' than to 'facts'. We tell people that it is okay to 'believe' different things, and while I agree, the basic facts remain the same. People just disregard facts, because they do now 'believe' it. There are millions of people that follow astrology, even though there is NO scientific proof behind it. Ask an someone who follows astrology how the position of the constellations is different today than it was when this pseudo-science was started.
Let's think about astorlogy in a different light.
Couldn't we consider astrology as a form of bigotry? There are people that put weight on Astrologers 'revelations'
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In a civilized society we deplore all systems that judge individuals by sex, skin color, religion, national origin, or other accidents of birth. Yet astrologers boast that they can evaluate people based on another accident of birth - the positions of celestial objects. Isn't refusing to date a Leo or hire a Virgo as bad as refusing to date a Catholic or hire a black person?
This example shows how someone "believing' in something can effect others.
Sorry for the ranting hope it makes sense. :-)

-- posted by PhiloProf