NationStates Jolt Archive

Many times on here, people will get all up in arms about posts questioning some belief of theirs, whether the question was antagonistic in nature or not. This seems to be particularly true for things like religious beliefs and a few other topics. I will admit to having a "knee-jerk" response at times to what I see as attacks on the US military, perhaps because it has a special place in my heart ( for obvious reasons ).

Let's face this head-on ... if your beliefs, whatever they are and from whatever source they come, cannot stand up under scientific inquiry, logic and reason, they have no place in the human psyche! Logic and reason are really all we have to defend ourselves against an often hostile universe. It just makes good sense to me to use them whenever possible. To not do so leads us to believe things which get us in trouble when there's a disconnect between belief and reality.

I would love to know what you think about this.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/180/1916/1024/spock.jpg

(I just learned to do that finger thingy he does!)

I think you're absolutely right on this one. It happens to me occasionally, and when it does, it's almost always because I skimmed the comment that pissed me off rather than reading it carefully, and then I look like a moron because of it.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/180/1916/1024/spock.jpg
Although that image shows up as broken on here, I gather that it's a picture of Spock. LOL! Fass, my main man! :D

EDIT: Nevermind. It showed up when I refreshed the page. :)

I think you're absolutely right on this one. It happens to me occasionally, and when it does, it's almost always because I skimmed the comment that pissed me off rather than reading it carefully, and then I look like a moron because of it.
LOL! Ditto. That always embarasses me so much.

Let's face this head-on ... if your beliefs, whatever they are and from whatever source they come, cannot stand up under scientific inquiry, logic and reason, they have no place in the human psyche! .
What if you are like me, and believe that science, logic, and human reasoning can not explain everything?

Although that image shows up as broken on here, I gather that it's a picture of Spock. LOL! Fass, my main man! :D

EDIT: Nevermind. It showed up when I refreshed the page. :)

I was wondering if you wouldn't notice the Marxist red backdrop. :D

What if you are like me, and believe that science, logic, and human reasoning can not explain everything?
Of course they can't ... not yet, anyway. But they're the one set of techniques which consistently yield concrete results when dealing with reality. Much of what happens in the human mind is a throwback to our early ancestors for whom fear was not only a survival characteristic, but a way of life. If we cannot overcome that, we as a race are probably doomed.

I was wondering if you wouldn't notice the Marxist red backdrop. :D
LOL! Well, I'm not sure the creators of Star Trek had that in mind, but it's an interesting viewpoint. ;)

Quite frankly, I would rather live in a Marxist state than in one dominated by religious fundamentalists. :)

Of course they can't ... not yet, anyway. But they're the one set of techniques which consistently yield concrete results when dealing with reality. Much of what happens in the human mind is a throwback to our early ancestors for whom fear was not only a survival characteristic, but a way of life. If we cannot overcome that, we as a race are probably doomed.
Insert knee-jerk reaction here.

LOL! Well, I'm not sure the creators of Star Trek had that in mind, but it's an interesting viewpoint. ;)

Quite frankly, I would rather live in a Marxist state than in one dominated by religious fundamentalists. :)

Seeing as the latter are a lot more prone to killing me (even if Marxists hate my anticommunist stance), I guess I don't really have a choice if living under one of them is the choice.

I just like jumping into an argument with my arms flailing about wildly for the fun of it.
I mean, what fun is internet debate without that hostile "knee-jerk" reaction? It's not like I'm ever going to change my mind, or anyone else will. I need to get some entertainment from it.

Of course, if you're talking in general life, then I almost never have that reaction. I'm quite secure in what I know and believe, and don't care about what others say regarding things I don't know or don;t really believe because I know if I don't know that particular thing very well, I'm probably wrong in regards to it.

What if you are like me, and believe that science, logic, and human reasoning can not explain everything?
Then at least be willing to admit that on some subjects, there's no way to empirically validate what you believe, and expect that some people are going to mock you for that. I'm not saying that people are justified for mocking you, just that you should expect it in those cases.

This part is just a general comment to the thread--the other thing that erally sets me off is a personal attack on my patriotism or love for my country simply because I happen to disagree with the lion's share of what's happening right now. It angers me because it's a bullshit argument and it's a personal attack, and because it spits on one of the great tenets of Americanism, the right, indeed the necessity, for dissent. I get more than a little kneejerk defensive when that happens.

I just like jumping into an argument with my arms flailing about wildly for the fun of it.
I mean, what fun is internet debate without that hostile "knee-jerk" reaction? It's not like I'm ever going to change my mind, or anyone else will. I need to get some entertainment from it.

Of course, if you're talking in general life, then I almost never have that reaction. I'm quite secure in what I know and believe, and don't care about what others say regarding things I don't know or don;t really believe because I know if I don't know that particular thing very well, I'm probably wrong in regards to it.
A very rational argument. Well done! :D

I'm not gonna deny it. At some point, EVERYONE is guilty of knee-jerkedness.

The only thing you can do is learn from it so you don't do it again...cause first time around you were just making a mistake...second time around you're an ass! :p

i see nothing wrong with the reaction. to deny or supress your emotions isnt all that good a choice. you need to have control of your outward reaction to the kneejerk response.

when you can be boiling mad and still not flame you will have learned, grasshopper.

Seeing as the latter are a lot more prone to killing me (even if Marxists hate my anticommunist stance), I guess I don't really have a choice if living under one of them is the choice.
Bah. I’d probably die in some sort of armed resistance movement in both. :p
Then at least be willing to admit that on some subjects, there's no way to empirically validate what you believe, and expect that some people are going to mock you for that.
Oh, believe me, I do.
This part is just a general comment to the thread--the other thing that erally sets me off is a personal attack on my patriotism or love for my country simply because I happen to disagree with the lion's share of what's happening right now. It angers me because it's a bullshit argument and it's a personal attack, and because it spits on one of the great tenets of Americanism, the right, indeed the necessity, for dissent. I get more than a little kneejerk defensive when that happens.
Anybody that would call you unpatriotic for disagreeing with Bush is historically ignorant. If anything, the Founding Fathers set up the foundation for a state that, if it followed its proper course, would have led to libertarianism. Unfortunately, the corporatists and the nanny-staters seem to have hijacked the country.

Then at least be willing to admit that on some subjects, there's no way to empirically validate what you believe, and expect that some people are going to mock you for that. I'm not saying that people are justified for mocking you, just that you should expect it in those cases.

This part is just a general comment to the thread--the other thing that erally sets me off is a personal attack on my patriotism or love for my country simply because I happen to disagree with the lion's share of what's happening right now. It angers me because it's a bullshit argument and it's a personal attack, and because it spits on one of the great tenets of Americanism, the right, indeed the necessity, for dissent. I get more than a little kneejerk defensive when that happens.
And justifiably so, IMHO. You have as much right to your own views as anyone else. Just a cautionary note: don't make the assumption that just because someone attacks your dissent that they are therefore attacking your patriotism, yes? :)

Many times on here, people will get all up in arms about posts questioning some belief of theirs, whether the question was antagonistic in nature or not. This seems to be particularly true for things like religious beliefs and a few other topics. I will admit to having a "knee-jerk" response at times to what I see as attacks on the US military, perhaps because it has a special place in my heart ( for obvious reasons ).

Let's face this head-on ... if your beliefs, whatever they are and from whatever source they come, cannot stand up under scientific inquiry, logic and reason, they have no place in the human psyche! Logic and reason are really all we have to defend ourselves against an often hostile universe. It just makes good sense to me to use them whenever possible. To not do so leads us to believe things which get us in trouble when there's a disconnect between belief and reality.

I would love to know what you think about this.

Oh, the irony, the irony.

Anybody that would call you unpatriotic for disagreeing with Bush is historically ignorant. If anything, the Founding Fathers set up the foundation for a state that, if it followed its proper course, would have led to libertarianism. Unfortunately, the corporatists and the nanny-staters seem to have hijacked the country.
It often has more to do with how you disagree rather than the fact that you disagree. I put that last sentance in bold to illustrate this point. I consider myself neither a "corporatist" nor a "nanny-stater," yet by painting all who support some of the policies of the current Administration as "corporatists" or "nanny-staters," you tar us all with the same broad brush. It's equivalent to my questioning your patriotism because you don't support the current policies.

Oh, the irony, the irony.
Painful, is it? :D

i see nothing wrong with the reaction. to deny or supress your emotions isnt all that good a choice. you need to have control of your outward reaction to the kneejerk response.

when you can be boiling mad and still not flame you will have learned, grasshopper.
LOL! True, true. :D

It often has more to do with how you disagree rather than the fact that you disagree. I put that last sentance in bold to illustrate this point. I consider myself neither a "corporatist" nor a "nanny-stater," yet by painting all who support some of the policies of the current Administration as "corporatists" or "nanny-staters," you tar us all with the same broad brush. It's equivalent to my questioning your patriotism because you don't support the current policies.
I’m sorry if you misunderstood me. But I was referring to our politicians not their supporters, and I was referring to both side of our sadly polarized system.

I’m sorry if you misunderstood me. But I was referring to our politicians not their supporters, and I was referring to both side of our sadly polarized system.
Ok. My bad. I tend to agree with you on that. :(

Many times on here, people will get all up in arms about posts questioning some belief of theirs, whether the question was antagonistic in nature or not. This seems to be particularly true for things like religious beliefs and a few other topics. I will admit to having a "knee-jerk" response at times to what I see as attacks on the US military, perhaps because it has a special place in my heart ( for obvious reasons ).
Just "presumed" attacks on the US military or against certain individuals, and their beliefs?

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=9283227&postcount=86

Let's face this head-on ... if your beliefs, whatever they are and from whatever source they come, cannot stand up under scientific inquiry, logic and reason, they have no place in the human psyche! Logic and reason are really all we have to defend ourselves against an often hostile universe. It just makes good sense to me to use them whenever possible. To not do so leads us to believe things which get us in trouble when there's a disconnect between belief and reality.
It depends on what you mean by "logic and reason". Do you mean your logic and reason?

I am dead set against the invasion of Iraq, and George Bush is not one of my favourite people, yet, you have accused me and others of being anti-American because of those beliefs, and that is where your "logic and reason" have failed you.

I would love to know what you think about this.
I find the title of this thread truly ironic.