Is the world less scary for us skeptics and rationalists?

[Seanchaidh]

I think disbelieving the supernatural is far scarier than believing in it. The most frightening thing about being a total rationalist is the idea that life is essentially pointless and nothing is going to happen to you when you die. That's scarier than any horror movie.

Speaking as someone who believes exactly that... no, it really isn't. It isn't scary at all. The realization that my life is exactly what I make of it and nothing more or less and that my person has a finite duration is neither comforting nor terrifying, but it is liberating in certain essential respects. I have little to fear and no all-encompassing template to worry about: I can do exactly what I want, and I can use my own judgment when doing it because there is no higher authority which I must slavishly seek to please. I can live for myself or anything else. It is entirely up to me. If you find such a state scary, I would suggest seriously examining what you are doing with your life.

Skeptic has a "k" in it, not for nothing.

Spelling for that word varies, actually. It can have either a 'c' or a 'k'.

 

[Imat]

According to Physics it is entirely possible, if extremely unlikely, for any supernatural event to occur at any time. It's entirely possible that while you sit alone at a bar a beautiful women will materialize on the stool next to you and you'll both live happily ever after...Together...

So you tell me, do rationalists and skeptics believe in Physics or is gravity just a ghost story?

In other news: No. I'm fine with believing whatever the movie/book/game wants me to believe for the brief period of my life I devote to it. Otherwise the world is a fairly boring and uninteresting place and you, sir, are doomed to a boring and uninteresting life. And for that I pity you.

 

[Imat]

I think disbelieving the supernatural is far scarier than believing in it. The most frightening thing about being a total rationalist is the idea that life is essentially pointless and nothing is going to happen to you when you die. That's scarier than any horror movie.

Speaking as someone who believes exactly that... no, it really isn't. It isn't scary at all. The realization that my life is exactly what I make of it and nothing more or less and that my person has a finite duration is neither comforting nor terrifying, but it is liberating in certain essential respects. I have little to fear and no all-encompassing template to worry about: I can do exactly what I want, and I can use my own judgment when doing it because there is no higher authority which I must slavishly seek to please. I can live for myself or anything else. It is entirely up to me. If you find such a state scary, I would suggest seriously examining what you are doing with your life.

I think he's saying, and as I would point out, that having absolutely nothing after life is somewhat unnerving. Attempt, for a moment, to imagine not being able to think or feel, emphasis on thinking. It's not possible to imagine such an existence, humans, by their very nature, think about anything and everything. So what comes after death? I prefer to not think of it as an end of thought, because I personally don't want thought to end. You may be fine with a finite existence in which nothing you do matters therefore you have no consequences (In which case why not go on a killing spree? No consequences), but most sane people, when considering the end of life, don't even think about the end of all thought as well. And that's what scares me. And most other people.

 

[Chipperz]

In other news: No. I'm fine with believing whatever the movie/book/game wants me to believe for the brief period of my life I devote to it. Otherwise the world is a fairly boring and uninteresting place and you, sir, are doomed to a boring and uninteresting life. And for that I pity you.

This, pretty much. I actually can't get into the rationale of anyone who would go through life categorizing things into "THIS DOES NOT EXIST". it all sounds so... Boring.

 

[Seanchaidh]

I think disbelieving the supernatural is far scarier than believing in it. The most frightening thing about being a total rationalist is the idea that life is essentially pointless and nothing is going to happen to you when you die. That's scarier than any horror movie.

Speaking as someone who believes exactly that... no, it really isn't. It isn't scary at all. The realization that my life is exactly what I make of it and nothing more or less and that my person has a finite duration is neither comforting nor terrifying, but it is liberating in certain essential respects. I have little to fear and no all-encompassing template to worry about: I can do exactly what I want, and I can use my own judgment when doing it because there is no higher authority which I must slavishly seek to please. I can live for myself or anything else. It is entirely up to me. If you find such a state scary, I would suggest seriously examining what you are doing with your life.

I think he's saying, and as I would point out, that having absolutely nothing after life is somewhat unnerving. Attempt, for a moment, to imagine not being able to think or feel, emphasis on thinking. It's not possible to imagine such an existence, humans, by their very nature, think about anything and everything. So what comes after death? I prefer to not think of it as an end of thought, because I personally don't want thought to end. You may be fine with a finite existence in which nothing you do matters therefore you have no consequences (In which case why not go on a killing spree? No consequences), but most sane people, when considering the end of life, don't even think about the end of all thought as well. And that's what scares me. And most other people.

Mattering is a relational concept. Even the religious can only say that what they do matters to God. Nothing matters intrinsically. I am certainly not advising that people stop caring about whatever they care about (unless what they care about is stupid.) Now why don't I go on a killing spree? I could if I wanted, but there would certainly be earthly consequences and, more importantly, I don't want to do that for many reasons including my own values-- and don't pretend for a moment that I need some invisible idiot in the sky looking down on me to have those. You don't want thought to end: that's nice. I'd prefer to be immortal too, but it's hardly scary that I'm not likely to be. So I'll happily continue not to find misused snippets of metaphysical jargon terrifying thank-you-very-much.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

Skeptic has a "k" in it, not for nothing.

You're right!

That's what happens when you write in a second language late at night. Things tend to be forgotten. :S

Basically, if you're not afraid of a scary movie, it's because you can't actually detach yourself from your analytical mind, and be "in" the experience.

Crap. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take up drug usage, but because of this I might have to consider going on LSD trips when watching movies...

 

[ZZ-Tops89]

I think disbelieving the supernatural is far scarier than believing in it. The most frightening thing about being a total rationalist is the idea that life is essentially pointless and nothing is going to happen to you when you die. That's scarier than any horror movie.

That doesn't phase me...OH MY GOD NIHILISM! I'M SCARED OF IT! TAKE IT AWAY!!!

the counter-argument to your claim is existentialism. The problem with existentialism is that it fails to answer that all-important question; "why are those morals rationally provable?".

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

I think he's saying, and as I would point out, that having absolutely nothing after life is somewhat unnerving. Attempt, for a moment, to imagine not being able to think or feel, emphasis on thinking. It's not possible to imagine such an existence, humans, by their very nature, think about anything and everything. So what comes after death? I prefer to not think of it as an end of thought, because I personally don't want thought to end.

Me neither, im terrified of the prospect right now. But at the same time I am content witht he fact that once thought ends for me in that final moment I won't be able to care about losing my ability to think and even losing my sense of self completely. Being dead tends to make those things pretty difficult.

So for me, death is both a terrifying prospect AND a sort of sweet release and detachment. What can I say? Im a paradoxical person, yet I still manage to keep myself from becoming a hypocrite. : )

 

[Seldon2639]

Skeptic has a "k" in it, not for nothing.

You're right!

That's what happens when you write in a second language late at night. Things tend to be forgotten. :S

Basically, if you're not afraid of a scary movie, it's because you can't actually detach yourself from your analytical mind, and be "in" the experience.

Crap. I was hoping I wouldn't have to take up drug usage, but because of this I might have to consider going on LSD trips when watching movies...

If there's a problem in this world which can't be solved by copious drug use, I've yet to encounter it. Well, my drug problems, certainly. But that's a bit recursive anyway. Now I'm confused. I'd better go take some drugs.

 

[Superbeast]

I think it it is less scary.

I personally don't believe in a higher being, although I am slightly agnostic (my exact feelings are neither here nor there for this thread). I rarely get *scared* by movies - as a kid Jurassic Park kept me up for nights on end, but then I was 8 when I watched it which was pretty stupid - I was only 10 when I saw Arachnophobia too...where was I? Oh yes - movies make me jump all the time - Alien, AVP, Pitch Black and stuff like that really get the adrenaline pumping and making me reflexively jump (thus making my mates think I'm a wimp) but they don't actually frighten me past that moment.

Final Destination was too funny to be scary, but I am slightly warier when walking near someone mowing the lawn now - as another poster mentioned it's because these things are easier to relate to as they can conceivably (if are unlikely to) happen.

I don't believe in Vampires, Werewolves and stuff like that, but I still love movies like Underworld and traditional horror films, because the premise is entertaining and it looks good.

Some books can terrify me - but I have a very vivid imagination and by the next day I'm usually thinking what an idiot I was for getting myself so scared. But that's part of the enjoyment of reading, being able to immerse yourself in another world so that it becomes a mental release for a few hours.

Now, I appreciate that people say that "nothing after death" is a hideous thought to consider, and would rather turn to religion and the appeal of an afterlife - personally I find many religions to constricting in either beliefs or time involved, and that I would rather live my life to the fullest (within the moral codex of society) as I reckon it's the only chance we get to influence this world. If there is an afterlife then, by living a moralistic life, I stand a chance to get in (if a deity won't let a person who has helped others into a "heaven" solely because they didn't worship it, but lets in mass-murderers who have repented [and truthfully accept "the lord as their saviour"], then such a deity was never worth human devotion and I would rather be cast into the void or burn in a "hell" than side with such a twisted being...ooops, like I said, my religious views are a little weird); whilst if there is not an afterlife then I will not be able to physically/mentally) care, as everything that is *us* (so thoughts/ability to feel/"the soul") is gone and unable to realise our predicament, thereby rendering any fear of "the void" moot.

In summary, by the time we come to realise that our thoughts and all have really ended for good (as opposed to continuing in whatever manner your religion dictates) we will be unable to process such information in any way and thus it won't matter as we won't realise it.