Many skeptics pride themselves in not believing in God because of critical thinking. In my perspective, the problem is critical thinking. To truly understand something requires that you experience it. Skeptics spend too much time thinking and not experiencing. Many skeptics, even the strongest types, have converted to theism after experience. Very few have converted because of debate or critical thinking.
Should Christian apologetics be more focused on explaining how to experience God?
Is it bad to engage in too much critical thinking?
The Problem of Critical thinking
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Re: The Problem of Critical thinking
Post #11[Replying to Swami in post #1]
Nonsense,
Truly understanding something does not require we experience it. I have no need to place my hand on every hot thing, or even any hot thing, to know that I can be horribly harmed by drinking liquid iron. However belief in ghosts, and luck, and gods and demons and all manner of other things seems to require that the cognitive faculties of the experiencer be in a damaged state, low oxygen, lack of sleep, bias and more.
If there is reality to the claims about gods then those claims should stand to scrutiny. Yet time and time again I see believers extoll an epistemology that leads to being scammed and swindled. I won't believe a used car salesman or a religious apologist who expect me to trust before I have verified. Trust is earned, not given unless the one giving is a fool.
Nonsense,
Truly understanding something does not require we experience it. I have no need to place my hand on every hot thing, or even any hot thing, to know that I can be horribly harmed by drinking liquid iron. However belief in ghosts, and luck, and gods and demons and all manner of other things seems to require that the cognitive faculties of the experiencer be in a damaged state, low oxygen, lack of sleep, bias and more.
If there is reality to the claims about gods then those claims should stand to scrutiny. Yet time and time again I see believers extoll an epistemology that leads to being scammed and swindled. I won't believe a used car salesman or a religious apologist who expect me to trust before I have verified. Trust is earned, not given unless the one giving is a fool.
Re: The Problem of Critical thinking
Post #12Mystic: God is fundamental reality
Skeptic: How is the Christian God the most basic part of reality? What does that even mean??
Mystic: God doesn't need to be the Christian version. God is the label I use to identify fundamental reality. If fundamental reality is matter, then matter is God. If fundamental reality is energy, then energy is God.
Skeptic: Then God is a useless term. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me what is "fundamental reality"?
Mystic: Three things are present in fundamental reality: awareness, existence, and bliss. Everything in the Universe come from these.
brunumb: Yes. But first one would need to establish clearly defined criteria for distinguishing between actually experiencing God and imagining that one was experiencing God.
Mystic: There are many paths but only one destination. Scientists agree that the destination is fundamental reality. Finding this reality will tell them about the origin and nature of everything in the Universe. All religions agree which is why they point you to the point before the Universe.
Re: The Problem of Critical thinking
Post #13It is possible to think critically and experience. I don't deny that but it is redundant.bluegreenearth wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:25 am Critical thinking is not at the expense of understanding through experience. To suggest otherwise is to misrepresent how critical thinking functions to enhance and refine understanding through experience.
It is also possible to experience and not think critically. When you do this you become more intuitive and you realize that there is no need for critical thinking.
Critical thinking is conscious reasoning.
Intuition is unconscious reasoning.
Do you see why I call critical thinking redundant?
Critical thinking is limited to surface level information, while intuition has access to all unconscious information and not just the apparent or immediate. Elsewhere, I have also explain that intuition is not only about access to the unconscious mind but also access to the entire Universe.
Relevant topics:
Realization leads to God
Last edited by Swami on Mon Aug 10, 2020 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: The Problem of Critical thinking
Post #14[Replying to Stelar_7 in post #11]
Many of the worlds greatest thinkers admit that they rely on intuition and not so much critical thinking. Some great thinkers do not admit this because intuition seems less intelligence-based since it is not based on critical "thought". The latter group are driven by their ego and insecurities. The fact is the world's greatest discoveries do not come from critical thought and reasoning.
One would assume that Einstein favored logic over intuition, but the reverse is true. Einstein is widely quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
The objection to Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity in the 1920s was unprecedented and extremely fierce, but the physicist followed his instinct and stood by his work. Einstein’s general theory of relativity is now renowned as a pinnacle of modern-day physics.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/29/steve-j ... trait.html
Many of the worlds greatest thinkers admit that they rely on intuition and not so much critical thinking. Some great thinkers do not admit this because intuition seems less intelligence-based since it is not based on critical "thought". The latter group are driven by their ego and insecurities. The fact is the world's greatest discoveries do not come from critical thought and reasoning.
One would assume that Einstein favored logic over intuition, but the reverse is true. Einstein is widely quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
The objection to Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity in the 1920s was unprecedented and extremely fierce, but the physicist followed his instinct and stood by his work. Einstein’s general theory of relativity is now renowned as a pinnacle of modern-day physics.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/29/steve-j ... trait.html
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Re: The Problem of Critical thinking
Post #15No it isn't.Swami wrote: ↑Mon Aug 10, 2020 1:38 pm [Replying to Stelar_7 in post #11]
Many of the worlds greatest thinkers admit that they rely on intuition and not so much critical thinking. Some great thinkers do not admit this because intuition seems less intelligence-based since it is not based on critical "thought". The latter group are driven by their ego and insecurities. The fact is the world's greatest discoveries do not come from critical thought and reasoning.
One would assume that Einstein favored logic over intuition, but the reverse is true. Einstein is widely quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
The objection to Einstein’s groundbreaking theory of relativity in the 1920s was unprecedented and extremely fierce, but the physicist followed his instinct and stood by his work. Einstein’s general theory of relativity is now renowned as a pinnacle of modern-day physics.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/29/steve-j ... trait.html
Einstein was supplanted by additional understanding which followed. He was dead against quite a lot of what is now accepted as true.
As for the rest, it's a fallacy. I'm not aware of anyone saying intuition is bad, or that it can't lead to greater understanding. However, alone it's unreliable. You need critical thinking to benefit from the intuition of how gravity might work and you need critical thinking to dismiss the intuition about the monster in the closet.
You are selling nonsense.