Dear Coyote,
The criminal justice system BETTER handle the problem of extremism,
regardless of whether moderates exist or not!
I also wonder whether a society can even in principle be based on the kind
of rationalism which Mr. Harris advocates, because if nothing else, humans
are irrational. Of course, being irrational may or may not be "bad,"
depending on your value system. But look at our history and the stuff we
cling on to as a race ... 99.999% irrational with 0.001% rationality
sprinkled in. I mean, we don't have to go very far at all to find great
examples of total irrationality ... many wonderful examples just a few
clicks away, if you catch my drift. Sometimes it really bothers me,
because it hinders our growth as a civilization. Yet, what can we do?
In my experience, whenever I try to open up a rational discussion with
people "of faith," it soon turns very, very irrational. Oh, but they
don't see it as irrational at all, but rather that I'm the one being
closed-minded. And, they are the ones who turn around and walk away,
declaring I'm not worth their time and energy. This happens over and over
again in every possible context without fail. It makes me wonder whether
belief in something is actually associated with a physical sub-organ in
the brain, because I must not have that sub-organ, which explains why I'm
so blind and dull as to not to be able to understand where they're coming
from.
At times like these, it's difficult to regard the human race with unity.
It seems like we have to adopt an attitude of blanket acceptance of all
ideologies, regardless of their basis in objective truth. But then, that
indirectly fosters the craziness of extremists, which includes those
insatiable and irresponsible marketers who would prey upon the weaknesses
of the human condition. We have a LONG way to go as a people!
HF
