On 27 Jul 2007, at 18:52, Dave Land wrote: > On Jul 27, 2007, at 3:06 AM, William T Goodall wrote: > >> On 27 Jul 2007, at 10:44, Dave Land wrote: >> >>> The point being that religion -- whether you consider it the core of >>> your being or a mental illness, is beneficial to humankind. >> >> The ends justify the means eh? > > > Not exactly "the ends justify the means," no, but a recognition that > pure reason may not be sufficient to the task, that we may be "wired" > to respond to more than mere facts. > >> Perhaps if it takes blatant lies to make a society function smoothly >> then there is something fundamentally wrong with the society? > > Depends on how fscked-up the society is, perhaps. > > They're only "lies" to those who narrowly equate truth with > factuality. > But there I go again, being nuanced, damned Liberal that I am.
I think the difference between fact and fiction is pretty clear. People get annoyed when fiction is presented as fact - the latest brouhaha about a phoney autobiography proves that. I like a good story but I don't like being lied to. Clear Cut Maru -- William T Goodall Mail : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web : http://www.wtgab.demon.co.uk Blog : http://radio.weblogs.com/0111221/ "Two years from now, spam will be solved." - Bill Gates, 2004 _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
