Belief

"I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. "
Bertrand Russell British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)

Spent a significant portion of yesterday at a place called Big Space, where kids have virtually unlimited playing opportunities and parents can join in or have a drink and read etc. Great fun!

The subject of belief is an intriguing one, and yet it is one that has much charge and consequence for the world. Belief, by definition, is not the same as knowledge. For, with knowledge, there is fact to back it up, a practical, tangible body of evidence that leaves little room for doubt (though there will be those who doubt practical reality itself). Whereas belief often relies on faith, on acceptance of a doctrine or premise, which often cannot be proven. And indeed, there are some beliefs which are beyond the possibility of proof. So, inherently, the question of whether a belief is true or false is pointless. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. What is the effect of the belief? What does it lead to? Surely, this is a more pertinent focus of attention than whether it is true or false.

So that brings us to Bertrand Russell's amusing quote. Given that my beliefs, regardless of how useful they are in guiding my life and helping me be a good person, are not definitely true, does it make sense for me to die for my beliefs? Or does that dogmatic martyrdom stem from a lack of value prioritization? Have I conducted the internal exercise of asking myself what my most important values are? Would life feature lower down the list than my beliefs? Honestly? What if I died for a belief that was subsequently proven to be false? How annoying that would be! I could die to save life (Life is my highest value) but not for much else.

Here are some more quotes on the subject of belief.

"Some people are so ready to die for their beliefs that they forget to live by them" - Bobo West

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. "
George Bernard Shaw Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. "
Voltaire French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)