Technoss Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 I have this friend that loves to trip on acid. In fact, I do not think I have hung out a single time without him at least microdosing... my point is, he said he tripped so hard one time that he "saw God" and "suddenly realized the true metaphysical nature of the universe." He genuinely holds to this special knowledge, and he even talks to the gods he had discovered like one talks to an imaginary friend aloud while in my presence. I, being interested in such esoteric things and his odd behavior, sought to prove him wrong by attempting to demonstrate through philosophical argument why his religious experience on acid is fallacious and he is insane. I try to be nice about it, but I start to sweat profusely and my muscles tense as a furious rage within builds. Why? Because I couldn't do it. Every time I seemed to back him into a corner, he either had some kind of adhoc escape or simply "turned to stone" and would not budge. Religious experience - special (divine) revelation - is useless as a tool for determining the truth of ANYTHING.How can I get it through to him without downright drowning him in vitriol and ridicule? Because, as a persuasive tactic purely, this seems my only option left (because ridicule is an effective tool to get people to stop holding to something). To recap: Why is special revelation useless as a tool for attaining truth? 1) various epistemic problems - how do you know that you are in contact with a divine being and not just your own imagination?2) adhoc nature of explanation - since he claims to be able to talk to gods, I asked him to tell me what I am hiding in my hand. He said the gods would not tell him. There seems to be a maneuver for whatever is thrown at him. This points to his particular explanation being the product of wishful thinking and emotional suggestion, with no genuine explanatory power or means of verification.3) mere experience cannot tell you the nature and origing of whatever it is that you have experienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheVampireDante Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/13193-religious-debates-are-banned/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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