[ExI] apple mothership

[Dave Sill]

On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 1:22 PM, Adrian Tymes <atymes at gmail.com> wrote:

> What does an atheist offer, by comparison?  The honest equivalent would
> be hope and well wishes: same amount of effort, no illusion that the
> atheist
> is actually doing much to help.
>

True. But rather than offer an honest equivalent I prefer to offer a
superior alternative. And "hope" and "well wishes" are well up the slippery
slope to irrationality. If we're talking about a casual acquaintance, then
"Get well soon!" may be all you can honestly offer. But for a good friend or
a family member, something more is appropriate. And flowers are just silly.


>  (Which is not inherently a bad thing:
> everyone has limited resources, and any given person literally does not
> have
> the time to help everyone in need.  If this really is all that can be
> spared
> without causing other problems, then it is.)
>

Of course one shouldn't make an offer that one has no intention of or
ability to accept. So don't offer to help if you aren't prepared to make a
reasonable effort to do so. But an offer to help isn't a commitment: you
aren't promising to do whatever they ask, just advertising a willingness to
consider requests.

-Dave
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