[extropy-chat] Re: John Wright Finds God

[Dirk Bruere]

john-c-wright at sff.net wrote:

> 
> 
>
> My question to my respected fellow atheists (if I may so call you, for I have 
>only departed your company recently) is this: what does an honest and rational 
>man do when he has a supernatural experience? 
>  
>
Acknowledge it, but don't jump to conclusions.

> 
> I ask this in all seriousness. What does one do when overwhelming evidence
>suddenly breaks in on you that your entire system of the world, so carefully 
>constructed by materialist rational philosophy over many years of painstaking 
>thought, is utterly wrong and discredited? Pretend it did not happen?  
>
>  
>
Not at all. Clearly a materialist philosophy works, for the most part.
Now you've experienced something extra.
Happened to me first time I took LSD in my 30s.
I was utterly amazed by the expansion of consciousness and perception.
I was experiencing something that previously I did not have the capacity 
to imagine.

As for 'supernatural' eg psi phenomena etc, I would not call that 
something that could discredit a materialist philosophy. All it means if 
psi exists is that we have a bigger picture to integrate.

-- 
Dirk

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