Act As If
How’s this for a religious philosophy. One should act as if God does exist just in case he really does. If he doesn’t, you’ve apparently lost nothing. However, if one did not act as if God existed and he does exist, you’re in trouble.
OMG WTF Seriously. (is that copyrighted?)
I’ve heard this argument before. Maybe it should be the “what have you got to lose?” philosophy.
I’ll tell you what I’ve got to lose … my dignity by being a hypocrite. Not to mention the right to sleep in on Sundays and have a mimosa and bacon for breakfast. And how about the right to do what I believe is right not what an ancient book tells me. Or what a “religious scholar” says.
I’m not going to pretend to believe what I don’t believe and I’m not going to lie about it. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and I’ll suffer the consequences. Now that’s a novel idea.
Good work! Always nice to see someone who can spot an invalid argument upfront.
“Act As If”… I don’t think I’ve ever heard this argument called that before.
Act As If…
I like it. Has a nice ring to it. Calling it that reveals that this particular concept is more about giving lip service to something you don’t actually believe than really believing in it.
Argument: Act As If.
Rebuttal: Act As Is.
Ha!
It’s a version of “Pascal’s Wager” which can be applied to any god – “Act as if Thor exists”, “Act as if Vishnu exists”, “Act as if the Spaghetti Monster exists”. So many gods to choose from!
Ubiquitous Che: That’s a great rebuttal!
woodpigeon: Maybe one should choose a different god everyday. Then all bases would be covered and the god could be matched to the plans and/or outfit of the day.
awesome plan!
Michele: Glad you liked it!