I'll never forget my college Philosophy 101 class in 1964. I came out of it an athiest and utterly comfused. The prof was so convincing with Kante, Nietzche, Decartes, et al that I had no argument, only my homegrown beliefs I had learned from my parents, church and the society I had lived in during high school.
"Does a chair still exist in the room if the lights are turned out? I can't see it." I'll never forget that one. The class really shook me up and it was not until five years later that I decided what I really believed, only to have it change at age forty. Isn't that what college is supposed to do? Make you think? Question? Find out who you really are and solidify your values? Fear is the culprit in the article to which you referred. That is too bad. I did not do well in the course, made a "C".
I would amend what you said a bit by offering that there is no possibility of finding out "who you really are". We are all constantly evolving, growing, learning. The important thing to me is that we constantly challenge our own beliefs.
Unfortunately, fear seems to be the main tactic of most major religions. 'Fear of god', 'fear of damnation' etc. etc. It is an easy way for religious leaders to abuse their power and control their subjects.
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I'll never forget my college Philosophy 101 class in 1964. I came out of it an athiest and utterly comfused. The prof was so convincing with Kante, Nietzche, Decartes, et al that I had no argument, only my homegrown beliefs I had learned from my parents, church and the society I had lived in during high school.
"Does a chair still exist in the room if the lights are turned out? I can't see it." I'll never forget that one. The class really shook me up and it was not until five years later that I decided what I really believed, only to have it change at age forty. Isn't that what college is supposed to do? Make you think? Question? Find out who you really are and solidify your values? Fear is the culprit in the article to which you referred. That is too bad.
I did not do well in the course, made a "C".
I would agree, fear is the culprit.
I would amend what you said a bit by offering that there is no possibility of finding out "who you really are". We are all constantly evolving, growing, learning. The important thing to me is that we constantly challenge our own beliefs.
Unfortunately, fear seems to be the main tactic of most major religions. 'Fear of god', 'fear of damnation' etc. etc. It is an easy way for religious leaders to abuse their power and control their subjects.
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