"I Don't Know...."

[n_huffhines]

"....so I'm an Atheist Libertarian"

Penn Jilette's brilliant opinion column. It's basically how I feel. Everyone thinks they "know" what's best, with certainty. Nobody knows what's best and this is why the 2 big government parties inevitably **** things up. It's OK to say, "I don't know what's best, and even if I did, I don't know how to make it happen." Some excerpts:

"I don't know" is not an apology. There's no shame. It's a simple statement of fact. When Richard Feynman didn't know, he often worked harder than anyone else to find out, but while he didn't know, he said, "I don't know."

Last week I was interviewed for Piers Morgan's show (which used to be Larry King's show). Piers beat me up a bit for being an atheist (that's his job) and then beat me up a bit for being a libertarian (also his job). He did this by asking me impossible questions, questions that none of us, Harold, Richard, me, (or Piers), could ever answer.

He started with "How did you get here?" and I started talking about my road to showbiz and atheism and he interrupted and said he meant how the universe was created. I said, "I don't know."

He said, "God," an answer that meant Piers didn't know either, but he had a word for it that was supposed to make me feel left out of his enlightened club.

Then he asked me what we could do to help poor people. I said I donated money, food, medical care, and services and he said, "No," he meant, what could society do to solve the problem of poor people. Again, I was stumped.

He said the government had to do it, which I interpreted as another way of saying he didn't know, but he thought that made me look mean ... even though I do care and do try to help.

What makes me libertarian is what makes me an atheist -- I don't know. If I don't know, I don't believe. I don't know exactly how we got here, and I don't think anyone else does, either. We have some of the pieces of the puzzle and we'll get more, but I'm not going to use faith to fill in the gaps. I'm not going to believe things that TV hosts state without proof. I'll wait for real evidence and then I'll believe.

I don't know, so I'm an atheist libertarian - CNN.com

 

[KiffinKiller]

interesting.

 

[utvolpj]

I like it

 

[rjd970]

We have some of the pieces of the puzzle and we'll get more, but I'm not going to use faith to fill in the gaps. I'm not going to believe things that TV hosts state without proof. I'll wait for real evidence and then I'll believe.

+1

Its frustrating that the "not knowing" is commonly interpreted as "will never know", ala it must be supernatural.

 

[KiffinKiller]

Agree. Automatically bridging the gap is the difference between the two.

Found this kind of funny.

 

[hndog609]

Actually this can cover about anything. Some people "don't know" but make up their mind with great certitude that they do...or at least know the best course of action...and anyone else's lack of conviction is tantamount (in their mind anyway) to an admission of having a lesser position in the discussion.

People confuse conviction (their own or even others) with actual knowledge all the time. This is true in most any endeavor you can think of.

 

[KiffinKiller]

agree.

 

[n_huffhines]

If a president said, "I don't know the best course of action, so I will take no action", no matter the circumstances, the media would blast him into the next world. It's as if inaction is the worst end possible.

 

[hndog609]

If a president said, "I don't know the best course of action, so I will take no action", no matter the circumstances, the media would blast him into the next world. It's as if inaction is the worst end possible.

Yep. If you aren't actively leading, this includes in circles or even off a cliff, then you are by definition lacking in leadership in many people's minds.

I think that's one of (the?) the problems with how many freaking laws and regulations we have. Legislaters feel absolutely compelled to be seen as doing something...so they do. That it may be to the detriment to most, or even all, really isn't their primary concern, which is reelection.

 

[gsvol]

If a president said, "I don't know the best course of action, so I will take no action", no matter the circumstances, the media would blast him into the next world. It's as if inaction is the worst end possible.

Extolling the virtues of alcoholic intoxicats again are
ye now laddy boy??