| > creating your own deities that you add and remove at will? This is likely a miscommunication. Deity is a bad word, but I have a feeling the parent poster was just using it for emphasis. The parent poster may just mean they respect and believe in the ideas collected together by a specific symbol. As soon as that symbol diverges its ideas from the parent, or the parent diverges is value function away from those ideas, then the parent poster no longer holds that symbol "in regard" (i.e. a deity). I don't know about the parent, but to give you my perspective: I consider myself a poly-ideologist. It comes across very similar to what the parent poster describes. I try and give all ideas merit, regardless of my prior thoughts. I usually give the most respect to ideas which are in my best interest (i.e. follow my value function). Sometimes this is hard because it goes counter to other ideas, and I have to internally find an equilibrium. For example, how do I reconcile that I want to be financially independent, to do so, maybe I need to rent-seek, but also I believe all humans should be considered equal and treated with respect? By some definition of rent-seeking I am not respecting the people paying me money. As such, clearly it isn't binary I need to find an equilibrium and as time flows that equilibrium may change. To give fake but concrete numbers for the sake of explanation, lets say: I have a 65% belief that all humans should be respected and considered equal, however, 35% belief that I am not considered equal with all humans, I am superior. At every instant in time, I flip flop. I flip flop so fast between both that it is indistinguishable from believing both even tho they are contrary. Knowing this side of my human nature, it helps me reconcile how much I am willing to exploit other humans in order to become financially independent. (For the record its a hard thing to type out, because of social stigmas against recognizing certain ideas. rent-seeking/not treating people equally are some of the slightly more appropriate of all possible inappropriate ideas.) Another example, if you asked me do I believe in god or am I an atheist? Those aren't binary questions for me, I'd give you a percentage. Today, I'm 20% sure god exists, 20% an atheist, 60% sure that it doesn't matter to me today. On a different day, say I was in the hospital, I may find myself giving more merit to believing in god, and that ratio might skew 80% believing in god, but still 20% sure that its total bullshit. Or I say a child with cancer and on that day I'd be pretty sure god doesn't exist. I don't know.. I'm just kinda weird. Perhaps its not possible for me to explain myself yet. P.S. All percentages in this post are not accurate. I have no way to measure how much I believe a particular idea. |