[ryandrake]

> the Vatican is full of the equivalent of the best PhDs sourced from all over the world centered around their specific topic of interest, theology.

I’m sure there are Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings superfans who have put in a PhD level of time and research into their favorite “topic of interest” as well.

[vasco]

Yeah and if there was a global organization of Harry Potter PhDs that selected the best from all over the world for hundreds of years I'd probably think those guys were smart too and probably wouldn't have surface level takes about adjacent topics.

[lotsofpulp]

Given what we know about the origins of Harry Potter, you basically proved ryandrake’s point. Just because you put time into something does not make it worthy of attention.

Religions’ primary purpose is to facilitate tribal bonds, not experimentally seek truths and evaluate data for consistency. That is why almost all start with a set of tenets or immutable “facts”, such as the existence of an immortal component of a person (usually called a soul).

[triceratops]

No vasco is saying if Harry Potter fans put a lot of study into astronomy, would you immediately discount their expertise in astronomy because of their devotion to Potterdom?

[svieira]

> Religions’ primary purpose is to facilitate tribal bonds

That's what religion does, but so does "working in Silicon Valley for a tech company". What religion is is another matter entirely.

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12748a.htm

[bjourne]

And I'm sure you have never even tried to acquire a PhD :p.

[ryandrake]

I have not! Don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for people who have spent extreme time and energy into researching anything, including works of fiction. I’m sure they are not dumb and are immensely more well read and focused on their area than I am!

The joke was meant to poke a little fun at superfans and not to belittle.