Comments on: “What if Your Child Becomes Religious?” http://dangerousintersection.org/2009/08/07/what-if-your-child-becomes-religious/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:25:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: grumpypilgrim http://dangerousintersection.org/2009/08/07/what-if-your-child-becomes-religious/comment-page-1/#comment-48059 grumpypilgrim Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:25:21 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=8434#comment-48059 Further to Mark's comment, there appear to be many people who fear independent thinkers. Moreover, to a school guidance counselor, who is perhaps overly exposed to troubled youths, an independent thinker might indeed be a subject of concern. Or, at least, more likely to be someone to be concerned about than someone to respect. Perhaps the problem is that independent thinkers who create havoc typically get far more press coverage than do independent thinkers who create goodness. Further to Mark’s comment, there appear to be many people who fear independent thinkers. Moreover, to a school guidance counselor, who is perhaps overly exposed to troubled youths, an independent thinker might indeed be a subject of concern. Or, at least, more likely to be someone to be concerned about than someone to respect. Perhaps the problem is that independent thinkers who create havoc typically get far more press coverage than do independent thinkers who create goodness.

]]> By: Mark Tiedemann http://dangerousintersection.org/2009/08/07/what-if-your-child-becomes-religious/comment-page-1/#comment-48034 Mark Tiedemann Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:55:16 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=8434#comment-48034 Excellent. And it underscores the central problem people face with everything they consider Vitally Important! Letting others make up their own mind. This seems to be the hardest thing in the world to do. I read "Mein Kampf" as a freshman in high school and in a parent-teacher conference two of my teachers brought this up with my parents. They were "concerned" about "letting" me read something like that. The idea that I had the wherewithal to make up my own mind about it---or that, whether I had it or not, I should nevertheless be allowed to engage the text---elicited respect from the teachers, but they still had grave concerns. Look around and we see that this idea of letting people find their own path is a sticking point that seems at the core of most of the philosophical/ideologicals difficulties in the world. We just (collectively) can't seem to trust people to come to conclusions we think they should reach. Or to accept that alternative conclusions may be just fine. Excellent. And it underscores the central problem people face with everything they consider Vitally Important! Letting others make up their own mind.

This seems to be the hardest thing in the world to do.

I read “Mein Kampf” as a freshman in high school and in a parent-teacher conference two of my teachers brought this up with my parents. They were “concerned” about “letting” me read something like that. The idea that I had the wherewithal to make up my own mind about it—or that, whether I had it or not, I should nevertheless be allowed to engage the text—elicited respect from the teachers, but they still had grave concerns.

Look around and we see that this idea of letting people find their own path is a sticking point that seems at the core of most of the philosophical/ideologicals difficulties in the world. We just (collectively) can’t seem to trust people to come to conclusions we think they should reach. Or to accept that alternative conclusions may be just fine.

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