FACT AND FICTION - - - - - -
Some members of this forum have accused me of trying to reconcile fact and fiction.
I plead guilty to these allegations.
But that is nothing unusual; fact and fiction can and do live in a peaceful and mutually beneficial symbiosis.
Examples: When we pay with a coin or a bill, we reconcile the facts (about the material objects, made of metal or paper) and the fiction (the fictitious value we ascribe to these objects, value which they do not have in themselves, a value any scientific investigation would be unable to find!).
Or if we ascribe "human dignity" to members of a well-known bipedal naked ape : we tacitly reconcile the facts known about Homo sapiens (= science) with the fiction of "dignity" or with fictitious "human rights" - which no scientific research would be able to ascertain.
Yes: fact and fiction are not only going hand in hand in our daily lives, they complement each other, in law, politics, economy. This symbiosis is one of the basic features of what we call "culture".
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3 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.that's not symbiosis. that's symbolism. we know that while a piece of paper with ben franklin's face imprinted on it has no intrinsic value, but we ALSO know that it has the value of what we can exchange it for because we have all bought into the convenience of that symbolic system. quite frankly, the gold that purportedly backs it has no intrinsic value either, since we can't eat gold. this has nothing whatsoever to do with fact and fiction.
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genessa
Level 8
Sep 11, 2018
0
Not all myths are treated equally. I think most people would be able to recognize that a coin has no inherent value and that we as a society only agree to treat it as such.
Religion on the other hand makes the the assertion that it IS true and people who are religious wouldn't say that we only agree to there being a god and to following his rules. I think you slightly changed your position here by defending the easier standpoint. The original thread was about Religion not about all myths, right?
Dietl
Level 7
Sep 11, 2018
1
I don't really know what the original conflict was about exactly and what othes argued but I definitely agree that there is not a necessary contradiction and that the conflict only arises when one tries to enter into the other's territory. So I guess I'm your side on that issue.
It is hard for most people who have been in an indoctrinated religion to see things in as nuanced a manner as you. They see things through the prism of their former religious belief, and having concluded that they were deceived into believing a myth and feel they were lied to, they tend to have a black and white view of fact and fiction. As someone who has never had a religion and studied and read all sorts of philosophies including the bible and other religious texts, I can see a logic to your assertions. We all have valid points of view and that is the purpose of joining this forum in order to air them. We should all respect others and listen to their viewpoint, not necessarily agreeing, but at least considering it and treating it with courtesy.
Marionville
Level 10
Sep 11, 2018
2
Very well said! Thank you.
@WilliamFleming Glad you agree. Some people can get quite rude about others’ points of view.
@Matias I hate bullies, and your view is as valid as theirs.
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