When I posted My Three Crises of Faith, the 20 page paper which would unintentionally serve as the beginning of this blog, I wrote an introduction to the paper in which I admitted that the essay is "one of the few times I get introspective."
Then I spent the next two and a half years turning Dead-Logic into one of the most introspective skeptic blogs on the Internet. I guess I learned how to open up.
It's true, though. "My Three Crises" was one of the few times I really opened up publicly. I have always been a very private person, and I was never really one to share. When I spent my time as an online Christian apologist, I didn't delve into personal stories or share much of myself with readers. Even when the impetus of my writing shifted from that of apologist to philosopher, I stayed fairly impersonal. When I finally freed myself from faith, I spent much of my time simply not talking about it. I found it easier to just keep my mouth shut and let people assume what they wanted to about me.
It was easier... for a while.
I couldn't keep it all bottled up forever. I may have written the essay as a class assignment, but it became my emotional release, my drawing a line in the sand, and my way of coming to terms with who I am. What began in an essay continued on in the form of this blog you're reading now. Right or wrong, good or bad, this blog is my way of allowing you inside my mind. I see myself as a pilgrim, a journeyer, a wayfarer, and my pilgrimage is toward knowledge, understanding, and truth: Mecca for skeptics. Blogging is my way of inviting you along on the journey.
I enjoy engaging in the activity of discussing concepts, thoughts, and beliefs. I even enjoy the clashing of ideas in the exchange. I love the mutual challenging of ideas. I hate debating, though. I loved it when I was younger, but now I think it's just a waste of time - especially when the debating happens on the Internet. I love discussion. Here is where discussion differs from debate: in the former, participants can challenge each other, disagree with each other, but in the end the goal of everyone in the discussion is to get each other to think, and to give each other something to think about. In the latter, the goal is simply to win. Score some points for "your side," and you've accomplished the goal of debating. Good discussion shouldn't be about taking sides, and it sure as hell shouldn't be about winning. Good discussion should be one in which everyone is on the same side: the side that desires to seek understanding. There will certainly be disagreements along the way, but that's all part of the journey.
Sure, when some clown named "ManBoobz" accused me of being a "non-feminist" on his blog, I decided to defend myself as well as speak out about what I think about the whole thing. I'm not a pushover. Of course, Mr. Boobz demonstrated that he lacks the capacity to engage in the kind of discussion required for critical thinking: the kind of discussion I advocate here.
I try my best to follow a set of guidelines when I engage in discussion with people. I don't always follow them perfectly, because I'm not perfect, but I try. I want my blog - and my life - to be such that people feel comfortable discussing a topic, even if it's an important/sensitive/emotionally-charged topic, and even if there is disagreement among the participants. Naturally, there will be the occasional verbal jab or heated exchange in such discussions. That's fine, as long as mutual and reciprocal respect remains as the overarching goal. We can't expect to always be stoic and composed, especially on a pilgrimage such as this. We are trying to learn, grow, and come as close to correct understanding of the world as we can. The philosopher Plato teaches us that education can be a violent process, as it forces us to reconsider what we think we know and exchange our notions for better answers when we find them. My mind wanders yet again to Plato's Cave Metaphor.
It's not always an easy journey, but most journeys worth taking aren't going to be easy.
— Dead-Logic
My Pilgrimage
My Pilgrimage
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