The stupid, it burns
In this utterly moronic post (h/t Barefoot Bum), Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) has taken to glurging about the most idiotic argument for god belief known to man, Pascal’s Wager. A .000000001% chance of going to hell has to be taken seriously, he says. So seriously that you’re obligated to believe anything he “god” tells you to believe! So seriously that if despite that .0000000001% chance, you still don’t believe, why, you must be so certain that you think you’re god!!!
Jesus H. Christ. Well, you can read the comments to that post and Barefoot Bum’s post about the Wager to realize what idiocy it is. The Reader’s Digest version: Even if you can use this asinine game theory crap to “prove” there is a god, you are still no closer to establishing which god and which religion we’re supposed to subscribe to to escape damnation. For that matter, how do we know your premises are even correct? How do we know there even is a hell to escape? And — how do we know god even cares about being worshipped or wants you to believe in him? What if god loves us plucky little skeptics?
Oh, but Adams thinks he has a response to that one:
Another noted “flaw” in Pascal’s wager is that you can’t rule out the possibility that only skeptics are spared from Hell. Perhaps, it is argued, God loves the spunky fact-loving personality of skeptics and saves them alone, or saves them in the greatest percentage.
That argument passes the math test, but does it pass the sniff test? It’s a viewpoint that exists only as a debate tool. While we can’t rule it out, surely it is the worst bet if you must pick a theory of God. No rational person on earth, including skeptics, has concluded that God prefers skeptics over believers.
O RLY? Adams can’t possibly imagine a god who doesn’t particularly care about being worshipped. Can you? I can. Why is he so certain about which type of god is most likely, hmmm?
Personally, if I were more rational, and less focused on immediate gratification, I would become a moderate, peace-loving Muslim. My reasoning is that Islam has the best chance of becoming the dominant world religion in the future, and therefore probably has God’s backing, if he exists. The Muslim belief that death is sometimes a good thing is a huge advantage in a future where weapons are improving, and the only thing keeping people from using them is fear of death.
If you believe God exists, the smart money says he’s backing the team with the best strategy and long term viability. Based on what I see today, I’m betting on Islam being the only religion in a thousand years. Once you can build your own nuke from stuff you buy online, don’t be betting on the Buddhists.
Well, isn’t that charming. The bloodthirstiest religion is obviously god’s favorite. And, wait a minute — peace-loving Islam is the best religion to follow, based on Adams’ logic, but it doesn’t look like he’s converting anytime soon — why, praytell? And why would peace-loving Islam be the best bet if the violent, war-mongering Muslims are the winning team? All of this bullshit is just wishful thinking from a deranged mind. The idea that people think like this, and fall for this kind of rhetoric, HURTS MY BRAIN.
This is exactly the kind of thing I needed on a Monday morning, how about you? 
Posted Monday, July 30th, 2007
Tags: Atheism