Posted: Jul 18, 2010 12:28 pm
Okay, so I just keep hearing from everyone that in all probability there's nothing you can do (short of torture!). Now, asbyofrcs suggested, the possibility that he's taking the mickey out of me also exists, but I really doubt it. My dialogue with this guy has been going on for 3 years and has spanned some pretty huge email exchanges, something such a joke just wouldn't be worth for him.
Some of you have suggested I "live and let live" (or similar). Now, I recognise the guy's right to believe in whatever he wants. I'm not suggesting people should be forcefully "corrected". And, to clarify, I'm not being paid to convince this guy of anything. But on a personal level I just feel like a failure for two reasons:
1. Obviously I have failed to persuade him that reality is both very different to how he imagines it to be, and that, in fact, it's far more wonderful than he believes it to be.
2. If humanity comprises of people such as T. I can't convince myself it is worthwhile campaigning to save them from the problems they themselves deny. Humanity is already a dreadfully destructive force on the planet. If they're going to by like T., why bother trying to do anything for them? Why would I try to persuade T. that global warming is a real threat? Even in the extremely unlikely event of his accepting my view and acting against global warming from that point on, he's only going to have children and passive-smoke them to death, or fill their heads with pseudo-religious bull.
I know all about the institutionalised stupidity that is religion, about global warming denialists and all the rest. But this guy is a supposedly well-educated native English chemical engineer. If he's as bad as he is, what hope is there for anything? I just can't help seeing this as a terrible failure of our species. And with such people we're going to be a terrible, destructive, irrational species. Either we can get them out of their delusions, or there is no hope.
Am I wrong?
Some of you have suggested I "live and let live" (or similar). Now, I recognise the guy's right to believe in whatever he wants. I'm not suggesting people should be forcefully "corrected". And, to clarify, I'm not being paid to convince this guy of anything. But on a personal level I just feel like a failure for two reasons:
1. Obviously I have failed to persuade him that reality is both very different to how he imagines it to be, and that, in fact, it's far more wonderful than he believes it to be.
2. If humanity comprises of people such as T. I can't convince myself it is worthwhile campaigning to save them from the problems they themselves deny. Humanity is already a dreadfully destructive force on the planet. If they're going to by like T., why bother trying to do anything for them? Why would I try to persuade T. that global warming is a real threat? Even in the extremely unlikely event of his accepting my view and acting against global warming from that point on, he's only going to have children and passive-smoke them to death, or fill their heads with pseudo-religious bull.
I know all about the institutionalised stupidity that is religion, about global warming denialists and all the rest. But this guy is a supposedly well-educated native English chemical engineer. If he's as bad as he is, what hope is there for anything? I just can't help seeing this as a terrible failure of our species. And with such people we're going to be a terrible, destructive, irrational species. Either we can get them out of their delusions, or there is no hope.
Am I wrong?