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Dear AJ Philips,

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You really are a remarkable intellectual contortionist, AJ. You literally dazzle me with all those acrobatic feats up there on the high ropes. I can’t follow you way up there. I don’t like heights. I like to keep my feet on the ground. I think I’ll throw the towel in and surrender.

I’ll discreetly slip out from under the big top and let you take the final round of applause.

Just one last plunge before I go …

You kindly reminded me :

« You initially said, “Happily, the qualities you mention are not just limited to theists and atheists.” This implies that there is a third option »

Not a third option. A third dimension. I consider that the totality of human nature, in all its complexity, cannot be reduced to the simple dichotomy “theists and atheists”. I see that unidimensional, “binary” division of mankind as overly simplistic. It is not that particular aspect of human beings (whether they are theists or atheists) which I consider to be significative of the qualities which had been evoked by ConservativeHippie (page 9 of this thread) : those of forgiveness and tolerance.

Perhaps another dichotomy, such as “humanist and idealist”, may have more relevance to the qualities in question.

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(Continued …)

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(Continued …)

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Binary labelling may correspond to a certain type of logic but, in my view, it is too simplistic to correctly reflect the subtleties and complexities of reality. It may not make sense. It could be misleading or even dangerous.

It sacrifices sense and significance for the benefit of logical method.

It seems to me that that is a high price to pay. A bit too high for a very ordinary person such as myself.

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