Because that's just the way it is.

RickWhite

RickWhite

Well-Known Member
Do you believe that there are any rules, standards, practices, traditions or other things that should be observed simply because that is just the way it is?

More to the point, do you believe that certain things should be observed based on the assumption that there is probably a good reason for it that just isn't apparent to you at the time, or not? Because that is really the question.

There are two ways to answer this question. One way is to answer yes, reasoning that most things are the way they are for a reason, especially if they have stood the test of time. The other is to say no, reasoning that nothing should ever be accepted without fully understanding why.

For example, a recent trend I see is the ever widening latitude parents give their children. many do not even have bed times which was unheard of when I was young. When asked, parents often say they don't see the point in making a kid go to bed at the same time for no apparent reason. The fact that this teaches the child self discipline and how to live an orderly life style and actually promotes a feeling of security for the child doesn't matter because they are unaware of these things.

Now I would argue that any time you don't fully understand the reason for something or know better for a fact, you should probably assume that things are done a certain way for a reason.

Do you agree or not?
 
R

Radiate

Well-Known Member
RickWhite said:
Do you believe that there are any rules, standards, practices, traditions or other things that should be observed simply because that is just the way it is?

More to the point, do you believe that certain things should be observed based on the assumption that there is probably a good reason for it that just isn't apparent to you at the time, or not? Because that is really the question.

There are two ways to answer this question. One way is to answer yes, reasoning that most things are the way they are for a reason, especially if they have stood the test of time. The other is to say no, reasoning that nothing should ever be accepted without fully understanding why.

For example, a recent trend I see is the ever widening latitude parents give their children. many do not even have bed times which was unheard of when I was young. When asked, parents often say they don't see the point in making a kid go to bed at the same time for no apparent reason. The fact that this teaches the child self discipline and how to live an orderly life style and actually promotes a feeling of security for the child doesn't matter because they are unaware of these things.

Now I would argue that any time you don't fully understand the reason for something or know better for a fact, you should probably assume that things are done a certain way for a reason.

Do you agree or not?
Click to expand...

I'd have to say no, because you don't know when the other guy doesn't know what he's talking about, and you never will if you just take it at face value. And of course, assumptions rarely end well when speaking of politics.

The best approach is to research until you either understand why it is the way it is, or understand (truthfully) why it is wrong and why (and more specifically, how) it should be changed.

An old saying I've heard a lot that applies here is:

He who knows HOW will always have a job.
He who knows WHY will always be his boss.
 
P

PadawanBater

Guest
RickWhite said:
Do you believe that there are any rules, standards, practices, traditions or other things that should be observed simply because that is just the way it is?

More to the point, do you believe that certain things should be observed based on the assumption that there is probably a good reason for it that just isn't apparent to you at the time, or not? Because that is really the question.

There are two ways to answer this question. One way is to answer yes, reasoning that most things are the way they are for a reason, especially if they have stood the test of time. The other is to say no, reasoning that nothing should ever be accepted without fully understanding why.

For example, a recent trend I see is the ever widening latitude parents give their children. many do not even have bed times which was unheard of when I was young. When asked, parents often say they don't see the point in making a kid go to bed at the same time for no apparent reason. The fact that this teaches the child self discipline and how to live an orderly life style and actually promotes a feeling of security for the child doesn't matter because they are unaware of these things.

Now I would argue that any time you don't fully understand the reason for something or know better for a fact, you should probably assume that things are done a certain way for a reason.

Do you agree or not?
Click to expand...
Nope. I believe everything should be questioned. I don't believe in the importance of tradition. I don't understand how because something might have been important to some of my ascendants it must be important to me.

Rules, standards, traditions, and especially practices should always be questioned and analyzed in my opinion. If you and I can agree on anything Rick, I bet it's that the marijuana laws in this country are actually doing more harm than good, which would be a perfect example of one of the many "rules" our society has that is unjust.

There are certain things that I don't think should be questioned because they stand on their own whether someone questions them or not, and it's a waste of time and everyone elses time too. For example, evolution; it is absolutely ridiculous to question the theory of evolution, as ridiculous as questioning the theory of gravity.

As for your example, would I give my kid a bedtime? Probably, but it would be to ensure he gets enough sleep to be productive the next day, and it would be annoying to have a kid running around the house at all hours of the night. There's also a biological role that comes into play, it's natural for us to sleep at night and be awake during the day so I think my kids sleeping habits should reflect that too, for his health. When I was a kid, I didn't really consider the self discipline aspect of it, as I don't think a kid would today, so I'm not sure how much that actually plays a part.

Beliefs should always be questioned. If you can't defend your belief then you shouldn't try. There's nothing wrong with questioning a belief, especially if the doctrine within said belief prohibits questioning, you MUST QUESTION it! If you don't you're a fool.


 
Man o' the green

Man o' the green

Active Member
RickWhite said:
....
There are two ways to answer this question. One way is to answer yes, reasoning that most things are the way they are for a reason, especially if they have stood the test of time. The other is to say no, reasoning that nothing should ever be accepted without fully understanding why.
....
Now I would argue that any time you don't fully understand the reason for something or know better for a fact, you should probably assume that things are done a certain way for a reason.

Do you agree or not?
Click to expand...
If you restrict this to politics, then no, but generally, yes and no
yes, if it is a question of efficiency.
no, once you have any experience with the subject, it is absolutely necessary to question to get a deeper understanding. Then determine if the subject makes sense.
yes, if you are talking about certain aspects of religion
Q : Does this difference result in religious vs. atheist ?
 
RickWhite

RickWhite

Well-Known Member
Ah, the question of religion. The Jewish religion is based on questioning and argument. When studying Judaism there is a saying "always ask the hardest questions first." The word Israel means "wrestle with God," and many stories include instances where the prophets argued with God and he was pleased. There is no greater form of questioning than to argue with God directly. In this respect, one should always question. But questioning and dismissing out of hand are two completely different things. many people confuse the two. Questioning asks why this is and what does it mean. Just saying "this is stupid" is not questioning.

But in life, wouldn't one have to literally know everything if they were to assume they should understand everything before accepting that it may be valid? Is it reasonable to assume that everything we don't understand must be wrong? Isn't it more reasonable to assume that there are a great many things in life that are true regardless of our understanding of them or our knowledge?

Think of it this way. Suppose you bought some item that requires assembly and the instructions say do X before doing Y, but you can not see the logic in doing it this way and it seems right to do Y before X. Is your way more likely to be the right way because it seems that way to you, or are the instructions probably right even though you can not see why?
 
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