Monday 20 July 2009

The philosophy of chili sauce


The sanctimonious brigade have been at it again – this time in Scotland. Scottish ferry company, Caledonian McBrayne, has started a Sunday ferry service between Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis and the mainland, but a bunch of Keep The Sabbath Sacred fundies want it stopped for no better reason that they want to impose their philosophy on everyone else. No-one is forcing the fundies to use the service on a Sunday, so what’s their problem?

The danger in using philosophy as a moral guide and wanting to impose it on others is that there is not a single important question that philosophy has answered - ever. Answers are the realm of science; philosophy teaches people how to think – and you’d think that as a consequence it would also teach people to be open-minded. The problems occur when people adhere to a particular philosophy as if it were objective truth, which it isn’t – it’s one opinion, amongst many.

Oh – for the Irish reader who alighted on the blog searching for references to Lingham’s chili sauce at Tesco’s – you can only get it at the larger Tesco stores now.

10 comments:

♥ Braja said...

Stornaway? My family is from Stornaway: Macsween....

"The problems occur when people adhere to a particular philosophy as if it were objective truth, which it isn’t – it’s one opinion, amongst many." Which would be your opinion, and something you think is the objective truth...:) Funny, that...

Chairman Bill said...

Braja: 1+1 = 2 is objective truth, 2 being defined as 1+1.

God exists is an opinion. We should do no work on a Sunday is an extrapolated opinion.

Jennysmith said...

Never really understood much about philosophy. Thanks for making it clearer. A good start to the summer holidays. Thats about the only thing I'm gonna learn for the next 7 weeks!

Am a bit sad Sundays aren't the same anymore tho' xxx

kapgaf said...

Got hit recently by the sanctimonious brigade (yes, France also has one) whose representative, verger or some such made up name, of the Clermont Ferrand cathedral, who shouted (yes, shouted) at us because he was convinced that we were using the cathedral as a short-cut across the square in which it stands. Although this was not the case, I told him that if his god existed, it was up to him or her to decide which was the most offensive - using the cathedral as a short-cut or shouting in it. He was not well pleased but I don't know if it was because rabid atheists were in his cathedral or that we insinuated that god might be of the female persuasion, or something else entirely.

Alan Burnett said...

I so agree. I got so annoyed by that sanctimonious minister declaring "nobody is going to take God's sabbath from me" that I had to be removed from the room in case I inflicted damage on the television.

Chairman Bill said...

Jenny: Sundays are such a drag. It's almost worth going to church for the socialising.

Kapgaf: If God exists, does she go bananas once a month?

Alan: Let him keep it, I say. But allow me to do what I want.

A Woman Of No Importance said...

Ahh, now living in the Heelands of Scotland for some years and my son being born there, I feel I have something to say...

Bollocks to 'em!

Kabbalah Rookie said...

Keeping the Sabbath sacred... great idea except they got the wrong day.

But then that's just my humble opinion :o)

Geo. said...

Matthew Chap 14, 26-28
"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled and they cried out in fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying it is I, be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. To which Jesus replied saying, I would mate, but the bleedin' fundies have cancelled McBrayne's ferries...

Chairman Bill said...

Woman: Good on you.

Kabbalah: With a name like that I'm not surprised.

George: Nice one.