Jarhyn
Wizard
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2010
- Messages
- 15,554
- Gender
- Androgyne; they/them
- Basic Beliefs
- Natural Philosophy, Game Theoretic Ethicist
Let's have some fun discussing something stupid that isn't politics or religion for a while, but squarely on the subject of belief and skepticism...
So, I have my own thoughts on this, strangely enough, however this is a thread for the *non-trivial* discussion of what fairies are/not, and not on "Jarhyn's wacky theories about Fae"; as such I will actually post to this thread such things later, after others have a chance to get out whatever they feel they need to.
Fairies are, generally here, acknowledged as myth. And they are a myth. There is definitely a large family of stories about fairies.
They are a belief, but this is not a thread *intended* for discussing merely that; to do so would be rude, and rudeness seems rather out of place in a discussion devoted to The Fae, perhaps even dangerous for the superstitious. Then again you can always say the magic Peter Pan words, but again, I think that we can all just take that for granted unless anyone wants to disagree.
I believe we can all agree that common beliefs about fairies are not remotely true.
But what is this human experience?
Of course they can be described as a slow "mass delusion" but then what is the proposed mechanism or cycle that is "a mass delusion"?
And while these are all suggestions on what to do with this delightfully weird topic, of course, the above are only the prevailing views of this place.
There may indeed be other views on the subject present and represented here, though I expect that any theory that proposes some kind of multiversal alien will get roundly mocked.
Again I would invite the person who would volunteer such exist in some fashion to offer their theological basis for their declarations, offering their sources, or admitting themselves as their primary source. Even "this other religious guy said so, because God himself speaks through them" would do, so that we can say "Argument from Authority" and just move on.
So, I have my own thoughts on this, strangely enough, however this is a thread for the *non-trivial* discussion of what fairies are/not, and not on "Jarhyn's wacky theories about Fae"; as such I will actually post to this thread such things later, after others have a chance to get out whatever they feel they need to.
Fairies are, generally here, acknowledged as myth. And they are a myth. There is definitely a large family of stories about fairies.
They are a belief, but this is not a thread *intended* for discussing merely that; to do so would be rude, and rudeness seems rather out of place in a discussion devoted to The Fae, perhaps even dangerous for the superstitious. Then again you can always say the magic Peter Pan words, but again, I think that we can all just take that for granted unless anyone wants to disagree.
I believe we can all agree that common beliefs about fairies are not remotely true.
But what is this human experience?
Of course they can be described as a slow "mass delusion" but then what is the proposed mechanism or cycle that is "a mass delusion"?
And while these are all suggestions on what to do with this delightfully weird topic, of course, the above are only the prevailing views of this place.
There may indeed be other views on the subject present and represented here, though I expect that any theory that proposes some kind of multiversal alien will get roundly mocked.
Again I would invite the person who would volunteer such exist in some fashion to offer their theological basis for their declarations, offering their sources, or admitting themselves as their primary source. Even "this other religious guy said so, because God himself speaks through them" would do, so that we can say "Argument from Authority" and just move on.