Generalisations

[Jaiket]

Someone brought a Dawkins quote to another thread. The gist was that religion encourages ignorance. I believe that it is false, but more importantly I think it's faulty because it's a cheap generalisation.

Is there any sense in which something as wide in scope as religion can be spoken of in general terms? Are there useful or accurate ways that religion can be generalised?

I'm just a wee bit curious. Any thoughts are welcome.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Excellent. It is precisely "a cheap generalization."

Yet again: Yi Fu Tuan suggests religion is "broadly defined as the impulse for coherence and meaning."

[Jaiket]

Originally Posted by Jay

Yet again: Yi Fu Tuan suggests religion is "broadly defined as the impulse for coherence and meaning."

Oh aye, I recall that one. Cheers.

[Engyo]

Personally this sort of generalization can by its nature only be done in the very broadest sense if one is to base any significant argument upon said generalization.

One could make a broad-brush assumption that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians believe in Jesus Christ. They may all not interpret him or his teachings in the same way; they may not use the same symbolism or draw the same inferences regarding his history and impact, and so forth and so on.

In Buddhism there are Three Seals of the Dharma. These are core teachings; if someone claimes to be teaching Buddhism without these three core principles involved, then it isn't considered Buddhism by the Buddhist community at large. Thus I can generalize that the vast majority of Buddhists support these three core principles. They may (just as above) interpret them differently, place differing levels of importance on these principles, or focus more on one than on the other two, but all three can be assumed to be present.

To generalize beyond this extremely broad level invites error, and likely invalidates or endangers the validation of the claim the generalization is intended to support.

[Dunemeister]

I never generalize because I hate all generalizations. Those who make generalizations display a stunning lack of intelligence.

[Bouncing Ball]

Originally Posted by Dunemeister

Those who make generalizations display a stunning lack of intelligence.

You do realize that you are generalizing here don't you?

[Scuba Pete]

I wish that I could state unequivocally that I never generalize, but that would be an OVER generalization.

For me, the search for knowledge first lies in overcoming my prejudices and pre-conceptions. That's how I approach my relationship with God and others, and frankly: it takes a LOT of work and thought. People constantly want to construct boxes or pigeon holes in which to put ideas, concepts and others. They are needed to sort through a lot of information rapidly, but they often lead to misinformation which leads to bias and ultimately this leads to bigotry. It's important that we allow the sorting without letting it devolve any further. You do this by pointing out their misconceptions. Sometimes, you can do this gently, while other times you have to use a 2X4. I can tell you, that you won't make many friends doing this, and you should expect at least a modicum of animosity as you do.

[Charity]

I really try hard not to generalize.... sometimes, I must admit I do fail occasionaly.