Death's view on belief, little lies and stuff

[The Magic Pudding]

Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
Susan: But people have got to believe that, or what's the point?
Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?

I got that from here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765458/quotes  It's a quote from Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.
For the uninitiated The Hogfather is a Santa figure, and Death is ... shit I'd vote for Death as world leader, and Susan hmmm, I'm kinda fond of Susan.

I read Pratchett for fun not answers, justice, mercy, duty are worthy things, but personally I question the need for illusions.
Anyway there it is, have at it if you will.

[Davin]

That just looks like the same thing as Ray Comfort saying there are no Crocoducks. I don't think anyone will say that you can find atoms of justice.

If you use this line of reasoning for ignoring justice, mercy and duty, then go ahead and drop math, reasoning, language, information and logic as well. You won't find those atoms either.

[Tank]

TMP, that's a wonderful piece of discworld insight  

[Asmodean]

If you use this line of reasoning for ignoring justice, mercy and duty, then go ahead and drop math, reasoning, language, information and logic as well. You won't find those atoms either.

Well, to be fair, you can. If not atoms, than energy waves... Math is different though, as it is an explanation, not a proposition, if you get what I mean.

True, it's hard to find a single atom of a concept, however, you can't really find a single atom of a duck either, now can you..? The atom would be carbon or nitrogen or hydrogen or you-nameit, not duck

If one is a part of the society though, one should probably use social and not physical arguments for forsaking justice or duty. Mercy... Well, that one is rather subjective, is it not?

[terranus]

I agree with Death and Asmodean on this one. Not necessarily trying to group you 2 together, btw.

The human race has created so many illusions in it's short existance, that most people now have trouble identifying what is physically real and what is not. Otherwise, religion would not exist.

[Asmodean]

Not necessarily trying to group you 2 together, btw.

Oh, it wouldn't have bothered me if you did. In some aspects of my life philosophy, I am a one man death cult  

[The Magic Pudding]

I respect Death too much to disagree with him completely, maybe just some people need little lies.  We do get a few people here that seem to feel the need, maybe one day things will change.