The Cult of Reason

#1

Post by opaque » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 11:53 AM UTC

Re: The Cult of Reason

#2

Post by jlpom » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 1:59 PM UTC

I studied the Revolution as part of the national curriculum of 1st year of HS, and this "religion" was as crazy as the description of it sounds, and part of the ambient madness of the following years. It seems to me to be more the expression of collective madness than Lumières's ideals.

Re: The Cult of Reason

#3

Post by stared » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:05 PM UTC

I though it will be about Less Wrong.

(Discussion with a friend, who identifies with the crowd: "Is it a cult? Yes, but a good one!")

Re: The Cult of Reason

#4

Post by NikolaeVarius » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:07 PM UTC

It is interesting in the footnotes that it indicates the name originally doens't have the negative connotations it seems to have in english

``` The word "cult" in French means "a form of worship", without any of its negative or exclusivist implications in English; its proponents intended it to be a universal congregation. ```

Re: The Cult of Reason

#5

Post by opaque » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:09 PM UTC

jlpom wrote: post #2

I studied the Revolution as part of the national curriculum of 1st year of HS, and this "religion" was as crazy as the description of it sounds, and part of the ambient madness of the following years. It seems to me to be more the expression of collective madness than Lumières's ideals.

It wasn't covered in any detail by my school curriculum, so I've been catching up. I had no idea they "reformed" so many aspects of civci life, including the calendar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar

Re: The Cult of Reason

#6

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:17 PM UTC

[deleted]

Re: The Cult of Reason

#7

Post by opaque » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:18 PM UTC

stared wrote: post #3

I though it will be about Less Wrong. (Discussion with a friend, who identifies with the crowd: "Is it a cult? Yes, but a good one!")

There was also an "atheist church" in London https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21319945

I wonder if they were aware the concept has quite a history.

Re: The Cult of Reason

#8

Post by enqk » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:23 PM UTC

NikolaeVarius wrote: post #4

It is interesting in the footnotes that it indicates the name originally doens't have the negative connotations it seems to have in english ``` The word "cult" in French means "a form of worship", without any of its negative or exclusivist implications in English; its proponents intended it to be a universal congregation. ```

"Culte" is neutral and "Secte" is the negative word.

Re: The Cult of Reason

#9

Post by touart » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:37 PM UTC

opaque wrote: post #5

jlpom wrote: post #2

I studied the Revolution as part of the national curriculum of 1st year of HS, and this "religion" was as crazy as the description of it sounds, and part of the ambient madness of the following years. It seems to me to be more the expression of collective madness than Lumières's ideals.

It wasn't covered in any detail by my school curriculum, so I've been catching up. I had no idea they "reformed" so many aspects of civci life, including the calendar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_Calendar

"They" being the revolutionaries, not the members of this cult.

Re: The Cult of Reason

#10

Post by yjftsjthsd-h » Sat, Sep 15, 2018, 2:57 PM UTC

enqk wrote: post #8

NikolaeVarius wrote: post #4

It is interesting in the footnotes that it indicates the name originally doens't have the negative connotations it seems to have in english ``` The word "cult" in French means "a form of worship", without any of its negative or exclusivist implications in English; its proponents intended it to be a universal congregation. ```

"Culte" is neutral and "Secte" is the negative word.

Which is funny, because at least in my experience "cult" that's pretty strong negative connotations, but "sect" has either very weak negative connotations or is outright neutral.