The Pope's speech to the German Parliament

[fpb]

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/the_listening_heart
As ever, the man is worth listening to. But the responses in the comments thread just show how bloody useless it is to deliver intellectually distinguished and morally valuable speeches in a world where most people know no history but are stuffed full of out-of-context factoids and believe themselves entitled to judge.

Comments

[ihuitl.livejournal.com]

I act under the belief that there are things such as myself, and things outside myself, because I observe them and because it makes the most sense; it is self evident. This could all be some sort of delusion hoisted upon me by a Cartesian demon, but appeal to such is sophistry, and could easily be applied to any faith I have as well. We don't need belief without proof at all to presume the existence of the world. It may not be 100% certain, but there is enough certainty and likelihood through the intersubjectivity of human observation means it is probably the case. Faith has no influence upon my thinking or life, but that does not mean I confound it with trust, probability, or hope.

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As to the origin or rights, sure: I don't believe in the existence of natural rights like Platonic motes of essence imbued in our beings. However, the Constitution is the governing document of my country and we adhere to that as our shared guidelines, not the Declaration of Independence. I'm not about to believe something just because Jefferson thought it so. Although it is worth noting that many of the signatories of the Declaration also wrote scathing attacks on the Church, feeling their philosophy to be superior to the clergy's.