Untenable Ideas

Untenable ideas. This is the subject that kept popping up this evening whenever I considered for a moment what I to write about. Before I begin thinking this one through, let's crack open the dictionary and make sure I'm using the word "untenable" correctly. "Tenable" is defined as "capable of being held or defended". So good, I'm not pulling the word out of my ass...

I'm interested in the untenable ideas that are incapable of being held by a particular person; not because of any real logical or cognitive defect on the part of either the idea or the person; but because the idea so greatly threatens to dismantle the individuals perception of reality, including his perception of who he is, who others are, the nature of relationships, and the nature of the universe. When core perceptions are stripped away and nothing is quickly built up in its place; insanity or emotional crisis is likely to ensue...

So what are some examples of ideas that many people find untenable? Here are two classics: First, that there is no life after death. We're all familiar with how even the fleeting notion can wrench at our hearts, especially if someone close to us has recently died. For most people on this planet, the idea that someone they loved no longer exists is so emotionally traumatic that they choose to kill off the idea of death and embrace beliefs in immortality, heaven, and god.

A second example is somewhat related. It's the proposition that we are primates who have evolved from more ape-like ancestors. Its interesting to note that while this idea is still considered offensive and absurd by perhaps billions of people, the notion doesn't produce the same amount of outrage it did when it was first introduced to the world.

So why is it that I don't feel compelled to create my own reality, or deny these supposedly dehumanizing notions of mortality and natural selection while others do? You might say its because I have a passion for truth and an adversion to fiction. These positive and negative passions cause me to shift value to ideas that best describe an objective reality. The flip side is that perhaps I undervalue both fiction and the feelings associated with those fictions. When I feel, I'd like the emotion to spring from freedom and truth. I perceive belief in something that is not true as a tryannical force. Ficticious belief is something that not only falsely asserts its authority over actual truth (thus, over your ability to make wise choices) but also pulls your emotional strings-not in the way you might choose, but in a way that it (not you) is designed to. This invasion of the self, of individual autonomy, is the grossest offense.

I wanted to explore ideas that I, or atheists like myself, might still find untenable. Are there any? I'll have to return to the subject later. It's time for bed. Night...