Mises and "New Atheism"

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That doesn't explain why people believe something when it has no benefits for them. Furthermore, smoking as well has benefits, although they may seem absurd to non-smokers (e.g. taste, enjoyment of the drug effects on the brain, fitting in with a social group/alleviating peer pressure as a youngster, a way to fulfill one's oral or manual fixations, etc.).


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NOPE!

Smoking creates all the problems that it fixes. It is only relaxing because it's a relief from the withdrawal pangs. It only seems to taste good because the smoker has acquired that taste, and learned to associate it with pleasure.

The reason all of this seems absurd to nonsmokers is that they haven't become addicted. Smokers are all under the illusion that they are enjoying something nonsmokers are missing out on.

Same thing with religion. I'm not missing out on anything really by being an atheist. I don't need heaven, because I don't fear hell. The christian conception of the atheist is that he gravitates towards the devil by rejecting god. We sidestep the whole question entirely by not believing in imaginary entities.