My one disagreement with Sam Harris...

I just posted this in response to a Sam Harris comment. I do have one disagreement with him even though I agree with him 99 percent of the time...

Philip Shropshire

Well, generally, you're right about 99 percent of everything which is a pretty good track record percentage wise. My only disagreement with you about the evils of fundamentalism is its origins. Every fascist anti-progress True Believer thought process begins with poverty. For example, while I don't think crashing planes is a good way to solve your problems (Osama should have just started a multinational in good standing with the republicrats and he could have killed, frankly, an unlimited number of Americans. See Massey, BP, carbon and fracking polluters, etc.) I thought its origins was primarily economic not theocratic.

Irrational thought systems need irrational systems of poverty and misery to grow and thrive. The poor usually don't have, and they certainly aren't taught, the critical thinking skills you need to counteract religious and superstitious nonsense.

Really, the first goal of anyone who wants to rid the world of dangerous delusional thinking is to rid the world of world poverty. Remember: the fundamentalism abroad, and you can take your pick of Iran, Iraq and various other countries, usually starts with an American government taking out a democratically elected leader and putting in some Shah or other thug....Ayatollahs need Shahs. Tea parties need high unemployment and joblessness...

Just a thought....