# Why do we have to take irrational questions seriously in GQ? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 21, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992 "2010-12-21T19:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/21 "2010-12-21T20:20:48Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > And I kinda still sympathize even if it is in IMHO. If it is my opinion that ghosts don’t exist, I should be able to share that in the opinion thread. I wouldn’t see a problem with expressing that opinion in IMHO. However, it wouldn’t be appropriate to try to turn the thread into a knock-down drag-out debate, for which it would be better to open a thread in GD. Under some circumstances, questions with counterfactual premises might be permitted in GQ. For example, if the question had been, “According to folklore, what are effective ways of getting rid of ghosts?,” then it could have been allowed. In such a discussion, the assertion that ghosts do not exist is irrelevant. I think this was the kind of discussion that **tomndebb** was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/22 "2010-12-21T20:21:49Z")
I propose a new forum dedicated solely to debating whether or not **Diogenes’** opinions are facts. It will be the busiest forum on the board. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/23 "2010-12-21T20:22:04Z")
Another option–just skip threads where you are unable to reply within the applicable rules. I have never seen a thread on this board that absolutely required an answer from any particular poster. I ignore legal threads all the time…usually the ones where some dipshit starts the thread bitching about lawyers, then wants legal advice. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/24 "2010-12-21T20:38:59Z")
May I ask what forum that thread was originally posted in? Because I’m not sure exactly what kind of responses its OP was looking for, but the forum it was posted to would provide a major clue. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/25 "2010-12-21T20:42:19Z")
It was originally posted in General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/26 "2010-12-21T20:45:12Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > May I ask what forum that thread was originally posted in? > > Because I’m not sure exactly what kind of responses its OP was looking for, but the forum it was posted to would provide a major clue. It was originally in Great Debates, which was clearly the wrong forum. It seems to me that the question was tongue-in-cheek, and the poster was not really looking for any real factual answers either. It could have gone in either IMHO or MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/27 "2010-12-21T20:46:12Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > It was originally posted in General Questions. No, **tom** moved it from GD to GQ. I saw a report, and moved it to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/28 "2010-12-21T20:47:06Z")
Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/29 "2010-12-21T21:48:37Z")
Well, I will say I don’t beleive in “ghosts” as they are generally shown. But that’s not to say a house can’t have a bad feel about it, that it can’t feel “haunted” even if you are a skeptic. Hell, I was a contributing member of CSICOP for years. But still, just a while ago, I went househunting and all three of us said this one house had “bad vibes”. It was likely due to the fact it was gloomy, but many rational dudes accept “feng shui” as a real thing. Are we going to say Feng Shui is irrational? How about Accupuncture? Meditation? So, even if we are 100% rational, a house could feel wrong somehow, and maybe a person would feel better having a priest “bless” it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/30 "2010-12-21T21:50:38Z")
**Diogenes** , why not simply ignore the thread if it vexes you? As I have observed before, I am not bothered by football, basketball, or Mafia threads, though I find all of those boring. Well, the first two. I’m not sure what the third is. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/31 "2010-12-21T21:57:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > So, even if we are 100% rational, a house could feel wrong somehow, and maybe a person would feel better having a priest “bless” it. Better not do that in this economy! A family I knew had a haunted house recently. They had a priest come in and chase out all those ghost with some kinda ritual. Afterwards the priest asked for a “donation”. Being nearly broke they couldnt give him any money. So, the priest had the house reposessed. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/32 "2010-12-21T22:40:24Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > 1. I do not “believe in” ghosts, or even have serious suspicions that ghosts might exist. > > 2. That said, your opinions are still not facts. Even when they’re quite reasonable opinions to hold. Would I be expressing a fact or an opinion if I said there were no such thing as smurfs? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/33 "2010-12-21T22:43:40Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > **Diogenes** , why not simply ignore the thread if it vexes you? The thread didn’t vex me. The prohibition on giving the only possible factual answer vexed me. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/34 "2010-12-21T22:45:16Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Would I be expressing a fact or an opinion if I said there were no such thing as smurfs? Why do you feel the need to get involved at all? Diogenes, people come to the board to _play_ as much as anything else. Is there a reason you can’t be playful? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/35 "2010-12-21T22:45:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Are we going to say Feng Shui is irrational? How about Accupuncture? Meditation? The first two things are irrational, but meditation isn’t. It’s just a cognitive technique. It involves no extraordinary claims or beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/36 "2010-12-21T22:46:17Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Would I be expressing a fact or an opinion if I said there were no such thing as smurfs? Indeed there _are_ smurfs, in fact I am in the middle of investigating a smurfing ring as we speak. A “smurf” in money-lauding lingo is a low level dude hired on a transactional basis to split up and wire/send funds in amounts less than the reporting amount. Thus, if you needed to wire $50K of drug $$, you might hire 10 “smurfs” to each wire $5000. Thus, you’d be wrong, either way. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/37 "2010-12-21T22:53:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Why do you feel the need to get involved at all? Because I’m here to fight ignorance, not humor it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/38 "2010-12-21T22:55:15Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What’s wrong with that? If someone asks a a question which presumes the literal history of Noah’s Ark, why should it ever be inappropriate to reject that premise? _Let’s presume the literal history of Noah’s Ark. How much water would it take to cover the entire earth 22’ deep in water, and how long would it take assuming a “normal” type of rainfall?_ I can easily see someone asking this and other similar questions. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/39 "2010-12-21T22:58:33Z")
No, I’m not talking about stipulating something hypothetically. It would be more like asking what mountain the Ark is most likely to be resting on. The question is dependent on a false assumption. Another example would be someone asking exactly how the WTC was demolished by Bush. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992/40 "2010-12-21T23:08:14Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > your opinions are still not facts [nitpick] Whether or not something is a fact is independent of folks’ views on it. Whether or not I have an ancient Roman coin in my pocket is a fact or it’s not a fact, even if you have no possible way of knowing. And that’s independent of whether or not someone is certain that I have or do not have an ancient Roman coin in my pocket.[/nitpick] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-to-take-irrational-questions-seriously-in-gq/564992.md?page=3)