Lemme get this straight: Because I can't prove that there's nobody stalking me with a sniper rifle (details)?

Question

Let me get this straight: Because I can't prove that there's nobody stalking me with a sniper rifle, that's reason enough to wear a Kevlar jacket and helmet everywhere I go?

THAT'S the way to decide what you're going to believe -- on the basis of unfounded paranoid fantasy?

Wups, almost forgot to hat-tip the Non-Prophets Radio Show. Thanks guys! you're an inspiration.

@ battleship potemkin AM: You're close. I'm fed up with the Wager, yes, but even more fed up with the presumption that the Wager is actually reasonable.

Answer 1

Don't forget to line the helmet with tinfoil, so the snipers can't read your thoughts...

Answer 2

all weapons shoot straight for the length of the barrel before they begin an angled trajectory then gravity forces the round back down to your target. MW2 is fake and gay, even if you are 5 feet away with an M82 you can't hit your target unless you fire your whole magazine and hope at least one of those rounds hit the other guy\ Edit: Like majgross said, it is a glitch, you do use the scope for "no scope" but you never hold the Left Trigger (Xbox 360) you push it, fire, and let go. All this does is give you a targeting reticule so the game programming knows to make the round shoot straight. This is why it doesn't work when you don't press the Left Trigger and rounds hit all over the place. Something they should have fixed years ago

Answer 3

This is indeed a good response to Pascal's Wager. For people unfamiliar with the infamous wager, Pascal basically argued that if God existed, and you believe in him then you go to go to heaven, if God does not exist and you believe in him, you lose nothing.

Of course, this argument is fallacious to me because the Xian god doesn't just require you to believe in him, he requires you to submit wholly your soul to him, dump all other gods and spirituality, and change many ways in which you live in order to worship him. A bit sycophantic, if you ask me.

I think a more apt allusion would be "Although I can't prove there are people stalking me, my parents told me since I was very young that I have to believe there are people stalking me with sniper rifles. So now, I feel as though I must wear a Kevlar jacket, even though I have never seen, and there is no proof of these snipers in the physical world."

Or if you prefer

"My friends/family/peers tell me to there are snipers hiding outside our town. No one's ever seen one, but we all wear Kevlar because well, what's the loss?"

Answer 4

Sounds perfectly logical. Is it a kevlar helmet? You might want to put tinfoil on the inside to protect yourself from illuminati thought-rays, or switch to an older model that's made of metal. Mine's connected with a wire to a copper mesh coverall (also protects from lightning).

Only problem is that I really can't move that much any more... but I feel pretty secure.

Answer 5

I would want to know WHY you might think there could be someone stalking you with a sniper rifle. Really, that just doesn't pop out of nowhere, does it?

Now, if someone TOLD you there was someone stalking you with a sniper rifle, and you could find credible evidence of that claim, then by all means, armor up!

If you find out that the original claim came from a manic-depressive person, who was subject to psychotic episodes, then that would really damage the claim. Proceed to the beach with your beer and sandwiches, and don't forget the sunscreen. No worries.

If you find out that the claim (sniper attack) comes from your CIA buddy, and the sniper is your pissed-off ex, then go into hiding!

It's all in the examination of the evidence.

Answer 6

if you truly believe that you have a stalker with a sniper rifle, then clearly a kevlar jacket will help you sleep at night.

just too bad if the fact of the matter is that your uncle is lacing your bedtime cocoa with strychnine.

but then faith and observation don't mix.

Answer 7

Not if it's one of those high powered sniper rifles that can go right through tanks. If so, you need to stay in a bunker 24/7.

Answer 8

You mean I'm the only one who walks around with a kevlar jacket and helmet?

Answer 9

THAT was a beautiful metaphor for Pascal's Wager.

If I was younger without CRAFT disease I'd remember to bring this one up every time one of those funny (peculiar not ha ha) fundies brought up a variant of Pascal's thingy.

Answer 10

Are you answering Pascal's Wager?

I'm guessing this is a knee-jerk reaction to all those PW posts?