The traditional history of Ireland that is found in Celtic mythology involves sequences of conquests of Ireland by giants, gods, and finally the human ancestors of the modern Irish. This extraordinary account of the history of Ireland was accepted as accurate throughout the Middle Ages! Needless to say, the story has no historical basis. And yet millions of Irish people once believed that their ancestors fought a war against the Tuatha De Danaan gods and drove them into the hills where they magically remained invisible.[Source]
How did this idea enter the collective Irish consciousness?
According to the Kuzari argument, there are only two possibilities: Either (1) it actually happened and individual Irishmen passed the story along father to son; or (2) At some point in history one person, or several people, presented this story to the Irish people (your ancestors fought a war against the gods) and they accepted it as truth.
According to the Kuzari argument, (2) is impossible.
Therefore, according to the Kuzari argument, the story of the Irishmen fighting gods is true.
For those joining the blog late in it's very long, quite august life, here is a brief outline of the Kuzari argument in bold, with the problems stated parenthetically:
1. The Jews kept mitzvos during the time of the Judges and Bayit Rishon. (No evidence)
2. The Jews would have only gone to the hardship of keeping those mitzvos if they believed the mitzvos were received from God via revelation. (No reason to think they viewed the mitzvos as a particular hardship; no evidence they actually kept the mitzvos)
3. The idea that the mitzvos were received from God via revelation was part of the collective consciousnesses during the time of the Judges and Bayit Rishon. (No evidence)
4 The idea could only have entered the collective consciousnesses if it was true or if it was introduced to the others by a specific person or persons at a specific time. (Not true. Popular stories form in many other ways.)
5. People don't accept stories about their ancestors that are presented by outsiders, because they will reply "If that happened to my ancestors, why didn't I ever hear about it from them?" (Irish History example shows that people DO accept stories about their ancestors as true, even when they aren't)
How did this idea enter the collective Irish consciousness?
According to the Kuzari argument, there are only two possibilities: Either (1) it actually happened and individual Irishmen passed the story along father to son; or (2) At some point in history one person, or several people, presented this story to the Irish people (your ancestors fought a war against the gods) and they accepted it as truth.
According to the Kuzari argument, (2) is impossible.
Therefore, according to the Kuzari argument, the story of the Irishmen fighting gods is true.
Um, what is the Kuzari argument?
For those joining the blog late in it's very long, quite august life, here is a brief outline of the Kuzari argument in bold, with the problems stated parenthetically:
1. The Jews kept mitzvos during the time of the Judges and Bayit Rishon. (No evidence)
2. The Jews would have only gone to the hardship of keeping those mitzvos if they believed the mitzvos were received from God via revelation. (No reason to think they viewed the mitzvos as a particular hardship; no evidence they actually kept the mitzvos)
3. The idea that the mitzvos were received from God via revelation was part of the collective consciousnesses during the time of the Judges and Bayit Rishon. (No evidence)
4 The idea could only have entered the collective consciousnesses if it was true or if it was introduced to the others by a specific person or persons at a specific time. (Not true. Popular stories form in many other ways.)
5. People don't accept stories about their ancestors that are presented by outsiders, because they will reply "If that happened to my ancestors, why didn't I ever hear about it from them?" (Irish History example shows that people DO accept stories about their ancestors as true, even when they aren't)
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