Zone1 "The more I look at the Universe, the less convinced I am that there is something benevolent going on."

[Procrustes Stretched]

How long do we got before we're toast?

I don't know and in reality I don't much care. I will not be around. Contemplating the end of the world or humanity has never been my bag.

 

[MarcATL]

I don't know and in reality I don't much care. I will not be around. Contemplating the end of the world or humanity has never been my bag.

Well, according to DeGrasse's logic, we ought to be somewhere in the spectrum.

I'm just curious to know where are we in the grand scheme of things, near the beginning, somewhere in the middle, or near the end?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Well, according to DeGrasse's logic, we ought to be somewhere in the spectrum.

I'm just curious to know where are we in the grand scheme of things, near the beginning, somewhere in the middle, or near the end?

I'm sure he's discussed that before. I remember really liking (and agreeing) with some ideas he's had. Like the idea that we ought to be preparing how to save the Earth rather than preparing to leave the planet and go start over.

and in conversation Neil addressed what you ponder:



in conversation 1:15

 

[Mashmont]

"There was a philosopher commenting on Miracles (and I'm going to mangle the quote) but he said something like - Miracles are so unlikely, bordering on Impossible, that if you do encounter something that you cannot explain, not only from your own base of knowledge, but is unexplainable given any base of knowledge yet acquired on Earth, it's more likely that you simply discovered a new law of physics, than that there is a Divine miracle that was performed in front of you."

asked: Do you believe in God, Creator?

"The more I look at the Universe, the less convinced I am that there is something benevolent going on."

"If your concept of a Creator is someone who's all powerful and all good, that's not an uncommon pairing of powers that you might describe to a Creator, all powerful and all good and I look at disasters that afflict Earth and life on Earth; volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease, pestilence, congenital birth defects -- you look at this list of ways that life is made miserable on Earth by natural causes, and I just ask - how do you deal with that."

"So philosophers rose up and said, if there is a God God is either not all powerful or not all good."

"I have no problems if as we probe the origins of things we bump up into the bearded man, if that shows up we're good to go okay not a problem there's just no evidence of it, and this is why religions are called faiths collectively, because you believe something in the absence of evidence. That's what it is that's why it's called Faith otherwise we would call all religions evidence, but we don't for exactly that reason, so I I'm I'm given what everyone describes to be the properties that would be expressed by an all powerful being in the gods that they worship I look for that in the universe and I don't find it."




I'm not sure how somebody could attack what Neil is saying here. I can see people of faith disagreeing, using arguments based on beliefs, on individual faith vs science. But I can't see them arguing against what he is saying.

People like are not a threat to people who desire faith over science. I know, because he or people like him have never changed my mind or convinced me that I am in error. They just serve up an informed and coherent set of arguments that speak to what I've come to know.

Christianity is 100% compatible with science. It has never been shown otherwise. It's just that we don't have to brainpower to comprehend all of science or all of Christianity.

 

[Mashmont]

"There was a philosopher commenting on Miracles (and I'm going to mangle the quote) but he said something like - Miracles are so unlikely, bordering on Impossible, that if you do encounter something that you cannot explain, not only from your own base of knowledge, but is unexplainable given any base of knowledge yet acquired on Earth, it's more likely that you simply discovered a new law of physics, than that there is a Divine miracle that was performed in front of you."

asked: Do you believe in God, Creator?

"The more I look at the Universe, the less convinced I am that there is something benevolent going on."

"If your concept of a Creator is someone who's all powerful and all good, that's not an uncommon pairing of powers that you might describe to a Creator, all powerful and all good and I look at disasters that afflict Earth and life on Earth; volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease, pestilence, congenital birth defects -- you look at this list of ways that life is made miserable on Earth by natural causes, and I just ask - how do you deal with that."

"So philosophers rose up and said, if there is a God God is either not all powerful or not all good."

"I have no problems if as we probe the origins of things we bump up into the bearded man, if that shows up we're good to go okay not a problem there's just no evidence of it, and this is why religions are called faiths collectively, because you believe something in the absence of evidence. That's what it is that's why it's called Faith otherwise we would call all religions evidence, but we don't for exactly that reason, so I I'm I'm given what everyone describes to be the properties that would be expressed by an all powerful being in the gods that they worship I look for that in the universe and I don't find it."




I'm not sure how somebody could attack what Neil is saying here. I can see people of faith disagreeing, using arguments based on beliefs, on individual faith vs science. But I can't see them arguing against what he is saying.

People like are not a threat to people who desire faith over science. I know, because he or people like him have never changed my mind or convinced me that I am in error. They just serve up an informed and coherent set of arguments that speak to what I've come to know.

There is one thing I can tell you for certain is the right way to conduct oneself: Treating people as well as possible.

Christian promotes that. Atheism doesn't. That's the best indicator there is.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Christianity is 100% compatible with science. It has never been shown otherwise. It's just that we don't have to brainpower to comprehend all of science or all of Christianity.

There is one thing I can tell you for certain is the right way to conduct oneself: Treating people as well as possible.

Christian promotes that. Atheism doesn't. That's the best indicator there is.

next

I say "next" because you want a debate or something on Christianity. Not interested.

 

[Meriweather]

What is the purpose of a rock, of disease?

Perhaps a better question is to ask, "What is my purpose?" Instead of looking at the universe, look first at one's own life. Is something benevolent happening there?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

Perhaps a better question is to ask, "What is my purpose?" Instead of looking at the universe, look first at one's own life. Is something benevolent happening there?

Purpose? What is the purpose of a rock? What is it's meaning?


Long ago (when facing death) I came to a conclusion that absolutely freed my mind -- Life has no real purpose, no meaning. I learned that experiences in life can give meaning to one's own life. I've long known I could always choose a purpose.

If we as a species; are made up of the same stuff as starts are -- are meant to replicate -- are more similar to other animals than not?

Interesting intellectual crap to help the brain.

 

[Meriweather]

Long ago (when facing death) I came to a conclusion that absolutely freed my mind -- Life has no real purpose, no meaning. I learned that experiences in life can give meaning to one's own life. I've long known I could always choose a purpose.

I, too, had an event where I faced death. It was astonishing, and I wanted to go forward, not back....

Seriously, I was mystified as to why it was not to be. I was of no real importance, my life was average, of no real importance, so of all the deaths that were to occur that day, why not me? I guessed I was meant to be the ancestor of someone important. I was told that wasn't it, it wasn't about someone else, it was about me. I am still mystified.

Life has no real purpose? Each individual is life's purpose. You, not life, are the purpose--and the meaning. Does a purpose go around seeking other purposes? (Maybe, I've never thought of that until now.) Life presents us with tasks. Select one that needs to be done and do it. I laugh at myself at this one, because if I see a struggling worm on a hot sidewalk, I rescue it. I'm guessing life's purpose for me is in the minutia. I'm okay with that.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

I, too, had an event where I faced death. It was astonishing, and I wanted to go forward, not back....

Seriously, I was mystified as to why it was not to be. I was of no real importance, my life was average, of no real importance, so of all the deaths that were to occur that day, why not me? I guessed I was meant to be the ancestor of someone important. I was told that wasn't it, it wasn't about someone else, it was about me. I am still mystified.

Life has no real purpose? Each individual is life's purpose. You, not life, are the purpose--and the meaning. Does a purpose go around seeking other purposes? (Maybe, I've never thought of that until now.) Life presents us with tasks. Select one that needs to be done and do it. I laugh at myself at this one, because if I see a struggling worm on a hot sidewalk, I rescue it. I'm guessing life's purpose for me is in the minutia. I'm okay with that.

Who are you again? Well thought out.

Life having a purpose? I said it in other words -- to replicate.

"Does a purpose go around seeking other purposes?" It would seem so if we only look at what we know -- the human species having developed a brain that seeks to understand -- life.

The munitia? "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" I believe most people misunderstand that quote. Either that or I add to it with caveats. Without the parts, the whole does not get to exist.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

​

“What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?​

"The most astounding fact is the knowledge that the atoms that comprise life on Earth. The atoms that make up the human body are traceable to the crucibles that cooked light elements into heavy elements in their core under extreme temperatures and pressures. These stars, the high mass ones among them went unstable in their later years. They collapsed and then exploded, scattering their enriched guts across the galaxy. Guts made of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and all the fundamental ingredients of life itself. These ingredients become part of gas clouds that condense, collapse, form the next generation of solar systems. Stars with orbiting planets, and those planets now have the ingredients for life itself. So that when I look up at the night sky and I know that yes, we are part of this universe, we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up – many people feel small because they’re small and the Universe is big – but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity. That’s really what you want in life, you want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant you want to feel like you’re a participant in the goings on of activities and events around you. That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive…”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson