On Dec 24, 2013, at 7:33 AM, "Edgar L. Owen" <edgaro...@att.net> wrote:
Quentin,
I clearly stated IF a God is desired THEN defining it is reality
itself is the only logical choice. I'm fine just calling it reality,
but lots of people (Roger e.g.) need a God.
And it is NOT "ill-defined" even though all of reality is not known.
The definition itself is tight, exact and meaningful. One doesn't
need to know everything about reality to define it meaningfully as
everything that exists. Thus defining God as Reality is well defined
and meaningful. It's the only rational choice IF you need a God.
Edgar,
I disagree. I think there are other consistent definitions for god
that are rational. They roughly correspond to the Brahman, Atman, and
Devas in Hinduism.
The first is mathematical truth, which in some theories is the
infinite, eternal, uncreated, base and reason for all that exists.
(much like Brahman).
The second is the one mind, or the universal soul of which all
consciousness is a part. This is an idea many scientists have come to
believe is true, including Freeman Dyson, Fred Hoyle, Erwin
Schrodinger, and Arnold Zuboff. It is analagous to the Atman.
Third, if reality is very big (as QM, cosmic inflation, string theory,
and arithmetical realism suggest), then there exist vast intelligences
with access to unlimited computational resouces. These god-like minds
cab explore reality through simulation, even explore others universes.
They might even, if they so choose, "save" other beings who die or
suffer in the universes they simulate, by "copying" them and creating
afterlives for them.
This bears a loose resemblence to the many devas (or demi gods)
supposed to exist in Hinduism. For example, Carl Sagan said in
Hinduism, that reality is the dream of a god, and that elsewhere there
are an infinite number of gods each "dreaming the great cosmic lotus
dream".
Jason
On Monday, December 23, 2013 1:48:40 PM UTC-5, Edgar L. Owen wrote:
All,
The question of whether God exists is meaningless without first
giving some definition of what is meant by God, of how God is
defined. Otherwise everyone is talking about different things and
nothing will go anywhere.
If you need a God there is only one possible rational definition and
that is to just define God as the universe itself. First there is
now absolute certainty that God does exist (all the interminable
meaningless arguments vanish), and second his attributes now become
the proper subject matter of science and reason rather than
ideology, faith or myth.
But most certainly the dogmas of all the organized religions are all
atavistic myths in the same category as Zeus and Odin which, like
them, should have been discarded millennia ago....
Edgar
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