Eva: I very much agree with what you've written. In any generation,
knowledge can only extend so far. Beyond that there is uncertainty and
speculation and, yes, the invention of gods. Religion is a way of
organizing uncertainty, and it can vary from the loony to the profound.
Keep up the good fight.
Ed Weick
Eva Durant:
Guess what, science was also done by h u m a n s
and at least as long ago as god.
The human brain evolved to make patterns,
to generalise, to abstract, to imagine, etc,
as planning/picturing for the future proved to be an asset.
When there was not enough data, god and
superstition filled the gaps.
When science,
education and openness retreat, when there is uncertainty and
insecurity, not to mention unexplicable-seeming
poverty, god again returns in the guise of new-agism and
fundamentalism to fill the reoccuring gaps of ignorance.
In the US a large percent of scientists claim to be
religious. Scientists are exactly like other humans,
reflecting their physical and social environment,
and given the right conditions, doing the human-
defining act TOGETHER: changing both for the better, using the
communication, cooperation and imagination that also evolved exactly
for the execution of this very task.
We are not ****** common heard animals with some
higher evolved race of scientists, Jay, wake up from
this irrational nightmare of yours.
Yes there are lots of horror instances when we
behave like animals, when - by definition -
we l o s e our humanity.
It is not a normal state! And if you build a future environment
that expect people to behave like animals - they
will. I - and I hope most futureworkers - want a future
fit for humans.
And yes, we need a picture of this future
for our mental well-being, that doesn't mean it is an illusion,
it means a rational and practical plan to work towards a yes,
ideal and optimal human existence (and most of us
have a nonsurprisingly similar picture) - even when we know,
that we can only do an approximation - but that is far more
preferable than an insane, unplanned and inhuman present
that leads nowhere..
Eva
"... s mint rajta a rak,
egy szorny-allam iszonyata rag."
Jozsef, Attila
>.. No matter what the issue -- from
> democracy to nuclear power -- it works great when abstracted from the
> real world.
>
> People evolved to believe in illusions -- not to discover real world:
>
> "The human mind evolved to believe in gods... Acceptance of the
supernatural
> conveyed a great advantage throughout prehistory, when the brain was
> evolving. Thus it is in sharp contrast to [science] which was developed as
a
> product of the modern age and is not underwritten by genetic algorithms."
> The Biological Basis of Morality, E.O. Wilson
> http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98apr/bio2.htm
>
> The idea that the common herd animal can solve problems in complex
> systems, is the biggest illusion of all.
>
> Jay -- www.dieoff.com
>
>
>
>
>
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