On 08/10/2008, at 3:39 PM, Jan Steinman wrote:
> And why would anyone who wrote a book named "The God Delusion" be
> someone's "religious guru?" Dawkins is a celebrated atheist.
I suspect that unlike the roll (sic) of Kodachrome, that comment
really was ironic.
>
>
> "God's Utility Function," Scientific American, November 1995, p. 85,
> in context:
> "The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond
> all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to
> compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive,
> many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others
> are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands
> of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be
> so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will
> automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural
> state of starvation and misery is restored.
>
> In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces
> and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other
> people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason
> in it, nor any justice. <quoting Darwin:> The universe that we observe
> has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom,
> no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless
> indifference."
Now that rather thoroughly deals with ideas like karma, I suspect.
More a recommendation for Stoicism.
Also reminded me of how well Darwin wrote.
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