tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post1602040363402175025..comments2024-03-19T07:10:27.303-07:00Comments on Quark Soup by David Appell: Is Atheism Consistent With Science?David Appellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03318269033139447591noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-10011824559092172162019-03-30T14:12:24.527-07:002019-03-30T14:12:24.527-07:00I do not personally hold such beliefs. I am also a...I do not personally hold such beliefs. I am also a serious musician as well as a scientist, and singing in the chorus for the Brahms “German Requiem” was one of the most profound experiences I have ever had. As was the Britten “War Requiem”. As was the Faure Requiem. As was the Verdi Requiem. While these pieces deal with death, I think of them as primarily as antidotes to religion, in that these achieve a spirituality that has nothing to do whatsoever with any organized religion or dogma - although the text might (as in the Verdi or the Faure).<br /><br />The Templeton foundation is, IMO, pursuing a chimera. <br /><br />I was sent to a Jesuit high school and a Jesuit college, and not a single one of my religion teachers or professors would have supported the notion that science has anything to say about religion, any more than science has something to say about truth or beauty (at least not in the QCD sense).<br /><br />I would also argue that a scientific proof of the existence of a supreme being is not possible, since it would supplant faith with reason. Without faith, religion is a hollow shell, isn’t it?OnymousGuyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09132474758071908026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-46356655657509422182019-03-30T04:37:57.415-07:002019-03-30T04:37:57.415-07:00David, another flaw it that it assumes you can jus...David, another flaw it that it assumes you can just choose to believe. If I start out thinking the existence of the Christian God is preposterous, how do I go from there to genuine, sincere belief in God just because it would be advantageous for me in the unlikely case that he exist? I can pretend, of course, go to church, say my prayers, but God can see into my soul and won't be deceived.Thomas Pnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-53785638655352133182019-03-28T22:36:39.301-07:002019-03-28T22:36:39.301-07:00I was a teenager when I recognized a flaw in Pasca...I was a teenager when I recognized a flaw in Pascal's Wager. What religion are you supposed to believe in? If God exists, but you have belief in the wrong religion, you still get -∞.<br /><br />Religions are not equally compatible with science. A related question is, Which religions are more conducive or less conducive to doing good science? A look at Nobel Prizes in science per population might be one way to get an indication.<br /><br />CheersDavid in Calhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09068188536758619565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-70273168684941823012019-03-27T15:00:20.522-07:002019-03-27T15:00:20.522-07:00Thanks DavidinCal, I'll definitely get a copy ...Thanks DavidinCal, I'll definitely get a copy of that book.David Appellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03318269033139447591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-44478679661134388232019-03-27T12:15:39.360-07:002019-03-27T12:15:39.360-07:00I don't see anyone discussing the difference b...I don't see anyone discussing the difference between possibility and probability.<br /><br /> A thousand legged purple pachyderm is possible, but not probable.<br /><br />Similarly a God is possible, but in a universe governed by natural law she is not probable.<br /><br />If anyone asks me if there is a God I say "Probably not".<br /><br />If pressed to express a belief in God I say I'm a Pastafarian.<br /><br />https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster<br />Entropic manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08924031505275303068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-9406901148348091552019-03-27T11:25:45.124-07:002019-03-27T11:25:45.124-07:00David -- I recommend "Sapiens".
https://...David -- I recommend "Sapiens".<br />https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sapiens&qid=1553710865&s=gateway&sr=8-1 <br /><br />Harari argues that a common belief in things that don't really exist is a strength of Homo Sapiens. It allows large numbers of us to work cooperatively. From Harari's POV, some examples of this sort of belief are religion, money, countries, and corporations.David in Calhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09068188536758619565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-30492783721882905872019-03-27T10:28:47.551-07:002019-03-27T10:28:47.551-07:00Allow me to throw Gleiser's statement right ba...Allow me to throw Gleiser's statement right back at him: agnosticism essentially states that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. That is, agnosticism essentially puts the question about the existence of God/divine/supernatural outside of the realm of science, which is just as much unscientific as he claims atheism is. Or, said in a different way, Gleiser's own view means that atheism cannot be unscientific, because it is an answer to a question agnosticism itself considers not scientifically accessible.Marconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-48988268298813006672019-03-27T10:07:02.011-07:002019-03-27T10:07:02.011-07:00"what is atheism? It’s a statement, a categor..."what is atheism? It’s a statement, a categorical statement that expresses belief in nonbelief."<br /><br />This is a straw man argument, an intentionally weakened definition of atheism to make it appear that there is only "belief" in nonbelief. Modern day atheism consists of a variety of logical and scientific arguments against the god of the monotheistic religions. How does one reconcile a moral, but hidden god from those who are honestly searching for evidence of her existence? What is there so much gratuitous suffering in the world and how does that reconcile with an all knowing, all powerful and ever present god? <br /><br />But I think modern physics itself provides a stronger basis for atheism. In response to the old question of why there is something rather than nothing, we now know that the total energy in the universe is zero so that negative gravitational energy cancels out the positive energy represented by matter. We also know that in the beginning the universe was in a state of maximal entropy and that it is the expansion of the universe, therefore increasing the maximal entropy, that allows order to form out of the chaos. Finally we know that the laws of the universe can be explained by the concept that there is no special reference frame in the universe --- no unique point in time leads to conservation of energy, no unique point in space leads to conservation of momentum.JoeThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13731366159156041863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28837843.post-48677568509217767222019-03-27T07:36:11.857-07:002019-03-27T07:36:11.857-07:00Polka-dotted pachyderms?
ahem...
But yeah. Jok...<i>Polka-dotted pachyderms? </i><br /><br /><a href="https://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae160/pedoral/IMG_0716.jpg" rel="nofollow">ahem...</a><br /><br />But yeah. Joking aside. Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.Layzejhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11346550512734519728noreply@blogger.com