Quote:
|
Originally Posted by willravel
Simple to explain? Yes, god is simple to explain to a child who doesn't ask why until they get the whole picture. And if they do, you can just give them the "we weren't meant to understand" line. That line is why the god character is so complex. What would it take to create a universe, to create physics and biology? The answer must be more complex than what it resulted in. That's what I mean by complex.
|
That's a circular definition of complexity. Why must the answer be more complex than what it resulted in? God, at the very least, has always been a useful approximation for the things that lie beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.
It doesn't have to be a matter of "we weren't meant to understand." It can also be a matter of, "It doesn't really matter either way, so believe whatever you want; as long as you trust yourself and keep an open mind you will be miles ahead of anyone who can only rigidly adhere to their own dogmatic perspective."
Quote:
|
That's intellectual suicide.
|
Not in any kind of meaningful way. Some of the greatest intellectuals in history were theists, many of them better scientists than you or i or dawkins. Many theists spend an inordinate amount of time refining their theological perspectives; theism can be a very intense intellectual activity.
Don't get me wrong. It is important to be able to understand and utilize a systematic way of evaluating the information provided by the world around you; this is science. It is also important to be able to make sense of things that can't be evaluated in the context of the scientific method. This is where science breaks down. I think that if there is any place where god could fit in, it would be here.