mentalgymnast wrote: ↑Sun Jul 19, 2020 3:36 am
What are you referring to? What am I missing pray tell?
Regards,
MG
First, you should acknowledge you posted the sentiment first, suggesting that lack of God belief places limits on what a person is free to explore.
Suppose we were looking up at a comet flying overhead. And you tell me that because you believe in the supernatural that you are free to explore more alternative explanations for the comet than I might be who believes the comet is a physical object within the gravitational field of our sun with no supernatural powers associated. We might both agree it's otherworldliness and the vastness of space it's traveled over lengths of time unimaginable are cause for marvel and wonder. And it's fleeting appearance something to be appreciated.
You then tell me that you have studied ancient cultures and found comets were widely understood to be signs of bad times to come. And given the choice, you choose to accept this. You say you are open and accepting of the science behind comets and recognize they are composed of materials such as ice and space dust, and the tail is the result of solar activity. And then you spend great amounts of time seeking to use the nature of comets to explain why their traits lead to negative events occuring in Earth. Every thing you read about comets has this as it's underlying aim. When you think about possible experiments that could be conducted on comets you think the best ones would help further our understanding of why comets either predict or cause bad events to occur. When you read stories of ancient cultures and their cultural histories involving comets, you read them as literally describing comet-related portents and effects.
How is this greater freedom? It wouldn't be,even though you are exploring channels of thought I don't view as worthy of my time. No more than I would accept believing magic is real opens up more doors for exploring the universe. I mean, in a sense it does. But the cost is it prevents being able to open fruitful doors of real discovery. The opportunity costs, the moral calcification of belief that comes with accepting as fact views that originated out if ancient myths are limiting even if they leave one free to let their imagination roam inside of that sandbox.
To change directions slightly, I was and largely am unfamiliar with the idea the value of information could be measured by the degree it surprised it's audience that I picked up while reading your suggested sources. But taking it at face value, what do you think is likely to yield more surprising information? A view that the universe was made for humankind so one should expect it to align with the needs and wants of human beings? Or one in which human existence was not predetermined, and is transitory? To which the universe as a whole is indifferent? Read Cams or Philos posts about while imagining your existence is a happy accident, a fleeting moment of awareness, and gift discovery rather than a birthright and reason for the universe even existing. Then ask yourself what it is you are missing.
