A Non-Violent Solution?

[Abracadabra]

Reality - a bit more complicated than "God did it".

That's an interesting poster that actually flies in the face of the views of many physicists, especially string theorists.

I just watched a documentary about a Garrett Lisi who is working on string theory and multiple dimensions. He's proposing a very 'simple' mathematical model based on lie groups of intertwined circles.

His argument for atheism is precisely the opposite of what the poster you displayed is suggesting. He claims that everything can potentially be reduced to a single geometrical object defined mathematically by a particular lie group.

His argument against a "God" is that the universe probably came into being from a very simple thing, so why proposed an extremely complex omniscient "God" when all you need is this simple elegant mathematical lie group based on nothing more than interlocking circles.



So actually, the argument that the universe is far to complex to be explained by "God did it" is precisely the opposite argument that a String Theorist like Garrett Lisi would give against the concept of a "God"

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However, in both of these cases the term "God" is most likely being used to convey an idea of a designer God like the God of Abraham or Zeus in the Mediterranean mythologies.

Actually the type of spiritual essence that I'm considering could itself be extremely simple. At least as simple as Garretts Lie Groups.

By the way, those Lie Groups may seem 'simple' because they can be expressed elegantly using mathematical formalism and notation. But in truth, his Lie Group composes of over 250 interlocking circles that give rise to very specific Calabi-Yau cavities. Hardly a 'simple object'. Elegant, perhaps, but to call it 'simple' is a matter of personal opinion. No human mind can actually visualize intuitively what such a multidimensional objects could even be like.

That very object itself could be the "mind of God". It certainly has structure and the extreme flexibility to potentially explain everything we see around us including our very own brains!

Certainly not a trivial object to be sure.

Of course, Garrett Lisi's Lie Groups are just a 'theory' thus far and he hasn't been able to successfully meld together gravity and Quantum Mechanics yet either. So his 'theory' is still in the speculation stages.

But still, I think it shows the contrast between these arguments:

Is the universe 'so complex' that it needs to be more than just 'God did it'.

Or is it 'so simple' that there's no need for a 'complex God' as Lisi suggests?

These two positions themselves seem to fly in the face of each other.

Too complicated? Or too simple?

And what would constitute a universe that's "Just right" to warrant a "Goldilocks God explanation"?

Personally I intuitively favor Lisi's view that the universe is extremely simple at it's core. And I also hold the view that spirit is most likely also equally elegant.

So I have no problem accepting Lisi's view of an elegantly simple universe, and my view of an elegantly simple spirituality simultaneously without conflict.

These two concepts do not need to be in conflict with one another as far as I'm concerned.

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I have always liked this:

By the way, my views on spirituality have absolutely nothing at all do to with the creationist's ideas of "intelligent design".

I'm not suggesting that the universe necessarily needed a 'designer' all. And certainly not in the sense of a pre-thought-out design.

In fact, if the universe was designed in that way, then the designer would have been a complete idiot, IMHO.

So my views on spirituality have absolutely nothing at all to do with any concept of "intelligent design", or anything like that.

These are arguments that should be made against Christian Creationists.

They have nothing at all to do with my view of spirituality.

But then again I guess it is naive of me to expect people to have a truly deep understanding of the potentiality of Eastern Mystical philosophies. Those philosophies themselves are quite varied and abstract.

So I guess it's unrealistic for me to think that I could even converse with atheists on spiritual ideas that are much different from the lame mythologies of the Middle East.

Everyone seems to be so totally focused on those philosophies that they can't move beyond them. And of course, it makes sense that they would be because of all the nasty shit that comes out of Christian proselytizing and the bigotry and hatred held up in the name of Jesus as "The Christ". Along with all the suicide bombings inspired by the same fundamental religion in Islam.

People just want to get ride of religion altogether. Toss the baby out with the bath water. Who care. The Abraham religions are so despicable they'd turned everyone off to any possible idea of spirituality.

Apparently that's the true state of affairs in the world today.

Just get rid of the hateful jealous-God religions and don't ever mention "spirituality" again!

That seems to be the mindset anymore.