(December 3, 2011 at 8:34 am)lucent Wrote: I think Dawkins takes this to its logical conclusion:
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
A purely materialistic view of reality is also a purely determinalistic one. The arrangement of atoms at the beginning of Universe has already determined every thought you will ever have. Our consciousness being based on unconscious processes that precede it, and our rationality derived from irrational forces. The inevitable conclusion to this is nihilism, that there is no meaning to any of it, nor could there be.
Freedom of will is only ever something which could be given by God, and without God, no such thing exists. As dawkins says, no good, no evil, no meaning, no purpose. Humans in this view are just chemicals and clockwork, moving from point a to point b with no meaningful awareness. And the Universe as well..its ultimate destiny inevitable and irrevocable. In short, total futility.
Except of course, you are wrong.
I am curently thinking of a banana in a purple tutu.
Was this a god given thought, no.
Was this the inevitable result of random atoms interacting, pre ordained since the big bang, no.
What happened, you see, was that creatures evolved the ability to think for themselves which openned up a world of possibilities.
The trouble with a lot of theist thinking is that it is very black or white, it is either this or that, here is no room in their limited thinking for shades of grey.
It is really surprising how very simple thinks can get complex all by themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcuBvj0pw-E
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.
