RE: Meliorism - The rise of neo-atheism and the fall of reason
April 11, 2013 at 9:19 am
(This post was last modified: April 11, 2013 at 9:21 am by ManMachine.)
(April 11, 2013 at 8:11 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Being useful IS progress. If it allows us to do things "better" or "more efficiently" or "cheaply" it is progress, whether you like the progress or not.
To use a crass example, an atomic bomb is useful for killing large numbers of people, is this progress?
Even if we find a way to say this is progress, progress against what?
My point (and I made it in my OP) is that the notion of progress requires a teleological thought process and particurlarly in modern science, an explanation that relies on teleology must be avoided lest we invoke some kind of supreme being or force to give design and purpose to the universe.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
