RE: Non-religious Theism
April 21, 2014 at 7:48 pm
(This post was last modified: April 21, 2014 at 8:12 pm by Metalogos.)
When we ask questions about the world around us and attempt to answer them, most times we are limited by our knowledge of the workings of things and their true nature. We conjecture, we create hypotheses, and in the modern way of thinking, we try to test our hypotheses using the scientific method. When asking questions about the origin of the universe, all is conjecture and hypothesis. There is no certainty. Please do not misunderstand me, fellow thinker, for I love sophia as much as you. And it is just because I do that I am not content to leave untouched a fundamental question that all thinkers, past and present, eventually come to: From whence came the world and the stars and all that about me swirls? Yes, silence is indeed a good place to start from and return to when the mind seeks such lofty heights. And yes, I will certainly never know the ultimate truth but that does not stop me from endeavor ing in the most noble action that our kind has the possibility of engaging in, namely thinking and contemplating about our own existence. Thank you for engaging me in this excellent pursuit.
By the way, the questions, "What is the origin of the universe?" and "How was the universe made?" are not the same. I think the question under discussion is the former. If you, dear DBP, wish to discuss the How question, then we will most certainly come to very similar answers as I don't take you for a special creationist type. Indeed then, attempting to answer a How question with an answer that a particular agent is responsible is not adequate. The questioner wants methods, procedures, discriptions of chains of causes and effects. Clearly, this is not a "whodunit" type of question. On the other hand, when asking, "From whence came the universe?" or "What is its origin?" an answer that posits a creator being is not out of line. It may prove eventually to be true or false but it does fit the nature of the question. Okay?
By the way, the questions, "What is the origin of the universe?" and "How was the universe made?" are not the same. I think the question under discussion is the former. If you, dear DBP, wish to discuss the How question, then we will most certainly come to very similar answers as I don't take you for a special creationist type. Indeed then, attempting to answer a How question with an answer that a particular agent is responsible is not adequate. The questioner wants methods, procedures, discriptions of chains of causes and effects. Clearly, this is not a "whodunit" type of question. On the other hand, when asking, "From whence came the universe?" or "What is its origin?" an answer that posits a creator being is not out of line. It may prove eventually to be true or false but it does fit the nature of the question. Okay?
