RE: Nature's Laws
May 16, 2015 at 8:13 am
(This post was last modified: May 16, 2015 at 8:22 am by The Grand Nudger.)
(May 15, 2015 at 2:21 pm)Freedom4me Wrote: The universe is orderly and purposeful in certain ways. How could impersonal stuff like matter and energy "obey" laws of any kind? Where do the laws of nature and the laws of logic come from? If there is no god, why do so many atheists care so much about the non-existence of a supposedly fictional deity? Please don't take any offense to my words. I'm not trying to offend anyone here. I'm just asking a few questions that seem to be fair.
Sure, the universe is orderly, here and there - for a time..anyway......but I can;t find this "purposeful" business anywhere in the scientific literature? Citation, perhaps? How did we go about determining that it was purposeful?
Matter and energy doesn't actually "obey" any law - that's just a way for us to conceptualize and communicate the regularity of many relationships and effects we see present around us. Those natural laws are descriptive, not proscriptive. There are no laws floating around sorting things alphabetically and laying blocks flush a-la Tetris. Eh?
The laws of nature and the laws of logic come from human minds, attempting to reconcile what we see with a structure for organizing knowledge. Not so mysterious, in my estimation...you can find people all over the place. I'm getting the feeling that you think they come from a god - but so long as human beings are capable of thinking them up - which we demonstrably are and have done-...then I see no need to assume the existence of some other party.
I can only speak for myself, as to why an atheist might be concerned with things on the periphery of religion. For me, it has to do with what said gods -followers- are up to (I, like you, understand that peoples beliefs do not have to be true for those beliefs to have an effect on the believer, those around him, and society as a whole. Let that sink in.). More fundamentally though, what would this have to say regarding the question asked "If there is no god?". If no atheist, anywhere, gave a shit...would that also have something to say on -that- matter?
as in:
"If there is no god" - then why are atheists so preoccupied? The implication here is, of course, that there is a god, and this is why atheists are preoccupied.
so
"If there is no god" - and no atheist anywhere gave it a moments thought.....would that imply that there actually was no god?
In short, are you sure that the questions you're asking can yield the answers you desire -either way-?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
