(December 5, 2011 at 11:22 pm)Epimethean Wrote: I don't think so, or not necessarily. The idea of the transmigration of the soul might have been perceived to be just what happened as the gas continued to erupt from the mouth and ass. We are talking 6th C. B.C.E. here, and even the Pre-Socratics didn't really get too into biological processes beyond attempting to establish some loose elemental/atomic theories. Really, given Democritus' notion on the soul (the energetic fire atom), the idea of gas continually escaping from the body might call the inanimate nature of the bean into question..
God created philosophers because philosophers created god (in order to to maintain job security).
I believe that there is no creature smarter than the man on this planet, but I also believe that there is no animal on the planet that can be as stupid as man can be.
Lending money on a promissory note for repayment in the next world seems to be the end limit of stupidity but it is not because, although I am not aware of it, I am certain that there should be some philosophical explanation attempting to dress with reason the absurdity of the post mortem payable note.
So, are you right in saying that philosophers created a god whom they present as having fashioned wise philosophers destined to explore what wisdom is there hidden deep into stupidity, in order that job security can be maintained, or is it that the god created low quality philosophers who are unable to discern the stupidity of their alleged wisdom?
If god and religion had been rejected by philosophers the soul concept would have been the equal of the Santa Claus concept long ago.
Can you imagine your cosmology professor teaching his Harvard class that the Egyptians were right about the promissory note because for them the note was to be repaid after judgment and not after death?
The bean problem is not so much different from the note problem.
