Typical conversation with a moderate christian.
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Also, when someone brings up the "it's just a matter of faith" objection, how do you usually deal with that? A lot of the moderate Christians I speak to bring up the fact that believing in God and afterlife gives them guidance, and the hope that they won't have to die. I never quite know what to tell them, because if having faith gives them happiness, even if my opinion is that happiness is based on a delusion, who am I to deprive them of the comfort and happiness christianity gives them. |
Think about the economy for a second.
It's incredibly complex. If you want to buy one thing, HUNDREDS of different forces have to work properly and together in order to allow for the exchange. The economy is incredibly complex, but did it suddenly appear on it's own? No, it didn't. It started with something simple, barter, and eventually it became more abstract and more complex with thousands and millions of components all interlinked and relying on one another. It's an incredibly compley pattern and network. Evolution is very simmilar. Although there are incredibly highly organized forms of life, that doesn't mean they were "created" as they were. It's just like the economy, they started simple and evolved. What worked continued, and what didn't work, no longer continued. This is just a basic example of how complex patterns and systems can evolve naturally. Also, keep in mind that "complexity" is a very subjective term. How can one really determine the complexity of anything to begin with? If our computers were a million times more complex than they are now, then the computers we have now wouldn't seem so complex in comparison. |
Thank you for your insights Baphomet. That's a great analogy and I think very relateable, I'll definitely see how that one goes over the next time I get the life being too complex reasoning. I think perhaps a lot of people just like the convenience of "goddidit", because then they don't have to think about life and it's meanings, and just live it. However, I tend to agree with Epicurus in this case in that an analyzed life is essential for happiness.
Cheers! |
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You might say that this pattern "0123456789ABCDEF" is as simple as possible, given the list of symbols and their assigned values. So we would probably say that "0123456789ABDCFE" is slightly less simple and therefore slightly more complex "0123FEDC4567BA98" is less simple yet, though it has a discernable pattern. At some point we get to "419DA3F76C205B8E" which would be maximally complex, but it would also be random. Obviously this kind of complexity cannot characterize the structure of DNA. It is highly complex, but not too complex. Suppose that the universe had a creator. The most frugal definition for this creator is a tiny spark, just enough to break an unstable equilibrium between space and no-space. It doesn't have to be big or powerful or omnipotent or intelligent or have a personality or embody lofty attributes like love and justice. It only needs to be a tiny nudge at most. Like popping a soap bubble. If nothingness is intrinsically unstable, as some theories hold, even a nudge may not be necessary for it to collapse into a full-blown universe. |
Thanks for the copy paste GaryM, every interesting read.
Sternwallow, how'd you got to be so knowledgeable? You always have an intelligent response for every question, and it's always complex yet easy enough for anyone to understand. I'm sure you've read a tonne of great books over the years, but if you could narrow it down to the top 5 most useful books you've read, what would they be? I'll be gone for a week or so, I've got a big exam coming up and not much free time I'm afraid. I'll be sure to pick at your brain some more when I return. Take care. Cheers! |
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Good analogy. :cheers: |
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