Matt Bawden Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Richard Dawkins' 'The Selfish Gene'. If anyone's really interested in Evolutionary Theory, have a read of it.... Then read it again. This book explains simplistically the diversity of life and its various adaptations. Personally, it's the closest thing to an explanation that i've ever considered. The empowerment of women in this world would be a grand step forward. We could start with the ideology of islam where subjugation and the domination of women is scripturally-driven.... I have read it, a very good book, explains a hell of a lot that religion sticks it's head in the sand about....however it's still not conclusive in providing an unarguable answer to the ultimate questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I have read it, a very good book, explains a hell of a lot that religion sticks it's head in the sand about....however it's still not conclusive in providing an unarguable answer to the ultimate questions. Matt, what do you think the ultimate questions are? I feel many of the so called ultimate questions are about as pointless as asking what is the ultimate reason the Isle of Man is the shape it is. There is no reason for the IOM having its shape, it just has it. You can explain it with reference to geology and history, but to say their is "an unarguable answer" to why it is the shape it is is meaningless. Now you can ask about human happiness etc etc, but those questions also don't have "unarguable answers" - I am afraid I just go "Uh ..." whenever people start raising such points. Life is simply too complex to provide umambiguous guidance. Surely that is obvious? ... But clearly not as people regularly do seem to expect to find answers to ultimate questions, whether about our fate, behaviour or source of our ethics. My feeling is we have to attempt to find answers to these issues ourselves, understanding our fallibility, and realizing circumstances change. Doing so would seem to be far more fruitful than searching for ultimate answers ... as I've said, I don't even really know what that means. Matt, honestly, can you try to explain a bit more what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Goblin Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 ultimate answers ... as I've said, I don't even really know what that means. I think he may mean questions relating to a purposeful creation of the Universe by a Supreme Being, each human life having a definite purpose, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What reason would you have to believe such things? Can anything meaningful be added saying these believes are a mix of wishful thinking and historic dogma - with people of say a Hindu tradition have totally different views on purpose to say people of a Christian tradition. How can people distinguish between these very different sets of answers to a very different set of questions and say any of them is "ultimate"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Goblin Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 What reason would you have to believe such things? I think the origins of such thought lie back when humans first acquired self-consciousness and thereby were able to appreciate their helplessness in the face of an unpredictable Nature. They sought to have an understanding of the world which would help them be less uncertain about their lives and enable them to influence the forces of Nature. Natural events were then understood in terms of human atttributes i.e. the actions of powerful beings which themselves possessed the human attributes of temper, jealousy, anger, etc. These Gods could be favourably influenced by things such as sacrifices and what have you. Thus uncertainty could be reduced and life made a little more certain and bearable. Humans are purposeful animals - without a purpose our lives just seem to drift along in an unsatisfying manner. If someone cannot figure out a purpose to their life (i.e. themselves give their life a purpose) then the notion that it does have a purpose, given by God, even of they don't know what that purpose is, can be very comforting to many people. So, the answer to your question seems to lie in Human nature. Can anything meaningful be added saying these believes are a mix of wishful thinking and historic dogma - with people of say a Hindu tradition have totally different views on purpose to say people of a Christian tradition. How can people distinguish between these very different sets of answers to a very different set of questions and say any of them is "ultimate"? The idea of "ultimate" questions is subjective - what is "ulltimate" is to those involved. Different peoples with different backgrounds will have different "ultimate questions" and different answers. Science has its' own "ultimate questions" - what is matter made of, just what is energy, how did the Universe originate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesultanofsheight Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Pongo - you will remember Chris Packham, he was a kids TV presenter in the 80's. Like a cross between Paul King (of the band King) and Terry Nutkins, Hmm .. Worked in kids TV and exposed as a paedo 20 years later. Odd coincidence that. Are you sure it's Paul King and not Jonathon King? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Got your dates awry there, SOS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.