Subj : Re: Extent of the Torah
To   : Todd Henson
From : Chuck Pierson
Date : Mon Oct 23 2000 07:18 am

-=> On 10-23-00 04:38, TODD HENSON wrote to JOHN WILSON <=-

 >  My opinion (veering onto belief) is that
 >
 >  1. The universe is alive.
 >
 >  2. It's Purpose is to understand itself.
 >
 >  3. All knowledge (of anything) is a part of that process.
 >
 >  4. Which is justification enough for man's existance.


 TH> If the universe was smart enough to form for itself the beautiful set
 TH> of laws and principles that we call "physics", then it would seem to
 TH> know itself pretty well already.

But the argument could be made that much as we humans are continuously
trying to better understand ourselves, the universe is doing the same.  To
not try and learn more than you do seems to me to lead to stagnation. 

 TH> And how long has the universe been around? Forever? If so, then it
 TH> would already have had enough time to get to know itself. If it hasn't
 TH> been around forever, then where did it come from, and who made it? A
 TH> momma universe?

Time is very much a relative thing. Much as some forms of animal life
register their life in days compared to our years, something as vast as the
universe a few billion years could seem like merely weeks or months would to
us.  You're assumption that the universe could know it self well in the time
it has existed based on another assumption that the workings of the
intelligence of the universe works in the same manner as human intelligence,
which is doing precisely the same thing as what I did with my 'making
things' analogy between man and God, which you would not accept.  How then
are you so ready to make the same comparison between Man and Universe and
expect it to be as accepted?


 TH> What would lead a person to think that space-time has intelligence in
 TH> the first place?

The way I see it, everything that has life has some level of intelligence,
so if you accept the Universe as living, it has intelligence.  Consciousness
is something different.

 TH> But, I know that to actually examine an idea is something that you
 TH> consider evil...


How's that for a bit of examination?  Although truthfully, most of that came
off the top of my head.

Chuck

.... A pain in the butt may be a friend in need.
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