By: Hector Plasmic To: Roger Hunter AS fundamental significance. Through conscioius beings

By: Hector Plasmic
To: Roger Hunter


 AS>> fundamental significance. Through conscioius beings the universe has
 AS>> generated self-awareness. THIS CAN BE NO TRIVIAL DETAIL, NO MINOR
 AS>> BYPRODUCT OF MINDLESS, PURPOSELESS FORCES. WE ARE TRULY MEANT TO BE
 AS>> HERE." The conclusion and climax of the book, page 232.

 RH> Perhaps you can explain the logic in the above? It sounds like simple
 RH> egotism to me.

Al's quoting Davies' summary in which he gives his personal opinion on
the matter.  (In that last paragraph, Davies first tells you what "I
cannot believe" and then goes on to tell you what he does believe.
Scientists are allowed their opinions, too.)  Al attempts to disguise
that fact, and it is that misrepresentation that leads to your question
above.

 RH> If the fundamental constants of the universe are exactly what they
 RH> must be to permit us to exist, that still does not prove design,
 RH> because if they were anything else, we would not be here to worry
 RH> about it.

Davies is aware of that, and states openly that "such a conclusion can,
of course, only be subjective."  Al just doesn't want you to think about
that part of it, or to realize that Davies knows and acknowledges it,
because _Al himself will not._

It's an old fundy trick, and only fundies actually fall for it.  For
example, one Billy Wolff came into the echo quoting a piece of Sagan's
_Cosmos_ out of context, trying to make Sagan sound like he was claiming
that the fossil record was evidence of a "designer."  But, when the
entire text was reviewed, it quickly became obvious that Carl was saying
anything but that.  Similarly, when you read all of _The Mind of God_
you discover that Davies is saying that _we don't know and probably
can't know_ the "ultimate explanation" (the 'why' of the universe) as
the very question is inaccessible to "the very rules of reasoning that
prompt us to seek such an explanation in the first place."

In other words, Al's trying to argue from ignorance again.  Al runs "I
don't know" through his religious filtering, and it comes out "I know."