On 18 Jun 2012, at 23:53, meekerdb wrote:
On 6/18/2012 12:37 PM, Evgenii Rudnyi wrote:
On 18.06.2012 19:33 meekerdb said the following:
On 6/13/2012 1:02 PM, Evgenii Rudnyi wrote:
And what is that meaning which they have expounded with unanimity
and has anyone who is *not* a theologian ever believed it?
I believe that educated people, for example scientists, have
followed theological books.
But I asked what *it* is, the meaning they have expounded with
*unanimity*. No doubt some scientists have been influenced by some
theological and philosophical writing. But did they *believe it* and
*was it unanimous* or was it selected by the scientist from many
contradictory writings as one agreeable to his ideas.
This would be a goal of historical research to find it out.
But the quote you posted asserted that such a meaning was already
known: "I have no fear of being contradicted when I say that the
meaning I suppose to be attached by this author to the proposition
'God exists' is a meaning Christian theologians have never attached
to it, and does not even remotely resemble the meaning which with
some approach to unanimity they have expounded at considerable
length."
For example a couple of quotes from Newton (according to Soul of
Science)
Newton, General Scholium "This Being governs all things, not as the
soul of the world, but as Lord over all; ... and Deity is the
dominion of God, not over his own body, as those imagine who fancy
God to be the soul of the world, but over servants."
“this most beautiful system of sun, planets, and comets could only
proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and
powerful Being.”
Now the quote from the book Soul of Science itself:
"Roger Cotes, in his preface to the second edition of Newton’s
Principia, wrote that the book 'will be the safest protection
against the attacks of atheists, and nowhere more surely than from
this quiver can one draw forth missiles against the band of godless
men.'"
Hard to have been more wrong than that.
No doubt, the historical research can offer different
interpretations. Another quote from Soul of Science
"In recent years much scholarly ink has been spilled in attempts to
pin down his philosophical orientation. Keynes studied Newton’s
manuscripts and concluded that, in contrast to the standard
conception, Newton stood within the neo-Platonic tradition with its
fascination for symbols and magic. 'Why do I call him a magician?'
Keynes
asks.
'Because he looked on the whole universe and all that is in it as a
riddle, as a secret which could be read by applying pure thought to
certain evidence, certain mystic clues which God had laid about the
world. ... He regarded the universe as a cryptogram set by the
Almighty.'
Is this the "meaning which with some approach to unanimity they have
expounded at considerable length." It doesn't sound unanimous with
with any theologians I've read.
This might be because you confine yourself to christian theologians. I
read a long time ago a book ("La malle de Newton") which confirms
Newton neo-platonic tendencies. Keep in mind that neo-platonist have
to hide their idea since Rome, and still today. Theology comes from
the Platonic idea that what we see, observe and measure, is not the
whole of reality, but the christians came back with the strong
emphasis on the material nature of the creation, and the
oversimplication and personification of the "creator".
Bruno
'Newton was not the first of the age of reason,' Keynes concludes.
'He was the last of the magicians.'"
Hence when you think of Newton you indeed have a choice. It might
be a good idea to read Newton directly, then you may have a better
idea what was his reason to call in God and offer your own
interpretation.
Evgenii
P.S. I have finished listening to Hawking's (I hope that I have got
his name right this time) Grand Design. What is the difference
between
a) I believe in God
and
b) I believe in the M-theory?
M-theory doesn't care if you believe in it or not. In fact it
doesn't care about you or anything else.
Brent
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]
.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en
.
http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Everything List" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list?hl=en.
