Hi Krim I am not inclined to look at it as you do. Rather I am struck by 2 things.
The first makes me ponder about the fact that the universe has reached its current state. This state, able to support intelligent-ish life on at least one planet is an amazing reality, even if only a transient fact. This is something to be recognised and valued. We live in such a universe that has allowed such a possibility become actual. It seems to me very positive that such potential exists and is able to be realised. The second is that our current state with all its many faults remains open to not only the possibility of terrible regression but also further enriching possibilities. It seems entirely possible, but not certain, that we may attain happier and longer lives, better ways of thinking and living together, etc. Such possibilities exist and could be attained and made actual. So we live in a cosmos rich with possibilities and we can act to attain some of the better ones and avoid some of the worst possibilities. Of course, less optimistically, we seem at times to march headlong towards the worst possibilities available. Indifference? Maybe good and bad possibilities are set out before us without adequate warnings and instructions (metaphorically of course). And lower level processes like colliding galaxies are clearly indifferent to higher ones living on their life supporting planets. But interestingly this indifference of less complex processes to more complex ones has not done anything to prevent the more complex ones emerging. This much at least seems rather fortunate. To summarise: perhaps cold but not barren. Regards David M ----- Original Message ----- From: "Krimel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 12:57 AM Subject: Re: [MD] Is thoroughly dynamic terrifying? > DM, > > Clearly, I do wholehearted. I hope I have conveyed some of my conviction > in > this regard in every post I have ever made here. > > I've recently been informed once again by my friend dmb that my views are > merely oh-hum-common-sensical. > > In this respect I wish it were so, but I fear not. Rather I think common > sense makes people flee from this view into the arms of whatever obscure > philosophy, religious practice or doctrine they can find to shield them > from > the shear horror of this view. > > It is far better to believe that the universe cares or is open to entreaty > or that our actions play into some karmic dance of fate that to stare in > to > the abyss of cold indifference without flinching. > > Krimel > > > > Hi Krim & others > > I wonder how many of us here would say we live > in a truly dynamic universe and that therefore > it an extremely dangerous place to be? > > David M > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Krimel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2007 1:18 AM > Subject: [MD] James' Post-it Note to Ham > > >> Ham, >> >> I found that post-it Hume left for you a while back. Here is one from >> James. >> I don't know why I am getting your mail. >> >> Krimel >> >> "Probably the weightiest contribution to our feeling of the rationality >> of >> the universe which the notion of the absolute brings is the assurance >> that >> however disturbed the surface may be, at bottom all is well with the >> cosmos-central peace abiding at the heart of endless agitation. This >> conception is rational in many ways, beautiful aesthetically, beautiful >> intellectually (could we only follow it into detail), and beautiful >> morally, >> if the enjoyment of security can be accounted moral. Practically it is >> less >> beautiful; for, as we saw in our last lecture, in representing the >> deepest >> reality of the world as static and without a history, it loosens the >> world's >> hold upon our sympathies and leaves the soul of it foreign. Nevertheless >> it >> does give peace, and that kind of rationality is so paramountly demanded >> by >> men that to the end of time there will be absolutists, men who choose >> belief >> in a static eternal, rather than admit that the finite world of change >> and >> striving, even with a God as one of the strivers, is itself eternal. ... >> But >> it is hard to portray the absolute at all without rising into what might >> be >> called the 'inspired' style of language-I use the word not ironically, >> but >> prosaically and descriptively, to designate the only literary form that >> goes >> with the kind of emotion that the absolute arouses. One can follow the >> pathway of reasoning soberly enough, but the picture itself has to be >> effulgent. This admirable faculty of transcending, whilst inwardly >> preserving, every contrariety, is the absolute's characteristic form of >> rationality. We are but syllables in the mouth of the Lord; if the whole >> sentence is divine, each syllable is absolutely what it should be, in >> spite >> of all appearances. In making up the balance for or against absolutism, >> this >> emotional value weights heavily the credit side of the account." >> - William James "A Pluralistic Universe" >> >> Moq_Discuss mailing list >> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org >> Archives: >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ >> http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ >> > > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/ > Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
