Platt --
> I hate to disappoint you, Ham, but your view of my (and Pirsig's) > view is wrong. The laws of physics and the laws of the jungle are > inimical to human life, that is, not good at all. > Society evolved for the specific purpose of protecting humans > from the evils of the lower levels, whether it be protection from > the elements or tigers. That's simply untrue, Platt, as Robert Lanza (a biotechnologist) makes clear in an essay from which I quoted in my book. Since you apparently missed it, he says: "Modern science cannot explain why the LAWS OF PHYSICS ARE EXACTLY BALANCED for animal life to exist. For example, if the big bang had been one-part-in-a-billion more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies to form and for life to begin. If the strong nuclear force were decreased by two percent, atomic nuclei wouldn't hold together. Hydrogen would be the only atom in the universe. If the gravitational force were decreased, stars (including the sun) would not ignite. These are just three of more than 200 physical parameters within the solar system and universe so exact that they cannot be random. Indeed, the lack of a scientific explanation has allowed these facts to be hijacked as a defense of intelligent design." [Emphasis mine] As for the "law of the jungle", don't forget that the jungle was once man's habitat, and that having the power to subdue your enemy is still necessary for survival in modern civilization. > The universe is moral in the sense that it is evolving towards > betterness, that is, toward self-consciousness and ability to > understand itself. Yes, we are now the principle players because > the moral force has made us the culmination of betterness so far. Surely you don't mean to imply that everything in existence will one day be conscious! Organic life could not subsist in the absence of bio-chemical processes, the H2O/CO2 cycle, and an inorganic terrestrial environment, none of which can in any conceivable way have conscious understanding. From what Pirsig quotation have you extracted such a fanciful paradise? > We have a way to go for sure, but the very fact we are conversing > in this manner over a global network that didn't exist ten years ago > shows the direction the universe, through us, is moving. The universe has nothing to do with it. Science and technology are inventions of man, Platt, not nature or the universe. Human research and engineering (man's intellect and creativity) have made these things possible. It is Value, not the universe, that drives mankind to organize for security and adapt moral codes for an orderly society. It is human beings who have discovered the physical principles of nature and applied them to the enhancement of civilization. We are not moving the universe, we are moving ourselves, individually and collectively -- hopefully toward a more authentic and harmonious society. Your surprise me sometimes. What has happened to your verve for individual ingenuity? Regards, Ham 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/
