[Krimel]
As for how our knowledge of probabilities can change outcomes; what would
you say is the probability of dirt assembling itself into bricks and
bricks
assembling themselves into houses? It is our ability to see patterns of
probability that defines us.
DM: Yes I agree it is our ability to 'see' these possibilities that makes
us the dynamic creatures we are. But these possibilities have to exist
to be found and taken advantage of. For me, such non-material
possibilities (non-material because where would you locate a
possibility?) (& yes I use this language to deliberately challenge your
naturalist and immanentist orthodoxies, possibilities are imminent not
immanent that's my motto) create a problem for causality (as they
do in quantum theory where the many worlds suggestion is made
to avoid confronting this problem of possibilities that have material
influences whilst not being material/actual/realised) because the fact
is we are able to take advantage of certain possibilities and avoid others
that we do not favour (or stuff it up and help bring into being
possibilities
that we should have avoided). This is our experienced reality, other
descriptions of it seem to me to be unconvincing and ideological.
That is to say, the future is open, which possibilities will be realised
is uncertain, we can make choices to aim to achieve certain preferable
possibilities as best we can, of course the whole of nature is acting to
realise its own preferred future not just human beings (we may or may not
have a future). Is it rather all an accident? Is it really the realisation
of a
divine plan? Seems to me it is neither, neither a fluke or a plan. But what
is it? More of an activity, often carried out blindly, gropingly, but
perhaps
with some effort to attain something worth attaining, some quality, but not
always successfully so no very divine plan it seems. The cosmos can be both
magnificent and terrible, but surely it is not worthless? If there was a god
and
the cosmos was her art work how would we rate it? I'd suggest critically
(so no bending of the knee for me) but also appreciatively as it is surely
not without value.
David M
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