On Feb 9, 2010, at 7:44:55 AM, "Steven Peterson" <[email protected]> wrote: >From an evolutionary perspective, the point of holding beliefs is not to seek Truth but to gratify particular desires. Beliefs are thought of as tools for helping us get what we want. Since truths are pursued in support of particular human interests, before we can even talk about the truth of a belief, we need to sort out what sorts of desire we hope this or that belief will satisfy. This is what is often called "The Pragmatic Method." Likewise, instead of conceiving of evidence as something which "floats free of human projects" and demands our respect, Rorty says that the demand for evidence is "simply a demand from other human beings for cooperation on such projects." Our duty is not to "evidence" but only to ourselves and to our fellow human beings. We want our beliefs to cohere with our other beliefs, and to the extent that we want to participate in common projects with other people, we need to try to get our beliefs to cohere with their beliefs, *but only to that extent*. So the demand for evidence and the corresponding obligation to justify our beliefs only needs to come up when we are engaged in a common project..."
Regards, Steve Interesting Steve, >From a spiritual perspective, Evolutionary thinking is not to seek Truth, but >to justify ones own means of gratification. It is to put the world into an >impersonal perspective so that all actions are relative, and anything goes. >It is a way to support conflict and aggression as justifiable. It >encapsulates all behavior, such that group cooperation is put in the ultimate >perspective of survival, and survival alone. Such dogmatic beliefs, as >dictated by the Modern God based on evolution, are meant to disharmonize >because the individual is above all other. In the modern West, we believe we >have control over our beliefs; but the fact that we resort to being >anti-belief, shows this not to be the case, we are controlled by that which we >hate and fear. The pragmatic belief is that we have the ability to sort >things out, by some virtue which is somehow in control of the brain and our >thinking. It is the notion that there is some inherent choice maker that gets >its control from some Divine power and is therefore justified in making the >rules, we worship that Divine blindly. This modern God is bestowed upon >through daily rituals and human sacrifices in the name of Supremacy above all, >which is Evolution's Dictate, and we must obey. Evolution laughs as we >struggle under its supreme power, there is no way out, it provides nothing >more. The demand for evidence is no greater than in science. We are subordinate to evidence as created by the old Masters. These Masters made the rules and we must obey. In modern societies we succumb to such evidence as though it were Truth, no questions asked, complete obedience. We defend this obedience by obliterating all others who don't provide us with the Master's Evidence. We are exalted by the power of Evolution, and look condescendingly from our insecure lofty tower at those unfortunates below, resorting to mass manipulation to get our way. Evolution tells us in the Scriptures that the supreme law by which all else is measured is Survival, nothing more, nothing less, the Ultimate Truth, the Absolute. We must kowtow to this, and, in doing so, we scurry around aimlessly to comply with its bidding. But the God of Evolution is cruel, because if survival is the final goal, then we can only fail. Such lack of meaning brings discomfort that can only be relieved temporarily through distraction. The distractions can only get louder and louder to hide the dark Truth. Every minute of every day must be occupied This Dark Truth rules through fear, Fear that is all powerful. This Modern God is a mean trickster. We look outside for the answer hoping to find it in those things we touch, only to find that it is not there. Spirituality, itself is a lonely business, not like the orgy of people finding common pleasures that through group behavior make them True. Spirituality is the individual's inner connection with his own meaning. It requires no other to become. It is a simple pact with one's destiny. Any psychoanalysis is useless, because there are no rules. The psychologists hate this. Mark 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/
