A Rant I Indulged in Today...

[ferchrissakes]

Upon reading the following section of an anti-science email I received today, went off a bit on a rant which will prolly only serve to push my religious friend away from me further... but I cannot help myself when I see people thinking so irrationally:

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own. 'Professor, is

Comments

I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

namely, Taoism, Buddhism, heck, maybe even a little Hinduism... that said, most of the thought here is more philosophy and mythology than religion, so I guess it makes perfect sense. If you look at science in its most extreme forms, namely quantum mechanics, things get very absurd and illogical... but I'm guessing you knew that already.

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[ferchrissakes]

The beauty of science and logic is that it is fluid and dynamic, essentially it changes with new data and discovery. Sure, in many ways, science could be looked at as rigid in its affect... but it is that rigidity of thinking that often times provides the contrast to the ideas and results that often pop up.

As for ego within the science community, that is a wholly human element within a conceptually dynamic process of analysis. A hypothetical of this would be a scientist who is so proud of an old discovery that he/she'd once made who then dismisses new science out-of-hand because it in some way contradicts either an element or the basis of their own discovery.

I do not agree however, that Buddhism & Hinduism are necessarily reconcilable with science... as things stand... because of examples such as Nirvana and Ganesh.

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

drop the idea of what Ganesh looks like, and any kind of historical sense, for a minute... and think about what he is by definition. Ganesh is the Remover of Obstacles (I would hope to think that you at least think that luck is real), or the Lord of Beginnings (such as someone who transforms their life through a new beginning, or fresh start, what many Americans are going through right now). Not only that, but the idea of Ganesh is that he is the patron of arts and sciences, and is the godhead of intellect and reason. He is one of the most popular figures in Indian culture, which can be seen in their advanced use of music and computer programming. although he does not bring everyone good fortune, he is often associated with it by millions of humans the world over. so sure, science might say, this guy isn't going to pop out of thin air and drop a sack of gold at your feet, but as an idea he most definitely exists, and even represents the spirit of science to some extent

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[ferchrissakes]

Sorry to disappoint, but no, I do not think that luck is a thing can be generated, created, or possessed. I think that circumstance and negative result simply sometimes happen within the life one person or another... and sometimes those negative or positive results happen more often to some people than others... according to the rules of averages and the like, this is well within limits of randomness and circumstance. I am also, certain that many people who THINK they are unlucky often times brings their "bad luck" upon themselves by dishing out an abundance of negativity (whether it be in the form of cheating, lying, stealing, violence, betrayal or the like)... or alternatively some people are simply unwilling to function in society in the capacity that is expected of them, which more often than not, leads to them leading seemingly unlucky lives because they have little money and run into greater and greater problems. So, no, to be frank, I think that "luck" is a concept that is most often left to those who are self-centered, self-

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

sorry to disappoint, but I didn't mean to have you think that luck can be generated... actually, that is what makes luck so interesting, because it is out of your control and is the closest thing to "god" that you will ever see... if you disagree with that, I don't know what to tell you. I am also rather disappointed in your newfound preachy nature in the last few years. my "luck" can be seen in not getting killed in certain circumstances where I could have been killed, if you meant any of that as some kind of personal attack, I have no idea, because it seems it didn't have anything to do with the information I posted... in fact, you were harping on negative luck I think, so I'm uncertain where all that came from, as I was talking about Ganesh. you really went off on some kind of weird tangent it would seem to me. if you're saying that I think that I am unlucky, quite the contrary. I think I am very lucky as mindblowing as that may sound. I am assuming, actually, that you were talking about someone else, though I'm not sure who...

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

although I should apologize for changing the subject slightly from your original post, and for possibly misinterpreting the intent of your most recent reply... it just seemed from out of left field. I just find this stuff very interesting, and think that there's always a chance factor in most things, to some varying degree. read: feynman's theory of uncertainty. I rarely get to converse on such topics, so I get a little worked up about them.

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[ferchrissakes]

It's fine, sorry you see me as preachy... I just feel that debate is healthy... the problem is that in this society discussions like we're having are less and less common. I attribute it to the "Bradbury Effect", i.e. information becomes transmitted in increasingly simpler terms and is processed by the audience in a less and less detailed fashion. Ideas become simpler, more cut and dry... with fewer and fewer grey areas. Not sure why you thought I may have been personally attacking you... As far as I am concerned, this discussion has never about you or me directly... moreso about the subject at hand and subordinately about how you and I view the world. As far as you thinking that I was off topic there by discussing luck for a long period, I was simply explaining my stance on "luck" because of the nature Ganesh relating to luck and the fact that you made the following statement:

Ganesh is the Remover of Obstacles (I would hope to think that you at least think that luck is real), or the Lord of Beginnings (such as someone who

Re: I would say that some religions are reconcilable with science

[intertubes]

as usual, we are misinterpreting each others posts. it cannot be denied, however, that certain people are luckier than others, is all I'm really saying. I was using the idea of Ganesh to state that these things do happen, but I do not think that someone can alter their luck, except by what you're saying, to fit in better in society, since we are a social species. there are however, forces such as randomness and chance in the world, and to get more mysterious, forces that we cannot perceive. time will tell what and how these things should be interpreted. I think these types of conversations are marginalized because a) they are not productive at places such as work, social events (especially if drinking is involved, although personally I would enjoy it), or family functions (well, maybe not so much our family as others). I think I took issue with your initiation of your post, "sorry to disappoint" which totally sets the tone for said post, making it slightly patronizing is all