The validity of existence: spiritual beings, scientific hypothesis and faith
What is the difference, exactly, between a scientific hypothesis and faith?
I've been following a, as I see it for now, valid argument for the existence of spiritual beings based on the fact of my existence as it appears to my pet rabbit.
Those doors to rooms in The Matrix, and of course Keanu Reeves, feature in my musings now and then.
If I exist for my pet rabbit then spiritual beings can exist, in the same way, for me / you. My pet rabbit needs a lot of care, money, mobility, all of which I provide because I love him. He already has been through misery and discomfort and pain due to his teeth. At the end of the week he will endure more pain with 6 front teeth extracted. I will take him to an expert, me being like a bodhisattva and the expert vet a buddha, to really address his specific problem with his teeth. He will be have pain inflicted upon him for his own benefit, under as much comfort as we can provide: anaesthetic, pain killers, soft towels, cuddles, strokes etc. But, he definitely will have to go through the pain of his dodgy dental situation alone, subjectively. As he does that I will watch him and provide what I can for him. To him, I might as well be a spiritual being performing miracles that appear sometimes harsh and brutal and mostly caring and comforting. If I am that to him, spiritual beings can be that to me: spiritual beings can logically, validly exist.
Scientific hypothesis imagines a solution for something then works backwards from there checking if this is valid. Faith then, is perhaps half baked in that it is not (usually in the individual) tested to prove it, for a positive result. It gets stymied in defense against attacks by cynics that its weak minded lack of responsibility for self. Which if fact it may be if it is not investigated fully, tested and, as thought based arguments are, proven valid.
Electrical impulses go through my pet rabbits brain when I appear. I likely do not appear to him as I do to myself and other humans. To posit that reality is nothing more than electrical impulses is okay, as Warner does in his commentary on Dogen's Shobogenzo, but, it is highly likely that there is more to it than that. If my pet rabbit stops where Warner (and supposedly Dogen does) he remains true to his rabbitness but misses out on entering, even a step, into my humaness.
Then the argument arises why does a perfectly excellent rabbit in a happy home need to be anything other than a rabbit? Why does he need a human to take care of him, he could simply die in the wild. No big deal except for the human's attachment. The rabbit is cool and the human needs to get a life! The counter argument of course is that the rabbit suffers as a rabbit, in ignorance and needs to be conscious of all there is. Why? To slowly tread a path out of ignorance and suffering, via wisdom and serving others to a state of omniscience that ceases suffering and ignorant cyclic existence. I think Warner, after Dogen, would say why? Just let the rabbit be, and as a human just leave the electrical impulses in your brain be, and be a good human. What motivates you to want to be more than human, really? Ambition? Desire? Control? Vanity?
Keanu Reeves: "I found another key" (places it in generic door).
*and no, Im not spell n grammar modifying this document.
I've been following a, as I see it for now, valid argument for the existence of spiritual beings based on the fact of my existence as it appears to my pet rabbit.
Those doors to rooms in The Matrix, and of course Keanu Reeves, feature in my musings now and then.
If I exist for my pet rabbit then spiritual beings can exist, in the same way, for me / you. My pet rabbit needs a lot of care, money, mobility, all of which I provide because I love him. He already has been through misery and discomfort and pain due to his teeth. At the end of the week he will endure more pain with 6 front teeth extracted. I will take him to an expert, me being like a bodhisattva and the expert vet a buddha, to really address his specific problem with his teeth. He will be have pain inflicted upon him for his own benefit, under as much comfort as we can provide: anaesthetic, pain killers, soft towels, cuddles, strokes etc. But, he definitely will have to go through the pain of his dodgy dental situation alone, subjectively. As he does that I will watch him and provide what I can for him. To him, I might as well be a spiritual being performing miracles that appear sometimes harsh and brutal and mostly caring and comforting. If I am that to him, spiritual beings can be that to me: spiritual beings can logically, validly exist.
Scientific hypothesis imagines a solution for something then works backwards from there checking if this is valid. Faith then, is perhaps half baked in that it is not (usually in the individual) tested to prove it, for a positive result. It gets stymied in defense against attacks by cynics that its weak minded lack of responsibility for self. Which if fact it may be if it is not investigated fully, tested and, as thought based arguments are, proven valid.
Electrical impulses go through my pet rabbits brain when I appear. I likely do not appear to him as I do to myself and other humans. To posit that reality is nothing more than electrical impulses is okay, as Warner does in his commentary on Dogen's Shobogenzo, but, it is highly likely that there is more to it than that. If my pet rabbit stops where Warner (and supposedly Dogen does) he remains true to his rabbitness but misses out on entering, even a step, into my humaness.
Then the argument arises why does a perfectly excellent rabbit in a happy home need to be anything other than a rabbit? Why does he need a human to take care of him, he could simply die in the wild. No big deal except for the human's attachment. The rabbit is cool and the human needs to get a life! The counter argument of course is that the rabbit suffers as a rabbit, in ignorance and needs to be conscious of all there is. Why? To slowly tread a path out of ignorance and suffering, via wisdom and serving others to a state of omniscience that ceases suffering and ignorant cyclic existence. I think Warner, after Dogen, would say why? Just let the rabbit be, and as a human just leave the electrical impulses in your brain be, and be a good human. What motivates you to want to be more than human, really? Ambition? Desire? Control? Vanity?
Keanu Reeves: "I found another key" (places it in generic door).
*and no, Im not spell n grammar modifying this document.