(no subject)
After a while Chris says, "Dad, do you believe in ghosts?"
"No," I say.
"Why not?"
"Because they are un-sci-en-ti-fic."
The way I say this makes John smile. "They contain no matter," I continue, "and have no energy and therefore, according to the laws of science, do not exist except in people's minds. Of course, the laws of science contain no matter and have no energy either and therefore do not exist except in people's minds... It's best to be completely scientific about the whole thing and refuse to believe in either ghosts or the laws of science. That way you're safe. That doesn't leave you very much to believe in, but that's scientific too."...
Chris looks at me pleadingly. He really does want to know things sometimes. Being facetious is not being a very good father. "Sure," I say, reversing myself, "I believe in ghosts too." John and Sylvia look at me peculiarly.
"...The scientific point of view has wiped out every other view to a point where they all seem primitive, so that if a person today talks about ghosts or spirits he is considered ignorant or maybe nutty. It's just all but completely impossible to imagine a world where ghosts can actually exist."
John nods affirmatively and I continue.
"...Those Indians and medieval men were just as intelligent as we are, but the context in which they thought was completely different. Within that context ghosts and spirits are quite as real as atoms, particles, photons, and quants are to modern man. In that sense I believe in ghosts. Modern man has his own ghosts too you know."
"What?"
"Oh, the laws of physics and logic...the number system...the principle of algebraic substitution. These are ghosts. We just believe in them so thoroughly they seem real."
"They seem real to me," John says.
"For example, it seems natural to presume that gravitation and the law of gravitation existed before Isaac Newton. It would sound nutty to think that until the 17th century there was no gravity."
"Of course."
"So when did this law start? Has it always existed? What I'm driving at is the notion that before the beginning of the earth, before the sun and the stars were formed, before the primal generation of anything, the law of gravity existed."
"Sure."
"Sitting there, having no mass of its own, no energy of its own, not in anyone's mind because there wasn't anyone, not in space because there was no space either, not anywhere- this law of gravity still existed?"
Now john seems not so sure.
"If that law of gravity existed," I say, "I honestly don't know what a thing has to do to be nonexistent. It seems to me the law of gravity has passed every test of nonexistence there is. You cannot think of a single attribute of nonexistence that that law of gravity didn't have. Or a single scientific attribute of existence it did have. And yet it is still 'common sense' to believe that it existed. And what that means is that the law of gravity exists nowhere but in people's heads! It's a ghost! We are all of us very arrogant and conceited about running down other people's ghosts but just as ignorant and barbaric and superstitious about our own."
...They are just looking at me so I continue: "Laws of nature are human inventions, like ghosts...The whole blessed thing is a human invention, including the idea that it isn't a human invention. The world has no existence whatsoever outside the human imagination. It's all a ghost, and in antiquity was so recognized as a ghost, the whole blessed world we live in. It's run by ghosts. We see what we see because these ghosts show it to us...your common sense is nothing more than the voices of thousands and thousands of these ghosts from the past. Ghosts of more ghosts. Ghosts trying to find their place among the living."
--Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
"No," I say.
"Why not?"
"Because they are un-sci-en-ti-fic."
The way I say this makes John smile. "They contain no matter," I continue, "and have no energy and therefore, according to the laws of science, do not exist except in people's minds. Of course, the laws of science contain no matter and have no energy either and therefore do not exist except in people's minds... It's best to be completely scientific about the whole thing and refuse to believe in either ghosts or the laws of science. That way you're safe. That doesn't leave you very much to believe in, but that's scientific too."...
Chris looks at me pleadingly. He really does want to know things sometimes. Being facetious is not being a very good father. "Sure," I say, reversing myself, "I believe in ghosts too." John and Sylvia look at me peculiarly.
"...The scientific point of view has wiped out every other view to a point where they all seem primitive, so that if a person today talks about ghosts or spirits he is considered ignorant or maybe nutty. It's just all but completely impossible to imagine a world where ghosts can actually exist."
John nods affirmatively and I continue.
"...Those Indians and medieval men were just as intelligent as we are, but the context in which they thought was completely different. Within that context ghosts and spirits are quite as real as atoms, particles, photons, and quants are to modern man. In that sense I believe in ghosts. Modern man has his own ghosts too you know."
"What?"
"Oh, the laws of physics and logic...the number system...the principle of algebraic substitution. These are ghosts. We just believe in them so thoroughly they seem real."
"They seem real to me," John says.
"For example, it seems natural to presume that gravitation and the law of gravitation existed before Isaac Newton. It would sound nutty to think that until the 17th century there was no gravity."
"Of course."
"So when did this law start? Has it always existed? What I'm driving at is the notion that before the beginning of the earth, before the sun and the stars were formed, before the primal generation of anything, the law of gravity existed."
"Sure."
"Sitting there, having no mass of its own, no energy of its own, not in anyone's mind because there wasn't anyone, not in space because there was no space either, not anywhere- this law of gravity still existed?"
Now john seems not so sure.
"If that law of gravity existed," I say, "I honestly don't know what a thing has to do to be nonexistent. It seems to me the law of gravity has passed every test of nonexistence there is. You cannot think of a single attribute of nonexistence that that law of gravity didn't have. Or a single scientific attribute of existence it did have. And yet it is still 'common sense' to believe that it existed. And what that means is that the law of gravity exists nowhere but in people's heads! It's a ghost! We are all of us very arrogant and conceited about running down other people's ghosts but just as ignorant and barbaric and superstitious about our own."
...They are just looking at me so I continue: "Laws of nature are human inventions, like ghosts...The whole blessed thing is a human invention, including the idea that it isn't a human invention. The world has no existence whatsoever outside the human imagination. It's all a ghost, and in antiquity was so recognized as a ghost, the whole blessed world we live in. It's run by ghosts. We see what we see because these ghosts show it to us...your common sense is nothing more than the voices of thousands and thousands of these ghosts from the past. Ghosts of more ghosts. Ghosts trying to find their place among the living."
--Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.