[ExI] Fundamentalism and a Scientific Outlook

[Lee Corbin]

Russell Wallace writes

> On 5/3/07, Lee Corbin <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote:
> > How about Santa Claus?  Do you really think that there is a fact of the
> > matter regarding an individual who lives at the north pole and arranges
> > for gifts to somewhat magically be delivered on Christmas day to
> > deserving children around the world?
>
> There are various sources of data that entitle me to claim there is a
> fact of the matter in this case, such as the observed absence of Santa's
> workshop at the geographical north pole. This would be equivalent to
> the example I gave about the absence of gods on top of Mount Olympus.

And what about my examples of golden tablets from Moroni, Muhummad
rising to heaven on a winged horse, virgin births, the whole lot?

But maybe you'd rather skip that, which would be okay, and cut to the
chase here, for you, which seems to be

> And my question stands: do you not agree that he who sets out to
> destroy something vital, should first have a viable replacement ready?

Yes and no.  I concur that the west has perhaps committed suicide
by abadoning its religion. But the source of its strength---open inquiry
also perhaps laid the seeds of its ruin.  Well, that is too bad.  But what
I am concerned about *here* is a search for truth.  On this list, it is
necessary to say what is true, and to separate it from what is false.

The final line from the Terry Pratchett piece:

> Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?

In these discussions, I simply refuse to believe things that I know not
to be true.

Lee

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Which reminds me of a Terry Pratchett quote... *rummage* here we are:

Death: Humans need fantasy to *be* human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
Susan: With tooth fairies? Hogfathers?
Death: Yes. As practice, you have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
Susan: So we can believe the big ones?
Death: Yes. Justice, mercy, duty. That sort of thing.
Susan: They're not the same at all.
Death: You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder, and sieve it through the finest sieve, and then 
show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet, you try to act as if there is some ideal order in the world. As if 
there is some, some rightness in the universe, by which it may be judged.
Susan: But people have got to believe that, or what's the point?
Death: You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become?