2006.05.03
The other night at the monthly Brights meetup we were discussing evolution, religion and the supernatural. One of the definitions of a Bright is someone who doesn't believe in the supernatural. This definition has some problems since I bet some theists view their god as being natural and part of our universe. Others might see their god as being somehow outside our universe and so, in a sense, supernatural. In any case I think most people have a general understanding about what qualifies as supernatural. The kind of stuff you see everyday as you go about the mundane business of living like buying groceries or taking a shower are not supernatural. But who knows, maybe ghosts and ESP are boring everyday occurrences for some people and very natural to them. You can also get into debates about what is "natural" in the things humans make. Why is polyethylene terepthalate any different from termite mounds? Humans and termites are both the natural result of evolution, right?
Some people like to claim evolution doesn't contradict religion or more generally science and religion are independent and not in conflict. That claim depends a lot on what religion you are talking about. What if your religion teaches the Earth is the center of the solar system, or all life was created 6000 years ago, or that prayer will cure your cancer better than the chemotherapy your doctor recommends? Obviously there will be conflicts.
I see the process of science as our best chance to having any understanding of the universe and I haven't yet seen any compelling evidence that "other ways of knowing" have taught us anything useful. If there is a big unknown mysterious "X" aka "god" out there why can't science help us know it?
Science has given us glimpses into the bizarre foundations of matter. The tiniest "particles" (if you can even call them that) are the quarks and leptons that make up all matter. My own pet theory is that the quarks, leptons and so on are the fingers of God. The Universe is God folding his fingers and twiddling his thumbs making all that is through the "natural" laws and evolution. Of course I can't prove it, but I like the image. I really am just playing with definitions though. "God" equalling "Universe", so why not "Godiverse"?
--Old blog comments:
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:25 pm
jer Says:
Godiverse.
I like it.
One of the things that some serious "ghost hunters" do is treat paranormal stuff as if it has a natural cause. I've always been really fond of the theory that repetitive ghost apparatitions (for example a woman who always walks down the stairs at midnight or something) are some sort of "psychic recordings" that play back over and over, through some process we just don't understand as of yet. I like that a whole lot better than that an apparition is the disembodied spirit of someone who hasn't quite moved on.
If at some point we understand the mechanism that causes and allows it, many of the ghost phenomena will cease being paranormal. It may be the same way with the godiverse.
I mean if we assume that the biological leaps we've made are natural, then find out that we were created through the same process by aliens from another planet, the whole idea of a creator ceases being supernatural as well.
Supernatural is really a terrible term, much like all the rest of the terms in these debates that will never end.