On 02 Jan 2014, at 21:21, Chris de Morsella wrote:
>>If you can control the beliefs, you can control the people. But if
theology is conceived as a science, then you get the means to
interrogate the beliefs, criticize the theories, single out the
contradiction and progress toward possible truth (Dt). That should
help to avoid the "monopoly".
One reason to prefer those hypothesis that are falsifiable J In
fact, while I appreciate the beauty and elegance of theories such as
String Theory for example, I see it more as a branch of mathematical
philosophy than as a branch of science, until it can be formulated
in a manner that is falsifiable.
I think that String Theory is falsifiable. It is just technically very
difficult. But that's another topic. Comp seems more easily refutable.
>>This asks for some amount of courage or "spiritual maturity".
Maturity here is the ability/courage to realize and admit that we
don't know. This has no sex-appeal, as we are programmed to fake
having the answer, especially on the fundamentals, to reassure the
kids or the member of the party ...
The same basic psychology that is operating in the allegorical fable
of the emperor’s new clothes is working hard within our minds. No
one likes to admit ignorance, especially when others seem so smugly
self-assured in their assertion of knowing… so yeah I agree the
temptation is very strong to “pretend” – or perhaps to stop looking
and mentally bow down in faith based acceptance of some set of
doctrinal truth as being foundational and True (with a capital ‘T’)
Philosophical edifices that do not provide a comfortable set of
nicely packaged answers, but that instead force yet more questions
upon those who delve into it – are quite a bit harder to sell.
Yes. That's explain why Plato was not successful compared to
Aristotle, who came back to our animal intuition, and protect us from
too much big metaphysical surprises.
Humans want spiritual comfort, not big troubling open problems.
Much easier instead to market the self-contained doctrine that side
steps all the mess of actually trying to work it out replacing the
blood sweat and tears of actual enquiry with some divinely inspired
story/book, which one questions at peril of life and limb (at least
in much of human history).
OK.
Best,
Bruno
http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/
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