Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,alt.atheism
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!minsky
From: minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky)
Subject: Re: Is there a spiritual force etc.?
Message-ID: <1994Sep14.154036.29819@news.media.mit.edu>
Sender: news@news.media.mit.edu (USENET News System)
Cc: minsky
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
References: <1994Sep13.030258.1803@news.media.mit.edu> <353ako$e5m@search01.news.aol.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 15:40:36 GMT
Lines: 43

In article <353ako$e5m@search01.news.aol.com> ajhorovitz@aol.com (AJHorovitz) writes:
>In article <1994Sep13.030258.1803@news.media.mit.edu>,
>minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) writes:
>
>[quite a bit of stuff which one should read]
>
>I am left with only one question: Is atheism the only choice for the
>mechanist?  Can there be nothing *or* no thing in this universe that might
>be the handy work of a divine being?
>
>-curious-
>
>alex

Sure, there might be.  You, yourself might be an experimental
simulation in a program written by an inexperienced student in some
larger universe that, in turn, is part of a larger simulation of, etc.

In other words, specifically, the words of Oliver Steele,

   "It's turtles all the way up, too"
 

But now let me ask you a question.  Why on earth should you want to be
a construction of some other entity?  Would not this anhiliate any
significane to your own achievments, any responsibility, significance,
merit, ambition, etc.  Tell me why so many people hope and "pray" that
they'll turn out to be a pawn in some larger game.  Why doesn't the
idea of that some great god is using you fill you with shame and
disgust.

Oh, all right, be a cowering slave if you want.  Live in pointless
hope and fear.  My favorite example is hearing someone's
mother saying, "Thank God that he didn't break *both* legs."


But I suggest transferring this to alt.atheism

-- marvin minsky




