[MD] False Messiah

[Peter Corteen]

Hi all,

I don't agree that there has been a moral decline since the Victorians -
that depends entirely on your point of view; but evolution is still taking
place and spandrels are appearing all over the shop - I read today on the
bbc  that scientists have now built a computer circuit on a single molecule
and a few weeks ago that they have restored a rodent's severed optic nerve
by injecting a nano related material. As an atheist I recognise that I have
assumed moral responsibility for myself and my actions but how do I measure
my morality if it is ultimately subjective? Perhaps it's based on how many
spandrels I produce or whether they are persistent spandrels. The answer
can't be simply how happy I am for there is always the flip side to that.
Also as an atheist I recognise the amazing properties of the stuff of
suchness, the magnificent mechanisms of evolution and the concomitant
ingenuity  and intelligence of man. But the giant moves on: what I thought
off as a ridiculous idea 30 years ago  when I heard two men in discussion in
a train carriage, today, as an atheist I have to accept as likely; man has
the possibility to create a thinking machine and to create new forms of
life. I'm now thinking of  'the Stanton' in Philip K. Dicks novel 'The
Simulacra' - maybe some one like him will be the next hero!

Peter