[MD] Mystics and Brains

[Ron Kulp]

-----Original Message-----
From: moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org
[mailto:moq_discuss-bounces at moqtalk.org] On Behalf Of Ham Priday
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 1:20 PM
To: moq_discuss at moqtalk.org
Subject: Re: [MD] Mystics and Brains


Hi Platt --


> If you posit that the universe evolved in order to observe itself, 
> then it has a lot to do with us. If you say the universe evolved for 
> no reason at all, then you end up in a wasteland where "Each 
> individual in his cell of isolation was told that no matter how hard 
> he tried, no matter how hard he worked, his whole life is that of an 
> animal that lives and thinks like any other animal.
> He could invent moral goals for himself, but they are just artificial 
> inventions. Scientifically speaking he has no goals."
> (Lila, 22) I prefer the former scenario to the latter.

What you are describing is the Anthropic Principle I introduced here
under a Value heading.  It asserts that the universe is "fine-tuned" so
as to permit life to exist as we know it.  Were the universe not fine
tuned in this fashion, human beings would not exist, hence could not
observe the universe.
When you tie this in with Value (DQ?), as Arthur Witherall did in his
seminal essay, you then have a workable teleology that supports your
idea.

As Witherall stated it: "Since the question is why rather than how the
world came to be, it seems appropriate to say that it came to be in
order to realize goodness.  This would mean that existence has a
purpose, which is
the realization of value."   This is compatible with the "moral thrust"
of
the MoQ, except that it is man's realization of Value, rather than the
"experience" of rocks and things, that creates the objective world.  (I
also suspect this is what Micah is hinting at by insisting that
everything is objective -- that is, from the perspective of the
subject.)

Ham,
Johann Gottlieb Fichte  had some interesting ideas on this subject, he's
not well known but is 
Considered by some to be the bridge between Kant and Hegel.



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