[MD] Dawkins a Materialist (is watching?)

[pholden at davtv.com]

Quoting ARLO J BENSINGER JR <ajb102 at psu.edu>:


> [Platt]
> And you've never explained how a universe emerges from nothing at all, and how
> consciousness emerges from a lump of meat other than "We got lucky." 
> 
> [Arlo]
> Um, I believe Case has posted several lengthy posts to this effect, and I have
> given you brief answers in several recent posts.

Gee, I must have missed it. What are the answers other than "Oops. We got lucky?"

> As for our consciousness being "lucky", assuming you mean the breadth and depth
> of human consciousness, I'd say we are incredible "lucky". Imagine how many
> biological patterns, from fish to dinosaurs, lived on this earth for millions
> and millions of years, and would still were it not for some random
> climatological and environmental events, and even afterwards how many different
> creatures came and went, and still the biosphere exhibits such diversity... and
> in all this "consciousness" (meaning "consciousness as humans have") has only
> been able to emerge from one particular biological pattern, the biological
> pattern of the human brain, which like all other biological patterns was itself
> the result of a long period of evolution and growth in complexity BEFORE any
> type of consciousness could emerge from its fabric.

No doubt "luck" explains it all, at least in your mind.
 
> [Platt]
> So what's your reason for the universe and consciousness?
> 
> [Arlo]
> Quality. (And not "Quality plus a transcendent intelligence")

You mean Quality created the universe and consciousness? So which is it, luck
or Quality? I'm confused. If it's Quality, perhaps we have room for some agreement. 

> [Platt](No, not me)
> Yes, I'd say we are lucky to be here. If billions of years ago, the one chunk of
> planetary debris went on a slightly different trajectory, and never hit the
> earth, there could very well be no people. Go figure.
> 
> [Platt]
> Yep. Just dumb luck.
> 
> [Arlo]
> So you're saying the meteor was sent by a God to deliberately destroy the
> dinosaurs and bring climate change, with the intent of making people?

No. "People" could have been "created" with or without dinosaurs.  
 
> [Platt]
> Positing that God created the natural laws that resulted in rabbits, hats and a
> million and one other patterns of existence at least makes sense based on
> experience of how things are made.  
> 
> [Arlo]
> Who made God? How does a God, whose always existed, jibe with our "experience of
> how things are made"?

Now that you seem to have changed your tune, who made Quality?




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