In a message dated 3/19/00 6:21:24 AM Central Standard Time,
peter@lennox01.freeserve.co.uk writes:
> With respect to your scientist friend - science is not strictly speaking
> capable of 'proving' at all. It is a method of 'destruct testing' by
> rigorously applying logic to the attempt to DIS-prove. Thus, any theory
> which has hitherto withstood this disproving onslaught is considered only
> proved in that sense, and is hence the best theory on that subject TO DATE.
> Thus, science has the nature of an ongoing enquiry which can never really
be
> concluded.
> Refer your friend to Karl Popper's " A world of propensities".
> I think your pessimism is unnecessary; the idea that there are only
> molecules, (or whatever smallest aprticle you light on) was expressed some
> 2.5 thousand years ago by Democritus ;"there are only atoms and the void";
> deep down, people will never subscribe to that view as a cosmology!
> In fact, the 'good' scientists I know of are entirely motivated by a sense
> of wonder, and for them, this increases over time rather than the opposite.
> Does for me too. The idea that we could one day sit around and say "
> there! - that's just about everything understood; nothing else to do, now"
> would fill me with horror if it were'nt so comically unlikely. The journey
> IS the destination. Anybody who tells you different is just depressed, and
> wants you to be too!
My post wasn't really about scientists. I probably didn't make myself clear.
I was concerned mainly with people who have replaced God with science. People
who have no real understanding of actual science, but have faith in it
anyway. Faith in science above all else. Even when they don't understand
science.
To most Americans, science is a very vague concept. They know it's
intellectual, and that's enough to turn most of them away. But at a deep
level that have decided that science, whether they understand science or not,
is the only way to arrive at "the truth." The average person believes this.
The average person is not a scientist.
Pirsig noticed this trend long ago. We have placed Truth above Good in the
ultimate hierarchal order of things. In other words, it doesn't matter if
something is Good if it's not True. Logical positivists think this way.
I am concerned with the trickle down effect that placing Truth above Good is
having on modern day society. This is why we have so much immoral activity in
the world today, and why we have so many atheists.
This is not to say that Good does not play a profound role in their lives,
every single day. Good is very important. It's just a wee bit less important
than Truth. Truth reigns supreme above all else. And that is a deluded point
of view.
Why do they think so highly of science? Since Truth is supreme, there must be
a way of arriving at the Truth....hence science. Science over God. Science
over Wonder. Science over Goodness and Morality. This placing of Truth above
Good is having a profound effect on our lives. Yet no one here ever wants to
talk about it.
It's almost as if this is the one part of Pirsig's book that is a taboo
subject.
Truth above Good. This is a major point near the end of ZMM. Pirsig says
placing Truth above Good is wrong. Why is everyone scared to talk about it?
Especially when the essence of Pirsig's philosophy is this: Good over Truth.
It's a really simple concept, and maybe that's why so many people have a
problem with it. It's not "defined" enough.
I certainly won't try to take credit for saying "everything is atoms and
void." I know that this is a very old concept. And I know that the majority
of people don't think this way. But there are many young chemistry students
and young scientists who are developing this devalued view of humanity.
Students who read Kant. I've heard it and seen it time and time again.
Here's a typical example. A chemistry student, who happens to be a logical
positivist, is having a debate with a young Buddhist. The chemistry student
absolutely rejects the "spiritual" nature of a human being, and says "we have
no spirit. We are just chemicals and molecules. You're fooling yourself if
you think there's anything more to us than that."
Now I've seen that type of response from scientific atheists time and time
again. And this view is having a trickle down effect. Soon people will have
no use for silly concepts like the "soul" or the "spirit". It's all
molecules, nothing special about it. Quality is just a temporary fantasy.
It's not real.
This placing of Truth above Good in our foundational understanding of reality
is having a disastrous effect on humanity and on the earth. Only people who
value humanity should be worried. Nobody else. Because one of the ultimate
goals of science is to rid us of our pesky humanity. I'm not talking about
tomorrow or even one hundred years from now. Humanity will still be very
important for a long time to come. But will humanity survive? Forever? Many
scientists will say, of course it won't. Why should it?
I don't have anything against science, despite how this sounds. I know it can
be a very fascinating and wondrous journey. But like it or not, more people
have faith in science these days than God, and it is showing in today's
society. The people who have no understanding of science but stand on its
discoveries anyway.
Jon
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