My cup runneth over. I’m in the middle of running my business, selling my business, designing an e-learning space for a local nonprofit, purchasing a condo in Boston, and searching for a job in Boston. I’m having a good time; however, time itself seems to be in rather short supply at the moment. To clarify and correct my first sentence: my cup runneth over onto my counter and is making a bit of a sticky mess.
So, while I miss blogging and know I should keep with writing and all that good stuff, I’m going to continue to be mainly absent for the next month or so until things start to slow down a bit.
I hope everyone else’s cups are treating them well!
Friday, February 23, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The Watchmaker’s Apprentice part 2
Previously, we determined that you had been stranded on a beach, found a few watches, made a few religions on your own, and then found a tribe and religion that offered some comfort and assistance. The story was the backdrop for examining the Watchmaker argument: Given Design. Therefore Creator.
It might be interesting to take a native’s perspective as they investigate the outsider’s magical “watch.” You, now the native, see the magical moving watch of your new friend. You determine that this watch, being not alive, must have a creator like the creator of your boats and bows. Given Design. Therefore Creator.
You determine that to make such a small, yet powerful object, this creator must have amazing and magical powers. Given Design. Therefore Powerful Creator.
You ask your friend about the watch and he provides you with a book. He declares it to be the watchmakers manual and from it you can learn what you need to know. Given Writings. Therefore Divine Word.
You can not actually read the book, so your friend ‘helps’ you. He explains some of the desires of the watchmaker, such as daily winding and protection from the rain. He also explains the location of the watchmaker, a place called “China”, and that the watchmaker has the power to make this and many other items. You fiercely follow the ‘user instructions’, worried that you will miss out on gifts or suffer due to breaking the watchmakers rules. Given Paranoia. Therefore Dogma.
You tell some of your friends of the benefits and “other items” that the watchmaker can provide. You tell them of the inviolable “usage instructions” your friend has translated for you. That they may also get benefits of the watchmaker if they follow the “usage instructions.” Some of your native friends are impressed and come to see the watch. Given Promises. Therefore Followers.
After a short time, your native friends appreciate the knowledge that you are bringing. They are happy about the promise of new gifts and often come to you for advice and counsel about what the watchmaker would want. Given Followers. Therefore Clergy.
Your friend has noticed what you are doing and explains that you may have misunderstood. After some time, you think you understand. You are sorry about missing out and go to tell some of the natives that you misunderstood. The ‘user instructions’ and the watch are not really so great. They are angry and want some of what you promised. Although you try to explain, some of them refuse to believe you and hold onto the “old ways.” Given Hope. Therefore Delusion.
Some of your native friends never give up about the watchmaker. Your and your outside friend and many of the others wonder at how they could still be confused, but they seem happy and so you leave them alone. After a time, you and your outsider friend pass on, but the promises of the watchmaker do not. A future expedition finds the remote island. There are standard divine statues, but they seem to have watches carved into their arms. The natives perform a daily prayer ritual called “winding” and tell of a great messiah who will one day return to take them all to salvation in China. Given Time. Therefore Legend.
One of the members of the expedition explains that you can go to a place called heaven if you put water on your head and just believe really hard, but the natives weren’t nearly gullible enough to believe that.
[Although I wrote this from scratch, I was quickly shown a passage in Dawkins’ book The God Delusion. This passage talks about a phenomenon called “Cargo Cults” in which natives deify sailors and the possessions they bring on cargo ships. In case you thought this was implausible, well apparently it does happen.]
It might be interesting to take a native’s perspective as they investigate the outsider’s magical “watch.” You, now the native, see the magical moving watch of your new friend. You determine that this watch, being not alive, must have a creator like the creator of your boats and bows. Given Design. Therefore Creator.
You determine that to make such a small, yet powerful object, this creator must have amazing and magical powers. Given Design. Therefore Powerful Creator.
You ask your friend about the watch and he provides you with a book. He declares it to be the watchmakers manual and from it you can learn what you need to know. Given Writings. Therefore Divine Word.
You can not actually read the book, so your friend ‘helps’ you. He explains some of the desires of the watchmaker, such as daily winding and protection from the rain. He also explains the location of the watchmaker, a place called “China”, and that the watchmaker has the power to make this and many other items. You fiercely follow the ‘user instructions’, worried that you will miss out on gifts or suffer due to breaking the watchmakers rules. Given Paranoia. Therefore Dogma.
You tell some of your friends of the benefits and “other items” that the watchmaker can provide. You tell them of the inviolable “usage instructions” your friend has translated for you. That they may also get benefits of the watchmaker if they follow the “usage instructions.” Some of your native friends are impressed and come to see the watch. Given Promises. Therefore Followers.
After a short time, your native friends appreciate the knowledge that you are bringing. They are happy about the promise of new gifts and often come to you for advice and counsel about what the watchmaker would want. Given Followers. Therefore Clergy.
Your friend has noticed what you are doing and explains that you may have misunderstood. After some time, you think you understand. You are sorry about missing out and go to tell some of the natives that you misunderstood. The ‘user instructions’ and the watch are not really so great. They are angry and want some of what you promised. Although you try to explain, some of them refuse to believe you and hold onto the “old ways.” Given Hope. Therefore Delusion.
Some of your native friends never give up about the watchmaker. Your and your outside friend and many of the others wonder at how they could still be confused, but they seem happy and so you leave them alone. After a time, you and your outsider friend pass on, but the promises of the watchmaker do not. A future expedition finds the remote island. There are standard divine statues, but they seem to have watches carved into their arms. The natives perform a daily prayer ritual called “winding” and tell of a great messiah who will one day return to take them all to salvation in China. Given Time. Therefore Legend.
One of the members of the expedition explains that you can go to a place called heaven if you put water on your head and just believe really hard, but the natives weren’t nearly gullible enough to believe that.
[Although I wrote this from scratch, I was quickly shown a passage in Dawkins’ book The God Delusion. This passage talks about a phenomenon called “Cargo Cults” in which natives deify sailors and the possessions they bring on cargo ships. In case you thought this was implausible, well apparently it does happen.]
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Watchmaker's Apprentice part 1
Let us assume for a moment that you, the reader, are stranded on a desert island. You see design in the world and theorize that, yes, there must indeed be a higher power responsible for this design. You have determined in fact that there is a higher being, although you are still a little unclear about the details. Given Design. Therefore Creator. You have extrapolated this principle from watch to universe. Let us return to the details and theorize about what practical conclusions one might draw, and how curious these conclusions might seem.
You are stranded on a beach and see a watch, concluding that there must be other intelligent life. You come closer only to find that the watch is actually a shiny rock on some kelp that gave the appearance of a rock. Your expectations and prior knowledge led you to jump to a conclusion prior to verifying evidence. Given Nothing. Therefore Creator.
Later, you have been without food and are in dire straights. You find another watch, concluding again that there must be civilization. Later, after continuing your search, you find food, eat, and regain your wits. You find the ‘watch’ was actually just a rock. Given Dire Straits. Therefore Creator.
Later, your newly-found food supply dwindles and you again find yourself in dire straights. In your state, you determine that it must have been the fake watch that led you to your initial success in finding food. You return to the ‘watch’, pick it up, and carry it with you believing that this watch will assist you. Given Coincidence. Therefore Personal Creator.
You later find food and a native tribe. They are tentative, but you move closer to their leader. They see on your arm a real watch. They see its hands moving for no apparent reason and determine you to be a magical being. Given Unknown. Therefore Powerful Creator.
As they bow and show deference, you unfortunately trip and fall on your face, showing your lack of divinity. They immediately drag you to their Gods, one of which is a body with a large eye, and the other of which is a body with a head. With their spears, they indicate clearly that you should worship. Given Threats. Therefore Worship. And Given Outsiders. Therefore Assimilation.
You defer, and, given no other alternative, you live with the tribe rather happily for a period of time. You adopt their customs, including worship. The comfort provided by their society gives you ample incentive to allow them the superstitions you know are wrong. Given Habit. Therefore Religion And Given Comfort. Therefore Compliance.
How many times has this played out in the past? Combinations of assumed magic, the unknown, coincidence, and assimilation all leading towards a pattern of organized religion. Independents wandered through difficult surroundings with little understanding of the world and happy for any opportunity to band together with others for protection.
Next, we'll examine the Watchmaker argument from the native’s perspective.
You are stranded on a beach and see a watch, concluding that there must be other intelligent life. You come closer only to find that the watch is actually a shiny rock on some kelp that gave the appearance of a rock. Your expectations and prior knowledge led you to jump to a conclusion prior to verifying evidence. Given Nothing. Therefore Creator.
Later, you have been without food and are in dire straights. You find another watch, concluding again that there must be civilization. Later, after continuing your search, you find food, eat, and regain your wits. You find the ‘watch’ was actually just a rock. Given Dire Straits. Therefore Creator.
Later, your newly-found food supply dwindles and you again find yourself in dire straights. In your state, you determine that it must have been the fake watch that led you to your initial success in finding food. You return to the ‘watch’, pick it up, and carry it with you believing that this watch will assist you. Given Coincidence. Therefore Personal Creator.
You later find food and a native tribe. They are tentative, but you move closer to their leader. They see on your arm a real watch. They see its hands moving for no apparent reason and determine you to be a magical being. Given Unknown. Therefore Powerful Creator.
As they bow and show deference, you unfortunately trip and fall on your face, showing your lack of divinity. They immediately drag you to their Gods, one of which is a body with a large eye, and the other of which is a body with a head. With their spears, they indicate clearly that you should worship. Given Threats. Therefore Worship. And Given Outsiders. Therefore Assimilation.
You defer, and, given no other alternative, you live with the tribe rather happily for a period of time. You adopt their customs, including worship. The comfort provided by their society gives you ample incentive to allow them the superstitions you know are wrong. Given Habit. Therefore Religion And Given Comfort. Therefore Compliance.
How many times has this played out in the past? Combinations of assumed magic, the unknown, coincidence, and assimilation all leading towards a pattern of organized religion. Independents wandered through difficult surroundings with little understanding of the world and happy for any opportunity to band together with others for protection.
Next, we'll examine the Watchmaker argument from the native’s perspective.
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