Different in degree or kind (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, November 08, 2013, 01:51 (3822 days ago) @ dhw


> dhw; What do you see in the universe that is not part of the non-stop sequence of comings and goings? Yes, there is order. And there is also disorder. And the orderly elements of the universe have resulted in life. That is as far as any of us can go ... the rest is speculation.-Agreed. I just want speculation that has some founding in the current reality we have scientifically explored.-> 
> dhw: I do not remain stochastically inclined. I am an agnostic. This website is a direct result of my opposition to Dawkins' dogmatism, but if the question "How do you explain life and consciousness?" is not shallow, then nor is the question "How do you explain God?"-The website is excellent, the discussions civil, and we have a tentative conclusion that chance mutation and natural selection are not the answer to how evolution worked. Nor can we explain the appearance of the universe, of life, and of consciousness. All of these appear to require planning. Planning requires thought and therefore a mind to perform the planning. Why that mind is there for eternity is the only mystery. Something has to be eternal. There is no alternative to that statement. We do not obtain something from nothing. We can stop at this point in the discussion. I am satisfied not to go further than the thoughts in this paragraph. Remember I do not accept all of religions statements about the attributes of God. How can they know them. When Abraham asked God who he was, He said "I am who I am." Perfect reply. And I am immensely happy with that stopping point.