Knowledge, belief & agnosticism (Agnosticism)

by clayto , Sunday, March 23, 2008, 10:51 (6087 days ago) @ David Turell

David, this seems a good summary of things I have been reading a lot about recently including in the remarkably clear and agnostic 'The Universe In A Single Atom' by the Dalai Lama (whose sincerity in the current crisis could hardly be doubted by anybody who has read it). - Regarding 'the universe only exists because we observe it' concept, I have always been attracted to the compelling logic of this having read about Berkley's Idealism as a teenager so I have been interested to see its re-examination with the arrival of Quantum Physics (and its discussion in Paul Davis 'The Goldilocks Principle' for example.) - I understand your use of the term 'extreme' view but in what sense could the universe be said to exist if there was no consciousness present to perceive it, directly or indirectly ----- nothing visible, touchable or able to be felt, nothing audible, nothing to be smelt ---- nothing to be apprehended in any way because there was nothing capable of any form of apprehension? - Chris