Problems with this section (Agnosticism)

by George Jelliss , Crewe, Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 19:04 (5263 days ago) @ Frank Paris

Some responses to Frank's post-I wrote: "If the string is made of anything I imagine it is made of some sort of fluctuation in the void, a sort of vibrating nothingness."-Frank: A "a vibrating nothingness"??? If something is vibrating, it isn't nothing /// it isn't logical or coherent to be talking about "nothingness vibrating." -If you look back in the threads you will find we discussed this question quite extensively before you came along. I was referring to the idea, based on quantum theory, that the universe began as a "fluctuation in the void". The physicist Victor J. Stenger favours this view. His recent book "Quantun Gods" concludes with a chapter on "Nothingism".-I wrote: "There is no evidence of consciousness existing anywhere but in evolved beings of sufficient complexity."-Frank: In talking about "evidence," I think you're talking about the kind of public evidence available for peer review, by examining the physical world with various scientific instruments, including the human senses. -Correct.-Frank: But the origin of religious belief is elsewhere. Fundamentally, religious beliefs are based on internal experiences that are private to each individual. Therefore your above observation is totally irrelevant to the person with faith, and I don't even know why you'd bother making that observation. It has nothing to do with the conversation.-If this is so then it seems religious belief is purely personal fantasy. We are talking about the universe as a whole having some sort of "consciousness". I would have thought this was a claim open to scientific study.-I wrote: "But you are welcome to my image of the God that Hums the universe into existence."-Frank: That's your analogy, not mine. excuse me if I decline your invitation and stick with my own formulations.-My comment was addressed to BBella.

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GPJ