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#12
06-30-2005, 02:41 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
You and CallMeIshmael's experiences are quite in line with many stories I have heard. It is most often cited with regards to those who study astronomy, follwed by physics.
Robert Griffiths, a winner of the Heinemann prize in mathematical physics, once said, "If we need an atheist for a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn't much use." 
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#15
06-30-2005, 03:15 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] I wonder if learning too much will make my world view less happy. [/ QUOTE ] Ironically, the more I learn about science (specifically biology, but some physics as well) the more likely I feel there IS a God. But, I know this is a rare occurance. [/ QUOTE ] Elaborate, please.
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#16
06-30-2005, 03:17 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
Interestingly enough, in recent months the prominent philosopher and Hume scholar Anthony Flew converted from atheism to belief in God, though he characterized himself as a Deist, i.e. someone who believes God started the clockwork of the universe but has since then not interfered with the natural running of things. What convinced him was arguments that the complexity of molecular level components of living things are too intricate to be explained by natural selection as they are also too basic: natural selection needs something to work on, and the fundamental buildind blocks of life on which is would presumably have little effect are already excessively complicated, implying a designer of (at least) these blocks. All of this is argued most notedly in Michael Behe's book "Darwin's black box."
I don't know if Flew still holds to this, as biologists have not been much convinced that this is an irreparable problem for evolution theory's explanatory capacity: many good explanations for such molecular complexity resulting from ordinary natural processes have been provided. But I think that Flew is a good example of an atheist open to further argument about the issue of the existence of God with the attendant possibility of being convinced that his/her position is untenable, and I think the spirit of his conversion is in good keeping with critical, rational deliberation and exchange; something all atheists should follow in. His spirit, that is, not necessarily his conclusions. Incidentally, does anybody know what the story with Flew is now? Is he still a Deist?
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#17
06-30-2005, 03:19 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
Just thought I should mention that if you listen to a lot of Billy Joel you will realize that he goes through the same thing, struggling to believe something he really doesn't feel he can, most evident of course in River of Dreams.
This concept of wanting to believe something I find puzzling and fascinating at the same time. Why can't these people just give "faith" a try for a day and see how it works out instead of demanding proof. That one day won't hurt them and they may actually get what they really want. I'm still holding out for Billy to become Christian.
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#18
06-30-2005, 03:21 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
[ QUOTE ]
Robert Griffiths, a winner of the Heinemann prize in mathematical physics, once said, "If we need an atheist for a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn't much use." [/ QUOTE ] That's very interesting to me, as I believe that physics and philosophy students are some of the most intelligent people, and appear to me to be fairly like minded. The makeup of physics and philosophy classes I've been in seem similar.
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#19
06-30-2005, 03:52 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Robert Griffiths, a winner of the Heinemann prize in mathematical physics, once said, "If we need an atheist for a debate, I go to the philosophy department. The physics department isn't much use." [/ QUOTE ] That's very interesting to me, as I believe that physics and philosophy students are some of the most intelligent people, and appear to me to be fairly like minded. The makeup of physics and philosophy classes I've been in seem similar. [/ QUOTE ] This is an interesting connection. I don't think that students of physics and philosophy have the same mindset, rather they both explore the nature of existence and the universe from different perspectives.
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#20
06-30-2005, 04:58 AM
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Re: Dear Atheists/Agnostics....
If there was a god, and he was anything like the one the majority of westerners worship, I'd be caught between dismay and disgust.
If God's existance was somehow indisputably proven to me, I could only be content if I was able to question him a bit. Even if I didn't like the answers, I'd be pretty accepting if he was honest with me. We still might not get along though. Zelig is my favorite Woody Allen movie, if that matters.
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