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Thursday, July 25. 2019

David Berlinski is one of the smart guys

It's about the limits of Materialism and the limits of experts. He is mind-expanding. (His bio here. He is a polymath.) This is what high IQ looks like to me.



Posted by The News Junkie in The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 15:11 | Comments (10) | Trackbacks (0)

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Quite a guy. His daughter was a good journalist until Trump came along, then her head exploded. Why ?????
#1 RJT on 2019-07-25 16:17 (Reply)
TDS. It has infected and caused "disability" in many a journalist. Consider it one of the hazards of the profession. Its sort of what block lund disease used to be for coal minors.
#1.1 Abelard Lindsey on 2019-07-25 17:25 (Reply)
This video made me feel sad. Two mature adults dealing in pure bull; as if they were having a serious discussion. There is no way for us to know if there is a God; for the reason that we currently possess maybe .0000001% of what we would need to know in order to make that determination. These guys are engaging in the purest speculation; and then dressing it up with big words. They are so full of shit that their breath stinks.

There is not, nor can there ever be, such a thing as "Atheism".
Sure, you can always say that you don't believe in God, but there is no way that you could ever prove that assertion, except by using purely theoretical logic.

If God is unable to prevent evil, then he is not all-powerful.
If God is not willing to prevent evil, then he is not all-good.
If God is both willing and able to prevent evil, then why does evil exist?

The above "trilemma" seems to prove that God does not exist, because there is evil in the world. But who defines evil? For example, if we sent all the black people back to Africa, would that be evil? The little kids who could finally play outside wouldn't think so. But atheists believe that they can define evil; and also that they can see to the farthest reaches of the universe. So they possess both moral and scientific authority.
That's a lot more gratifying than being a nobody who believes in God.
#2 Ron B Liebermann on 2019-07-25 20:14 (Reply)
Actually simple logic makes god or any supreme being very unlikely. It is logical and rational that life began with simple single cell forms eventually over millions of years becoming multicell and more complicated. It is even replicable.

It is illogical and impossible that an all powerful being could simply be created to run this massive universe.

The bottom line is humans are superstitious and like order and safe explanations so they invent "god(s)". Humans are also devious so some choose to use the invented "god(s)" and humans natural superstitions to gain and hold power. How? By trying to convince us even more that there is really a god and that "they" have some kind of connection or direct line to god. THIS explanation is so logical and provable especially when compared with the virtually impossible theory of a super powerful being.
#2.1 OneGuy on 2019-07-25 20:37 (Reply)
The beginning of life is easy to imagine happening by chance. The beginning of things, of matter and energy, is something else. I'm not qualified to teach Aquinias, but he uses logic to explain that a thing cannot create itself. That same thing cannot have always existed.
#2.1.1 Jack Walter on 2019-07-26 07:28 (Reply)
The universe and all the matter and everything we know about it is a mystery and it is clear we don't know enough about it and that some of what we "know" is wrong. But introducing a supreme being into that equation solves nothing and complicates everything. Where did HE come from? Was there and even more supreme being that created HIM? Where did that even more supreme being come from? … ad infinitum.
#2.1.1.1 OneGuy on 2019-07-26 17:26 (Reply)
Ahhhh, Mr. Liebermann, as my 7 year old said to his 12 year old

sister who was opining on this exact thing,

"You keep forgetting about that pesky free will thing."
#2.2 Beth on 2019-07-26 18:37 (Reply)
What a facile mind this man exhibits. Although he contrasts Hitchens, their minds are similar-at least to me.

Imagine hating the concept of a loving deity so much that you would waste the time typing what R.B.L. just types above.
#3 BrianInNC on 2019-07-25 20:25 (Reply)
I don't mind one little bit being a nobody that believes in God. In fact, I thank Him Daily for His Amazing Grace. I was an Atheist until in my early 40's, was baptized when I was 45, most important day of my life.
#4 RJT on 2019-07-25 22:51 (Reply)
I was baptized on the day I was delivered from my mother's womb, and God gave me that breath of life. My soul is that piece of him that I carry throughout my existence on this earth. I have always felt his presence since I was a small child. I believe even before I truly understood the concept.

Mr. Berlinski is a captivating speaker, enjoyed this video very much.
#5 Pocono pam on 2019-07-26 08:13 (Reply)

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