Re: Re: historical trajectory

To add to the reading list: I just started Simon Conway Morris' "Lifes'
Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe." I have on order Steven
Barr's "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith." Both of these are books that
suggest humanity has some "special status," at least in the sense that
evolutionary convergence or physical laws appear uniquely to lead to the
development of us.

On 1/26/06, Bill Hamilton <williamehamiltonjr@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I sent this offline to Mervin, when I had intended to send it to the list.
> I am
> currently reading The Privileged Planet and Rare Earth. I'd welcome
> discussion
> of these two books on the list.
>
> --- Bill Hamilton <williamehamiltonjr@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 08:46:22 -0800 (PST)
> > From: Bill Hamilton <williamehamiltonjr@yahoo.com>
> > Subject: Re: historical trajectory
> > To: Mervin Bitikofer <mrb22667@kansas.net>
> >
> > Read "Rare earth" by Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee, also "The
> privilieged
> > planet" by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards. Both books make the
> claim
> > that
> > complex life is very rare in the universe. Guillermo Gonzales is a
> professor
> > of
> > astronomy at Iowa State University and an ASA member. I wish we could
> entice
> > him to join this list.
> >
> > --- Mervin Bitikofer <mrb22667@kansas.net> wrote:
> >
> > > Last night at K-State, Dr. Robert Kirshner - an astrophysicist from
> > > Harvard, gave a delightful presentation of the recent history of
> > > cosmology to a lay audience. At one point he made a comment which
> spurs
> > > this further reflection for me. He said something to the effect --
> > > science now finds any propositions perverse or distasteful which would
> > > accord special status to us or our corner of the universe. - a kind
> of
> > > Einstein's equivalency principle philosophically extended if you will.
> > >
> > > A significant source of triumphalist feelings for scientific thinkers
> > > over the last centuries has been the ongoing and successful
> dethronement
> > > of our "special status" feelings. First the earth isn't the center,
> > > then our sun isn't even the center, then our galaxy is but one of
> many,
> > > then Einstein tells us there is no center, and so forth. This makes
> up
> > > an impressive trajectory for which we should be excused if we found
> any
> > > deviation from it to be scientifically (and now philosophically)
> jarring.
> > >
> > > While this was at one time considered a hostile trajectory to church
> > > doctrine, we have long accepted how misreadings were read into
> scripture
> > > to support erroneous cosmologies. Now we can easily site other
> > > passages "What is man that you are mindful of him?" that fit more
> > > nicely with this current trajectory. But how does this assumed
> > > philosophy shape our predictions?
> > >
> > > One obvious way shows up in our science fiction. There is very little
> > > interstellar science fiction which does not have our galaxy peopled
> with
> > > other sentient beings - for good reasons. If we could somehow look at
> > > the rest of the universe and observe conclusively that we are ALONE,
> > > then this would be an extremely jarring end to this historical
> > > trajectory. Or even if we weren't the only life - but just the only
> > > recognizably sentient life, that would still be jarring. So our
> culture
> > > seems to have a fairly firm faith that we just "can't" be alone. It
> > > would be at odds the philosophy that now seems so familiar to us - we
> > > are nothing special. And this assumption is conveniently safe-guarded
> > > by the impossibility of ever proving this negation. If our abundant
> > > 'Trekian interstellar bioscape' fails to materialize, the expanding
> > > hugeness of the universe provides a fairly plausible explanation.
> > > Nevertheless, most theologians (I think) already feel defensive about
> > > the last few centuries and so wisely try not to read a committal
> > > position on this into the Bible. And I would agree that the lesson
> for
> > > us was necessary and well learned. It seems absurd (especially in
> > > hindsight) to have used scriptures thus.
> > >
> > > What are any of your thoughts on how long this trajectory holds or if
> it
> > > will ever stop? Do we hold out any well-grounded defiance of this
> > > pattern in spiritual terms? Or is science just delivering some much
> > > needed lessons about anthropocentric arrogance?
> > >
> > > --merv
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > Bill Hamilton
> > William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
> > 586.986.1474 (work) 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
> > "...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31
> >
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>
>
> Bill Hamilton
> William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
> 586.986.1474 (work) 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
> "...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31
>
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Received on Thu Jan 26 14:25:34 2006