What is the universe?

[The Battousai]

I agree, I say that as an athiest leaning agnostic and as a left leaning Democrat. I've tried to get into him since he has this devoted fandom and cult following, but at the end of the day, I've just found he is not only intolerant, but can barely even communicate with people.

I saw this video on Youtube entitled "Richard Dawkins owns a Rabbi". Now I've owned many a religious fundamentalist, but he didn't "own" this guy, he berated him. Basically the Rabbi, who was Hasidic, tried to defend his community by claiming the way they taught their children was not indoctrination but a means of preserving their traditions. Richard Dawkins continued to berate him calling it "indoctrination", and even brushed aside the Rabbi's question of whether he indoctrinated his children with anything.

His assumptions are totally faulty. He seems to believe that God is a delusion, which it may be, but then he makes the leap of faith that because these beliefs cause people to lead lives drastically different from his own they are somehow bad people. Like there was something wrong with being a Hasidic Jew.

Richard Dawkins seems to think his "enlightened" knowledge of the world somehow makes him better than anyone who chooses to lead another life.

So you came to this conclusion based on one video?

Way to be reasonable.

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

A big thing with stars and crap.

 

[Sentinel X]

The only reason religion is incomprehensible is because it was made by fools to be consumed by fools.

Why did you even ask "how do you think it was created" if you are going to automatically criticize people who give an answer you don't approve of?


Anyhow...
My definition of the universe: Everything and anything that exists is with in it. the universe = everything
How it came to be: Not sure.

 

[SuperFerret]

Anyhow...
My definition of the universe: Everything and anything that exists is with in it. the universe = everything
How it came to be: Not sure.

Agreed on both. Although I have ideas on the second.

 

[ShadowBoxing]

So you came to this conclusion based on one video?

Way to be reasonable.

Nice try, but I've seen him interviewed and on TV several times, and he hardly ever changes his tune . Always the same "holier than thou" elitist bullsh**.

 

[The Battousai]

Nice try, but I've seen him interviewed and on TV several times, and he hardly ever changes his tune . Always the same "holier than thou" elitist bullsh**.

Hm - I've never gotten that vibe before.

Have you ever seen his interview with George Coyne?

 

[The Battousai]

Part 1 of 7

 

[Arcturus]

That's a very good interview actually, thanks for posting it up!

 

[ShadowBoxing]

Hm - I've never gotten that vibe before.

Have you ever seen his interview with George Coyne?

Name doesn't ring a bell. I've heard, or at least from what I've read, he's gotten this god complex now that he's become an atheist figurehead. You can see it in his writing. The Selfish Gene is brilliant, while the book The God Delusion is amateurish at best and takes an awful huge leap of faith asserting, that basically, naturalism is true and good without even attempting to defend that argument. As for the interview with George Coyne, there wasn't much there. George does most of the talking. It seems, like most people like him, he has an agenda with his documentaries. He's not different than, ironically for him, Ben Stein with Expelled!.

I remember a quote from Dawkins was "do I have to understand Leprachaunology to understand Leprachauns" when he dismissed his obvious lack of knowledge regarding theology. That to me sums him up so perfectly. He already has made up his mind regarding faith: it's dangerous, it's horrible, it's ridiculous. If you're going to spend your time comparing religious movements to beliefs in Santa, fairies and leprachauns then it's going to be awfully hard to take any viewpoint you have on it seriously. Religion may fall within the realm of the supernatural, but you cannot trivialize it in the way he does. It's too powerful, it has influenced too many, and has even been witnessed first hand (the Miracle of the Sun, for example). He is simply dismissive of those who don't subscribe wholeheartedly to beliefs grounded in naturalism, and fails to even recognize that his belief system in no way, shape or form has any superiority.

In no small measure he has become those he rails against.

 

[Danalys]

Religion may fall within the realm of the supernatural, but you cannot trivialize it in the way he does. It's too powerful, it has influenced too many, and has even been witnessed first hand (the Miracle of the Sun, for example). He is simply dismissive of those who don't subscribe wholeheartedly to beliefs grounded in naturalism, and fails to even recognize that his belief system in no way, shape or form has any superiority.

see that's the crux where he would dissagree with you. not in that religion is powerful and influencial but in that if it has any right to be. he has his position and acts accordingly. that he doesn't handle religion with kid gloves after he has stated it doesn't deserve them is the only way for him not to be hypocritical on the subject.

this may not be tactically astute but it's certainly not reprehensible.

 

[BlackLantern]

Id rather this not turn into a religious discussion, there is a thread for that....so more about what the Universe is in a physical sense

 

[SuperFerret]

Physically, the universe is vast and empty. Speaking strictly physically, there's not only very little to say, but not a whole lot to debate. Philosophically discussing the universe is much more interesting topic, as long as it's done in a civil manner.

 

[Logan's Runt]

Physically, the universe is vast and empty. Speaking strictly physically, there's not only very little to say, but not a whole lot to debate. Philosophically discussing the universe is much more interesting topic, as long as it's done in a civil manner.

Actually, there's a lot to debate as schools of thought within quantum physics start theorizing that space is quite un-empty. They're starting to come to the conclusion that 'empty space' is chock full of crazy interesting things.

 

[SuperFerret]

Actually, there's a lot to debate as schools of thought within quantum physics start theorizing that space is quite un-empty. They're starting to come to the conclusion that 'empty space' is chock full of crazy interesting things.

I guess I've been proven wrong then. Not a big fan or believer in quantum physics as it is.

I still say that philosophy is more interesting.

 

[Logan's Runt]

I guess I've been proven wrong then. Not a big fan or believer in quantum physics as it is.

I still say that philosophy is more interesting.

Fair enough, haha.