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Elaboration 19

I would hate to be called an 'atheist' meaning that I would purport to know that there is no god. It is as ridiculous as knowing that there is (are) god (s). 'Agnostic' too, does not seem to fit a real 'free-thinker', he then, would know nothing. The proper free-thinker would be one who prefers to live according to influences that 'are' known (as fact), not according to one of the two unwarranted statements (god is, god is not). Call me then, either a free-thinker, or, call me say, 'sintheist', or agnotheist, when my non-involvement with regard to gods, ghosts, nymphs, mermaids, etc. need be stressed. In general, all science and all knowledge, for that matter, all ideation, tarts off from a belief. Idea, opinion, belief, etc. is a necessity for testing the same against reality. Even when this testing is not desired or possible (like: 'it is a-raining in Tokio' (T. Hancock) ), ideas remain essentially beliefs, only the accompanying notation of likelyhood differs. Science and scientists reject unlikely beliefs AND beliefs that can never be tested or confirmed in any way. Hence it is possible that one meets a scientist who believes in a god, an influence or other ordering agent (than life), and a scientist who believes there is no such thing. As scientists, however, they are aware of the untestability, the nonconfirmability of their beliefs (Elaboration 46.1). One shall not find therefore, a 'real' scientist who attempts the (impossible) next step as in physics, namely to state what this god wants or what it is like (the good, the harsh, the all loving, the time-less etc.). They all know that all steps after the first belief, of necessity belong to fantasy, fiction, art, to the stage, the books, hearsay, etc. Zeuses and Heras, Christs and Allahs, they all belong to that art, all are the next steps after the first belief of existence, all are hearsay, stories told by others, heard from others again and so on. While beliefs are the start of science; fiction and art, they know, belong to enjoyable recreation or entertainment. A scientist (a real scientist), thus, may enjoy a Euripides or Aeschylus, a Matthias Passion or Schoepfung, a Gothic cathedral, a Greek tympanon, a Leonardo, he or she may even enjoy playing an Achilles or Athene part on a stage, but will not sacrifice or pour a libation of costly wine in the intermission, a leg of a turkey at home or things like that. Life, they know, should not be ruled by fantasies, rumours, dreams.

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Ven 2007-09-11