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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