Audiobook: 50mins \ 22hrs 42mins.
I just finished the preface and chapter 1. Pinker discussed some of the social, moral, political, and intellectual positions and conflicts between the two extremes of Nature versus Nurture (blank slate). Human Nature states that we are innately built a certain way in terms of behavior, namely through genes or as some would additionally attribute to the soul or spirit. Human Nature states that we are born with no slant towards anything, we are blank slates, and as such, all behavior is learned through the environment as experience. Most would blend the two together to form their ideas on human behavior.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Should We Fire God? (Part 3b-3)
Building the list
In the last post, we asked the questions of how far should God go to restrict our pain and suffering. If we were to build a list, what would it look like and when would it end?
Continuing on page 67, “The big problem for the person who makes that list really isn’t where you start, but where you stop. In a world where pain is constrained, what pain is allowable? Any ? None? This really starts to get tricky. The cancer can be removed, but what kind of life will be left afterward?”
He then goes on to discuss some of the purposes of pain with an example from his life, similar to the ones I alluded to above about pain being good in some circumstances for the short term and more often long term well being of our body and its constituent parts.
In the last post, we asked the questions of how far should God go to restrict our pain and suffering. If we were to build a list, what would it look like and when would it end?
Continuing on page 67, “The big problem for the person who makes that list really isn’t where you start, but where you stop. In a world where pain is constrained, what pain is allowable? Any ? None? This really starts to get tricky. The cancer can be removed, but what kind of life will be left afterward?”
He then goes on to discuss some of the purposes of pain with an example from his life, similar to the ones I alluded to above about pain being good in some circumstances for the short term and more often long term well being of our body and its constituent parts.
Should We Fire God? (Part 3b-2)
From Normal to Abnormal
Let’s take an excerpt from the book.
“Something – we’re not sure what – takes the very natural process of cell replication and causes it to go haywire. Cells start reproducing too quickly or begin producing the wrong things; in some cases, they simply don’t die when they are supposed to. This is all because of something deep within the human body breaking down, a normal process becoming abnormal…
… We probably all have stories of someone hearing the ‘There is simply nothing else we can do’ speech. In our society, which so highly elevates personal choice and flexibility, this can be an especially stinging conclusion. We are immersed in a culture that allows us to do everything from ordering our burgers our way to setting up our own payment plans, to choosing the background for our Twitter home pages. So, beyond the clear implications of hearing that phrase pertaining to a battle with cancer, we are generally unaccustomed to hearing that our choices are severely limited.
And it is almost true.
Let’s take an excerpt from the book.
“Something – we’re not sure what – takes the very natural process of cell replication and causes it to go haywire. Cells start reproducing too quickly or begin producing the wrong things; in some cases, they simply don’t die when they are supposed to. This is all because of something deep within the human body breaking down, a normal process becoming abnormal…
… We probably all have stories of someone hearing the ‘There is simply nothing else we can do’ speech. In our society, which so highly elevates personal choice and flexibility, this can be an especially stinging conclusion. We are immersed in a culture that allows us to do everything from ordering our burgers our way to setting up our own payment plans, to choosing the background for our Twitter home pages. So, beyond the clear implications of hearing that phrase pertaining to a battle with cancer, we are generally unaccustomed to hearing that our choices are severely limited.
And it is almost true.
Should We Fire God? (Part 3b-1)
Perspective Three: Holy Scriptures and religion
There are the big three monotheistic Abrahamic religions that dominate the world today, along with others such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc. I’ll just be discussing the Christian scriptures and influenced perspective(s) since that is what I am familiar with, grew up with, and adhere to.
Did you catch that? I just gave away my world view and my presuppositions about my thinking. So I’m not so open-minded, now am I? I am just building up a straw man and blowing him over to push my ‘religion’, right? I’ll let you be the verdict on that. Everyone holds to something, and this is an expression of my current understanding of a piece of mine.
There are the big three monotheistic Abrahamic religions that dominate the world today, along with others such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc. I’ll just be discussing the Christian scriptures and influenced perspective(s) since that is what I am familiar with, grew up with, and adhere to.
Did you catch that? I just gave away my world view and my presuppositions about my thinking. So I’m not so open-minded, now am I? I am just building up a straw man and blowing him over to push my ‘religion’, right? I’ll let you be the verdict on that. Everyone holds to something, and this is an expression of my current understanding of a piece of mine.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Should We Fire God? (Part 3a)
My approach
When I initially thought about this post, I wanted to list the major points that I felt were Jim’s strongest from the book along with my reaction(s) to them. After further consideration, I decided to diverge from my initial approach. I will be breaking this down into what I see (from a 21st century American’s eyes) as some of the major different perspectives from which we can address these questions about God, pain, suffering, and the like.
I realize that I can’t catch all the fish with the nets I am casting (my generalizations and stereotypes encapsulated by each section below), but I am going under some assumptions based on experience and exposure to the below world views that will help convey different ways I see that one can approach these questions. I also realize that in areas it may seem incomplete or oversimplified, either due to the fact that this is a blog entry and I can only do so much or perhaps because I simply am not well versed in it. One can and may indeed float between the different sections of thought I discuss below, because this can be a very complex undergoing of exploration for the human mind. One cannot simply avoid the full spectrum of observances and perspectives if they wish to take this on in its entirety, which by no means do I subscribe I am fully doing here.
Let’s proceed.
When I initially thought about this post, I wanted to list the major points that I felt were Jim’s strongest from the book along with my reaction(s) to them. After further consideration, I decided to diverge from my initial approach. I will be breaking this down into what I see (from a 21st century American’s eyes) as some of the major different perspectives from which we can address these questions about God, pain, suffering, and the like.
I realize that I can’t catch all the fish with the nets I am casting (my generalizations and stereotypes encapsulated by each section below), but I am going under some assumptions based on experience and exposure to the below world views that will help convey different ways I see that one can approach these questions. I also realize that in areas it may seem incomplete or oversimplified, either due to the fact that this is a blog entry and I can only do so much or perhaps because I simply am not well versed in it. One can and may indeed float between the different sections of thought I discuss below, because this can be a very complex undergoing of exploration for the human mind. One cannot simply avoid the full spectrum of observances and perspectives if they wish to take this on in its entirety, which by no means do I subscribe I am fully doing here.
Let’s proceed.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Should We Fire God? (Part 2b)
The beginning of questioning and doubting
At the end of 2007, I began my first real questioning of God, my faith, and what I could trust as real. This questioning was moreso in regards to factual truth and whether what I knew was reality and not something just in my head or thought up by humans thousands of years ago. It never really reached a questioning of the character of God, his goodness. Those six months or so were a painful time for me as I wrestled through questioning the basic tenets and assumptions in my faith. Is God the way I know him? Does he even exist? Can I trust the Bible? Is it all in my head? What is real? How do you determine truth? Have I been somehow deceived? Can I ever know?
At the end of 2007, I began my first real questioning of God, my faith, and what I could trust as real. This questioning was moreso in regards to factual truth and whether what I knew was reality and not something just in my head or thought up by humans thousands of years ago. It never really reached a questioning of the character of God, his goodness. Those six months or so were a painful time for me as I wrestled through questioning the basic tenets and assumptions in my faith. Is God the way I know him? Does he even exist? Can I trust the Bible? Is it all in my head? What is real? How do you determine truth? Have I been somehow deceived? Can I ever know?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Should We Fire God? (Part 2a)
Punishment from above
Up until perhaps the last few years, moreso the last few months to a year, I had never really considered some of the questions presented in the previous post (Part 1) concerning God and pain and suffering. Had I been presented with those same questions then, it wouldn’t have bothered or shaken my view of God because although I could see pain and suffering around me and in the world, God was good, merciful, and love. I thought, our suffering and pain is due to the effects of sin since the beginning of time. Not that your sin has a direct cause and effect relationship like the Jews of Jesus’ time believed, but in the sense that we live in a broken world tainted by sin, and the only hope we have of eradicating this would be the full return and glory of Jesus Christ to end all pain.
Up until perhaps the last few years, moreso the last few months to a year, I had never really considered some of the questions presented in the previous post (Part 1) concerning God and pain and suffering. Had I been presented with those same questions then, it wouldn’t have bothered or shaken my view of God because although I could see pain and suffering around me and in the world, God was good, merciful, and love. I thought, our suffering and pain is due to the effects of sin since the beginning of time. Not that your sin has a direct cause and effect relationship like the Jews of Jesus’ time believed, but in the sense that we live in a broken world tainted by sin, and the only hope we have of eradicating this would be the full return and glory of Jesus Christ to end all pain.
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