Designing Universe Starring...

[Richard Romeo]

from the most recent issue of the NYR of B 
(http://www.nybooks.com/nyrev/index.html)

speech by Steven Weinberg (holds the Josey Regental
Chair in Science at the University of Texas at Austin.
He has been awarded the Nobel Prize and the
National Medal of Science for his work on the theory
of particles and fields.)

"Even a universe that is  completely chaotic, without any laws or 
regularities at all, could be supposed to have been designed by an idiot."
---------
Can scientists ever get it into their heads that the universe is chaotic and 
irreducible for a reason, namely knowledge obtained on such a scale could 
pose problems for man's sanity, namely that in its pursuit for the rational 
underpinnings of nature and existence, science's answers may lead to mass 
insanity. Why are these folks so damn sure more knowledge is a better thing. 
  thank god we don't know the full reality.ignorance is bliss works scaled 
down. too much of it and you got science or religion
--------
"I have the impression that these days most theologians are embarrassed by 
talk of  miracles, but the great monotheistic faiths are founded on miracle 
stories—the burning bush, the empty tomb, an
angel dictating the Koran to Mohammed—and some of  these faiths teach that 
miracles continue at the present  day. The evidence for all these miracles 
seems to me to  be considerably weaker than the evidence for cold  fusion, 
and I don't believe in cold fusion."
-----------
Most theologans are bureaucrats nowadays. Again, that denial of the theme of 
magic and miracle.  Would Weinberg agree that there are hierarchies to 
miracles--that they aren't all full stage productions like the 2nd coming. I 
want to believe. Science doesn't give much credit to the individual 
experience outside of institutional, collective agreements.  Who says an 
event is more valid when more than one person experiences it?  And who's to 
say that shared experience is the same?
----------------
"In this respect, it seems to me that physics is in a better
position to give us a partly satisfying explanation of the
world than religion can ever be, because although
physicists won't be able to explain why the laws of
nature are what they are and not something completely
different, at least we may be able to explain why they
are not slightly different...When you
combine quantum mechanics with relativity you increase
its logical fragility. You find that unless you arrange the
theory in just the right way you get nonsense, like effects
preceding causes, or infinite probabilities."
---------------------
Comments on that last sentence? Kinda speaks for itself.

maybe more to come.
Rich

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com