June 8, 2004
Quote of the Day
"Feelings" of a supreme being prove nothing since feelings are biochemical states. Feelings no more prove god's existence than seeing pink elephants when withdrawing from alcohol prove theirs. Science demands external evidence that is reproducible. This is how the West has risen from the swamp of mysticism and ignorance to antibiotics, computers, space travel, the internal combustion engine, etc.
Mysticism starts out as an apparently harmless, individual subjective experience. It ends up with a whip in its hand and an explosives belt around its waist, tyrannizing everyone who doesn't share that private experience.
Jim Mark
Posted by Russell Whitaker at June 8, 2004 11:21 AM | TrackBackWhen mysticism turns into religion, that is true. By itself, as a personal investigation of the reality of consciousness, it harms no one, and enriches the lives of many.
"Mysticism" often just starts out as temporal lobe epilepsy. It enriches your life no more than the bright lights you see if you hit your head with a hammer. It may well be that the brain damaged have had more effect on human civilization than any other single group of people in history. It sure would explain a lot.
Posted by: steve vs on June 10, 2004 11:06 PM