Reply #67: I see ... [View All]

[MatrixEscape]

Thanks for your response.

Well, that is admirable. I think that working it though, regardless of the conclusion, is far better than belief for its own sake. The assumption that belief is an end in itself is problematic to me. It is like seeking the truth and settling for half-truths or lies merely because it is comfortable to do so -- a protracted sojourn.

Oddly, while I am not promoting or advocating "intelligent design", it is noteworthy that one's "observations" can yield an some interesting and provocative questions.

The objective nature of scientific approach still relies on a subjective interaction. All scientific measurement aside, that then colors our objectivity in various degrees. The questions of order versus chaos, meaning, intelligence, and implications of meta-levels are all fascinating and, to me, open-ended. That is where my form of Agnosticism has led me. Rather than a logical positivism, reductionism, or grossly materialistic perspective, there are still factors that motivate progressive inspection. In that case, it is dynamic.

The classic example is a third-state regarding the synergy of material and experiential modes. You hold an orange in you hand. It has mass, form, and function, (food) to you. It has x number and types of atoms, molecules, compounds, etc. It reflects light at a certain wavelength. And yet, you peel it. You smell it. You bite right into into it and taste it. Subjectively, there is something that seems to transcend the material and functional aspects of the object. That applies to many "qualities" that we experience where the whole seems to be greater than the sum of the parts. This is very curious.

The subject is large, but I just wanted to note that there are various ways to approach the idea of Agnosticism. We can see things with different types of eyes depending on what we are "looking" at and the context. I would even posit that science, (in the physical realm) has tenets that can be based on faith or belief in very abstract mathmatical theories. In fact, that demonstrates the value of faith or belief in that it is a place where you can start a long journey, but not the place you should stay or hope to end up.