And what's more....from George Gilder....
Message 12436161
To me that's worth reading. But he goes a bit wrong at the end.
<The twentieth century has been an era
when an atheistic belief in the ultimacy of matter and the triviality of man led
to the horrors of Nazism, Communism, and an epoch of total war. Now
sweeping through the global economy, the overthrow of matter will unleash
an undertow of religious belief that will make the new millennium a time of
awakening to the oceanic grandeur and goodness of the universe. An
economy of ideas and innovations ultimately means an economy ruled by
spirit and faith.>
He blames things on an atheistic belief in the ultimacy of matter and the triviality of man [by which he means people].
He's quite wrong there. Those people who did such bad things were firm believers in the primacy of people and the particular amazing grace of themselves and their general superiority to all that they could defeat and make serve their will. They were not so much atheists as believers in their own supreme being [unfortunately, in the same way as any common alpha male in a primate or mammalian species tends to adopt the position of 'top dog']. No need to invoke atheism or religiosity to explain them; simple animal dominance and hunter-gatherer instincts are enough to explain them.
George is trying to demonize good, honest atheism, which is far less arrogant than his religious fantasy that human DNA is the supreme being of existence. Human DNA is but one small strand of an absurdly complex 'thing' of which we dimly perceive a microcosm during a few orbits around a remote and insignificant star.
Where he is right is that to presume to continue to live in the face of this unfathomable existence we need to have a good dose of faith, hope and love.
The narrow faith of religious people immediately leads them to defeat the gentiles, heathens, pagans, catholics, protestants, jews, moslems and whatever other mystics try to wield a sword or stoning to control others and take possession of the material goods available.
The broad faith of atheists has no truck with such narrow ideologies. We can only live by love, faith and hope. We have no afterlife to succour us and give immunity to whatever bad acts we might do. No foregiveness to absolve us of our foolishness which cross we must bear our whole existence. We have to be good in THIS life. Now, not later. No confessional. We must co-operate and love not just people, but all of existence, in puzzlement, but with a glimmering light which we might increasingly shine on the black hole of the unconscious universe.
Atheists live in hope. We have no certainty to mollify us. No dogma to save thinking. We only hope that we will survive and shine a little light, adding our little bit to the collective brightening.
Atheists believe that consciousness and science, objective shared realities, are the way to spread the light.
It's the sweeping away of religious bigotry, ignorance and dogma which is enabling the light to permeate the black hole of the universe. Maybe Superstring theories will lead to yet more intractable puzzles. Maybe Hubble telescopes will simply reveal yet more dwarfing of our self-importance and understanding.
Religious zealots will draw the blinds and provide Fatwahs, excommunication and hemlock to those who defy the dogma. Atheists know through their faith, hope and love that together we might enlighten our minds.
Such simplistic labels as 'religious' or 'atheist' can be claimed by any number of charlatans. Patriotism might be the last refuge of a scoundrel, but they are sure to first try 'religion' or 'rationalism' to disguise their selfish intent.
Anyway, GeorgeG thinks Globalstar will cover the world. He put everyone crook on that [and a few other things about Globalstar] and now he's trying to con people to join his bible club and make out that the atheist club isn't numero uno. Calling atheists mass-murderers!! What a cheek! Sure, some mass-murderers are atheists [in a narrow sense - the same way a lion is an atheist]. But that doesn't mean all atheists are mass murderers or that there is a causal relationship. I agree that lions and other beasts without faith, hope and love will indulge murderous intent, but that's sort of obvious. It's not their atheism. It's their lack of those attributes combined with their ignorance, greed and hunger.
George doesn't have a monopoly on faith, hope or love. Atheists invented that, along with CDMA, back in 1890. We patented them too, so he has to pay us a royalty.
But he's right that investors need faith, hope and love.
Mqurice |
