After reading the post on Sceptic’s Disease and reading the book by Scott Adams, God’s Debris, I would like to make the following comments:
The main character in the book claims special knowledge, to which I am always alert. Furthermore he does not offer a source for his knowledge or a method for obtaining it other than life experiences, luck and subscribing to his viewpoints. One could classify this as wisdom through old age, but since no specifics are offered, we have to take him on his word. This awakens the skeptic in me, not to mention the clear sounding ‘cult alarm’ that’s activated.
He offers a version of the God of Spinoza which leans more towards panentheism, but with a twist: God got bored, blew Himself up and is busy putting His consciousness back together.
Since he first assumes the initial existence of such a being and poses His absence and the laws governing the Universe as evidence supporting his hypothesis, this book cannot be classified as more than fiction or philosophical fiction at best.
He is under the impression that everything we experience is a delusion on one level or another. Subsequently, he poses that, since the laws of probability rule the universe, combined with a few concepts in quantum mechanics, it is probability that explains forces like gravity, motion and energy. Good and evil can be classified as either adhering to the laws of probability or going against it, and that we should have a better life experience if we live within this law.
He uses probability and quantum mechanics to explain phenomenon like ESP, but with a flaw. He compares ESP to the ability of a math genius’s ability to produce the solution to a problem without knowing what methods were used. The difference is that the method is repeatable and explainable by anyone with the correct mathematical knowledge; in other words, normal people are able to understand how to reach the solution and repeat the process. He does, however, state that a psychic would not be able to reproduce the results in a controlled experiment where probability is eliminated.
Skeptics suffer from what he calls “skeptics’ disease. They “breathe each others fumes and demonize those who do not share their views”. This, he claims, is a delusion in itself: Skeptics will not accept a positive result of a test to prove that something is possible; they will assume that their test is flawed. Skeptics attack irrational thinkers and in the process become irrational. (This short chapter was inserted before the chapter on ESP, perhaps to assist in selling the idea. This could be an attempt to drop the skeptic’s guard for a moment, so that he can move on to the next topic without drawing attention to the weak link in his case. Although he does not believe in ESP, his previous explanation for motion and gravity is dodgy. In addition, he claims it is easier and better than Einstein’s, perhaps in an attempt to invoke Occam’s razor.
As a result of his chapter on light, I have some questions:
(1) Does a photon have weight?
(2) Is it true that light travels at different speeds related to the speed at which an object moves? I guess the easiest way to explain is: will I see light emanating from my headlights if my car traveled at the speed of light? The book I read on the history of E=mc2 has a conflicting view on energy traveling faster than the speed of light.
The chapter on relationships is quite unique. I had a good chuckle.
He closes by posing that we are on different levels of awareness. Progressing to the next level is subject to unlearning delusions of the previous level.
1st Level – Infant; Awareness of own existence
2nd Level – Awareness of others and acceptance of other people’s belief systems
3rd Level – Recognizing that some belief systems are wrong, including your own
4th Level – Skeptic; belief in the scientific method and arrogance towards Levels 2 & 3
5th Level – Avatar; recognize science as a belief system, albeit a useful one. Recognizes God’s power as expressed in the law of probability and the inevitable recombination of God’s consciousness
In other words the highest level of awareness, the main character’s level, can be obtained through complete acceptance of his hogwash. Or is it?
And ooh… “There is only one Avatar at a time!”
In that case, I remain comfortably at level 4 and reject his delusion of a level 5. I will admit that science is a useful “belief system” for the non-scientist, but it is backed by facts, observation and repeatable testing. The same cannot be said for his “god that blew himself up” hypothesis.
Does that advance me to Level 4.5?
It was a good read. With a bit of luck, the sequel, The Religion War might also be difficult to market and subsequently made available for download. For the author’s sake, I hope not.