Great article (I followed your recommendation on Reddit, I'm Gunlord500 over there as well). I should note, though, I've actually met one Catholic who conceded that chewing gum was "immoral" given his standpoint. That was...amusing, to say the least.
The funniest variation on that conversation I've seen was an argument between a catholic and a non-catholic about whether inhaling helium from a balloon is a sin.
I like your use of Heidegger. But drop all of your notions of the philosophical conversation and consider the concept of the universe having a pre-made seed or potential for existence. Don't think of that origin as "God" persay - but as a concept that jives with modern physics regarding the interconnectedness of all "things" (matter, forces etc.) When thought of in this way, the otherwise trite-seeming "pre-existence in the mind of God" gains a physical profundity congruent with contemporary thought. In this schema there is no form of "goodness", only existence which can be considered inherently good. Suspend your rightful critique of the Christian philosophers idea of "made"-ness, and pretend you are a quantum physicist addressing a purely human experience of the cosmos in time. In this schema, Man is both bound by and eventual master of natural law. In the manifestation of free-will through the eventual appearance of Man in that cosmos, we see the possibility of a startlingly human godhead. Don't ask me how that godhead might come to exist outside of time, because that's not my business.
The one thing I will say about belief - it should not be bound by human philosophical construction. If God does exist outside of time, you may find more to munch on from the Biblical texts and the canonized Mystics than Aquinas.
Sorry, last thought. As a physician, I do see some intuitive natural law in my work. That law stems from evolution and history, which are inextricable from each other. We are "meant" to be in certain ways in nature and when we deviate too much from those things, people become very unhealthy. Certainly we can and should subdue disease and suffering through science, but our present crisis of chronic disease is the direct result of a rejection of natural law in our daily lives, as a society broadly. As humans we need social contact, community, whole & natural food, inherited moral codes (some better than others), clean air & water, sleep regulated the circadian rhythm - the list goes on. We cannot sustain ourselves as a society in the present state, no matter how much mastery we have over nature - we have to work within Her bounds.
Great article (I followed your recommendation on Reddit, I'm Gunlord500 over there as well). I should note, though, I've actually met one Catholic who conceded that chewing gum was "immoral" given his standpoint. That was...amusing, to say the least.
The funniest variation on that conversation I've seen was an argument between a catholic and a non-catholic about whether inhaling helium from a balloon is a sin.
Glad you enjoyed the article!
I like your use of Heidegger. But drop all of your notions of the philosophical conversation and consider the concept of the universe having a pre-made seed or potential for existence. Don't think of that origin as "God" persay - but as a concept that jives with modern physics regarding the interconnectedness of all "things" (matter, forces etc.) When thought of in this way, the otherwise trite-seeming "pre-existence in the mind of God" gains a physical profundity congruent with contemporary thought. In this schema there is no form of "goodness", only existence which can be considered inherently good. Suspend your rightful critique of the Christian philosophers idea of "made"-ness, and pretend you are a quantum physicist addressing a purely human experience of the cosmos in time. In this schema, Man is both bound by and eventual master of natural law. In the manifestation of free-will through the eventual appearance of Man in that cosmos, we see the possibility of a startlingly human godhead. Don't ask me how that godhead might come to exist outside of time, because that's not my business.
The one thing I will say about belief - it should not be bound by human philosophical construction. If God does exist outside of time, you may find more to munch on from the Biblical texts and the canonized Mystics than Aquinas.
Yeah, anyway. Have a great day.
C
Sorry, last thought. As a physician, I do see some intuitive natural law in my work. That law stems from evolution and history, which are inextricable from each other. We are "meant" to be in certain ways in nature and when we deviate too much from those things, people become very unhealthy. Certainly we can and should subdue disease and suffering through science, but our present crisis of chronic disease is the direct result of a rejection of natural law in our daily lives, as a society broadly. As humans we need social contact, community, whole & natural food, inherited moral codes (some better than others), clean air & water, sleep regulated the circadian rhythm - the list goes on. We cannot sustain ourselves as a society in the present state, no matter how much mastery we have over nature - we have to work within Her bounds.