> >> Things evolve for a purpose. If you look at any living thing
> >> you can clearly see that. Perhaps they did come to be just to
> >> replicate, but I think the idea that they came about as a
> >> natural means of controling population is just as feasable.
>
> No, it's not feasible at all, because "purpose" and "means"
> requires the existence of a volitional being to have a purpose
> and to choose means. To assume that evolution has a purpose
> is a contradiction in terms: it is theism. Evolution, when
> understood correctly as simply an inevitable mathematical
> consequence of certain initial conditions, explains precisely
> how their can be such wonderfully conplex things as people
> and viruses which /appear/ to be designed for a purpose
> without requiring the existence of a designer or purposes.
>
> It's really not that difficult a concept once you put your
> mind to it. Dawkins is, of course, one of the best explainers,
> but it really was Darwin who made the important conceptual
> leap that made it possible once and for all to get rid of the
> silly ideas of "God" and "nature" that kept us in the dark.
>
No I understand what you're saying. I know we can't really prove the
purpose for anything, or that there was a creator, etc., etc. I think that
fact has been well established. I just like to toy with these ideas, and I
personally think _anything_ is possible. Let me tell you a little story.
I've come to believe there are elements, of a perhaps you can call them
"higher power". Not necessarily a "god". I think the idea of a deity with a
personailty running things is fairly absured (and yes I know I said I think
anythings possible ). But there are far too many unexplained occurences out
there, they can't even begin to be explained with our ways of explaining
things now. Even Hawkings himself said he now is starting to disbelieve some
of his own statements, because the evidence of a "devine force" is so
strong. Any ways, on with my story... It had to do with the computer Im
using right now in fact. So I ordered my computer, I was psyched. After just
sleeping really heavily, I awoke, and once I managed to straighten out my
thought I began to think about the computer and wondered when it was coming
(it was due to arrive at any time close to when this occured). So I sort of
asked/listened, and in my head sort of day dreamingly envisioned a yellow
rider semitruck. Whoopy I thought, what was that supposed to mean, and I
discarded the idea. Later on, the computer was supposed to have come, but
had not. Strange I thought. And at the end of that day, I began walking
home from school (yes I'm 16). I noticed a particular friend I sometime got
a ride home with, and thought to myself, should I ask for a ride...and
eventually I did. Oddly enough, that day, he could only take me up to the
end of my street, because he had to hurry right back to the school for
something. So he did, and as I was walking up my final stretch of road, I
had an impulse to look back, and what else did I see other than a yellow
rider semitruck. Whoa, I thought, strange as hell. So I got home, and began
to think about my "vision". Playing with this whole pyschic idea, I thought
well let's toy with this, and pick a time. So I did, something like 3:10.
And right at 3:10 I heard a car engine in my drive way - it was a friend. Oh
well. Events like that continued through the day, but the UPS man still
hadn't arrive with my computer. So I began to get discouraged and said to
myself, "Fine, I'll pick a final time and after that I give up." So I did,
4:53. I was almost asleep on my couch when the phone rang, it was another
friend, we began to talk when I heard my dog barking and looked out the
window. It was the UPS man. He had my computer. Now if I hadn't had to
walk to pick up the phone I wouldn't have been able to catch a look at the
clock. It was 4:53. And if I hadn't bothered to look back on my last road I
wouldn't have seen that yellow rider truck. And if my friend had been able
to drop me off at my house, as usual, I would have missed it all together, or
if I had walked.
So tell me what does this mean? Probability? Was this bound to happen?
I've come to believe some things happen for a reason. How and why, I can't
explain. But I've had too many similar things happen to just throw it aside
and blow it off the idea. Now I recount this story in total honesty. I know
you have no way of nowing this, but I hope that you can trust my word. One
time while I was sitting down philosophising on demensions up to the 5th or
so, I sort of ran over an interesting thought/theory. It sort of would
explain these occurances, not to mention many other similar unexplained
things. I'm sure you'd probably consider them fairly barbaric, but who knows
maybe not. If you'd like to hear them I'd be happy to tell them. And btw, I
think after this post, the subject needs to be changed :) No mention of guns
her.