I believe in a personal God not because it is necessary that a personal God creates universes, but because universes (at least this one) tend to evolve to a point where sufficiently complex beings can stand outside of themselves and investigate what seems to be reality as if their bodies were the edge.
I believe that this investigation is, by its very nature, self-assessment. The flesh as boundary is a useful construct for mind emerging from chaos, but is not necessarily its sole definition.
Whether or not humans are the first or only incarnation of this phenomenon is immaterial; it is clear, at least to me, that once the threshold of self-awareness has been reached by even one species in a universe, the underlying creative force must be at least its equal. It is, not only in effect, but in actuality, itself considering itself.
I am pleased to call this phenomenon ‘Mind Under Matter’. All time is now. All places are here. There is an ancient homily which asserts that we are not physical creatures on a spiritual journey; but spiritual creatures on a physical journey.
Of course, this synopsis deals only with the oxymoronic notion of physical realty. And in all likelihood, universes which do not rise to the occasion become big box stores with gravity well so deep not even idiocy can escape it.
All the evidence we have is that the “underlying creative force” involved is evolution, which is quite mindless. It’s not considering anything, much less itself.
And how is physical reality an oxymoron; ? It seems closer to redundancy to me.
I find a quibble with anyone who exalts humans over other creatures.
I suspect that dogs, cats, horses, snails, and sponges all have a great deal of self awareness. Their only objective failing is that they can’t seem to discuss it so it remains at an intuitive level. Once we inject the blogability gene into cats and dogs, I’m sure we will be startled to hear their inner dialogs exposed.
I’m not sure nervous system is the right criteria. I’ve known people who have them and less personality and self awareness than a sponge.
I think looking at self awareness as a sign of a “higher” lifeform is the wrong direction anyway. The ability to model the minds of others within your own to project other’s actions is a much better standard to measure against.
That’d allow us to seperate out certain homosapiens from our society and remove their rights! new slave class!
So this personal God evolved along with animal consciousness? What was he like when that consiousness was just a faint glimmer? A sorta God? A sprite? Pixie? Daemon?
Or is it your contention that awareness evolved all at once, and therefore God sprang fully formed, as it were, from our heads? Now why is that familiar?
But a catchy title anyway, and I really like the imagery of a “gravity well so deep not even idiocy can escape it”! I’ll steal that one for future use.
No need to tear it apart. You’ve just redressesd the watchmaker meme some: consciousness/self-awareness is so wondrous that it requires a designer to have created it. Blend in a pinch of anthropic principle and Voila!
I’ll steal that one for future use.