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From: polard@fortune.UUCP (Henry Polard)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: the conscious universe
Message-ID: <5313@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Jun-85 14:33:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: fortune.5313
Posted: Thu Jun  6 14:33:08 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 9-Jun-85 02:50:40 EDT
References: <510@hpda.UUCP>
Reply-To: polard@fortune.UUCP (Henry polard)
Distribution: net
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 44
Summary: 

In article <510@hpda.UUCP> on@hpda.UUCP (Owen Rowley) writes:
>
>lets not question the existence of the universe.
>there it is!
What do you mean by "there" and "it"? If you mean the entire universe, 
you need to clarify your point.  If you are pointing in a particular direction,
then you need to explain why it is not elsewhere.  The words "universe" 
and "exist" do not have universally accepted meanings, ans need clarification.
I am being very literal, because you are making sweeping statements that 
I (and I believe others) are not self-evident, or are too obscurely 
metaphorical. In a previous posting, you said "What the system requires
you to believe, it cannot prove. Please be mindful of this.
>Once existing it gains "pupose", to keep on existing
>in more or less the same shape.
Your saying it does not make it so.  It may not have a purpose, and if it
does, it may be to grow, to change in another way, to see how many shapes
it can assume, to see how quickly it can end the pain by self-desstructing,
or any other conceivable or inconceivalble (to us now) purpose.
>It does so by repeating certain simple patterns
>over and over again,-the ones that take the least
>effort- globes and flames, wheels and spirals.
Please tell us how these patterns are simple, take the least effort, 
and what you mean by "effort".
>Man however is a spontaneous being
"Spontaneous being" here seems to mean "not part of the rest of the
universe" -  strange.
>So, if the existence of the universe somehow
>depends on his co-operation, it had better be quite
>tasty and exciting,
Why?
>and it is.
Please prove it.
The rest of your posting keeps making claims about subjects with neither
clarification nor proof.  You are behaving suspiciously like the blind man who
claimed that the elephant was like a snake, and scooffed at the other 
possibilities.  You have had some interesting insights, but I doubt that 
they are the whole story, and I don't think you are communicating very 
well to those who do not share your assumptions.

-- 
Henry Polard (You bring the flames - I'll bring the marshmallows.)
{ihnp4,cbosgd,amd}!fortune!polard
N.B: The words in this posting do not necessarily express the opinions
of me, my employer, or any AI project.