tuesday
1 june
1999
this is what i believe
for now
the god
plural or singular
described by traditional religions does not exist
religions
and codes of ethics as well
are passed from generation to generation like d n a
like genes
religions also mutate
like d n a sequences
religions also contain redundancy and useless cruft
just as natural selection chooses genes that promote the survival and reproduction of an organism and its genes
natural selection also chooses beliefs that promote the survival and reproduction of a society and its beliefs
atheism is an unlikely alternative to traditional religions
it is highly unlikely that there is no other life outside earth in all the vastness of space
it is also highly unlikely that this universe was not created by an advanced civilization
i believe in recursive universes
given enough time
any advanced civilization will eventually be able to create smaller universes
it is unlikely that this universe was not created in such a way
it is also unlikely that our mother universe was not also created in such a way
and so on
recursively upwards toward infinity
there is no such thing as free will
no event can happen without a cause
starting with the same initial conditions
the result is always the same
following natural laws
thus events happen in an endless deterministic chain of cause and effect
quantum physics does not prove that the universe is nondeterministic
it only argues that we
as participants and observers of this universe
cannot fully determine its outcome because we are part of the experiment
but it does not show that the universe fails to obey natural laws
like all organisms
humans have but two primal motivations
to live and to reproduce
while our genes urge us to reproduce ourselves physically
our beliefs urge us to reproduce our belief systems
of the seven deadly sins
gluttony and sloth are rooted in the motivation to live
and thus to eat and conserve energy
lust is rooted in the motivation to mate
rage jealousy and avarice are merely different forms of pride
pride is the only other motivation we have beyond our two primal ones
it is entirely determined by culture
so if you ask why i am unmotivated
why i do not seek success
it is because i do not accept the mainstream cultures definition of pride
and that
my friend
is why
i am
a slacker
and proud of it
=^)
how can you possibly disagree
