In Just 60 Years, Neoliberal Capitalism Has Nearly Broken Planet Earth

[NNadir]

43. Well then, given the clearer perspective on our "philosophical" differences, may I suggest...

...a possibly "bridging" book, to which I referred earlier in this exchange, Frank Tipler's and John Barrow's The Cosmological Anthropic Principle." Like your arguments, it has too much "meta" in the physics for my taste, but both authors are, in fact, physicists nonetheless. If I recall correctly - I read it many years ago, and for a brief while took it quite seriously - there is a long riff on causality and "first causes."

I regard the book as a kind of useful mythology, in the sense that all myths have some utility, either for good or for bad. It's an argument that the purpose of the universe is to be seen, as opposed to the alternate argument that the universe has no purpose whatsoever, but merely is. In the latter case, it's not clear that causality can even be discussed, but that's another matter.

I feel, in a small way, I have seen. Now, feeling my mortality, I realize what a blessing that has been.

As my life draws towards its inevitable close, I remark that I have struggled my whole life with a sense of spirituality. I was raised in a family of devout Christians - positive Christianity I might add - and went on from there, with all kinds of visions of what the "ultimate" might be.

I suppose that it the end, I only have to remark that seeing the world in a way that proceeds almost exclusively through my scientific knowledge, I can only remark that it has been a remarkable privilege to have lived at all, to be something which is, a being who sees. I don't know about first causes, and I am quite uninterested in the broadest sense in epistemology for and of itself, but I will say this: Unlike many less fortunate people, it was my phenomenal luck, if not my noumenal luck, finally, after much struggle, to understand that life is insanely beautiful.

My interest in nuclear energy, my forceful advocacy for it, is very much involved with my desire that other human beings, some human beings, as many as is possible in our too often tragic world, will have the pleasure of seeing the world, to stare into it and be struck with ineffable wonder. This may be more prosaic than a full scale philosophical adventure into first causes and the like, but it's the best I do for spirituality.

I have much enjoyed disagreeing with you. Thanx.