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

[GliderGuider]

44. Well said. I think I know what you mean about seeing.

It's interesting to note that our scientific/spiritual trajectories must have crossed each other at some point. I was brought up in a hard-science, hard-atheism family, where there was no space for spirit of any sort, religious or otherwise. That was my position as well for the first 55 years of my life. And now here I am a decade on, with a strong interest in the noumenal and a worldview that allocates only part of its space to science. It seems from what you say that your journey has proceeded largely in the opposite direction. Some part of me finds that ironically amusing.

When you repeated his name, I recalled that I had investigated Frank Tipler's views early on in my adventure, and rapidly discarded him as being too woolly-minded for my palate. I've looked into final causes a bit, especially Teilhard de Chardin's "Omega Point" concept, but in the end decided that whether or not the universe itself has a purpose was immaterial to me.

My thermodynamic philosophy can easily turn into teleology, but that is just a choice of the investigator. It's not one I choose any more. There is enough "ineffable wonder" as you put it, in the simple fact that we are here and aware, right now. For me at least, any further sense of universal purpose is unnecessary. Life is to be lived, in connection with others doing the same.

This exchange has been a great pleasure for me as well. Cheers.