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It’s amusing how we are so improbable yet here we are. It’s like in novels where the book starts at an interesting environment for the protagonist. I often thin

It’s amusing how we are so improbable yet here we are. It’s like in novels where the book starts at an interesting environment for the protagonist. I often think “this is all pretty unlikely”. But it’s fun for the story and the story is about a protagonist in such a situation so it all works and as readers we can usually suspend disbelief. A similar principle applies to humans. We are incredibly improbable yet here we are doing our thing. I like to imagine other alien civilizations encountering us some day and marveling at how unlikely we are (and they are).

ignoranceprior 6y ago
The fact that we find ourselves in such an incredibly unlikely situation, on a planet that seems perfectly designed to harbor life, is probably the best argument for the existence of a higher power.
- simonh 6y ago
  I can see how that is attractive to people who believe in a higher power, but it’s really a terrible argument because it has no actual explanatory power. Exactly the same argument is used to justify various forms of multiverse for example - more rolls of the dice on types of universe equals a greater chance of us turning up. All it really means is ‘there must be a reason’, but it says nothing about what that reason is. Anything beyond that is just projection.
  - dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago
    It's true that such an answer doesn't give any meaningful explanation by itself. But it can motivate us to somehow search for this higher power. I think the Voyager Golden Record is an example of such an action on behalf of mankind.
- dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago
  This is something that, I think, we all intuitively feel. The big question is: what is the nature of this "higher power"? Is it something external or related to our consciousness?
- PaulHoule 6y ago
  I think the other way theologically. If you think "God is Great" the majestry of creation known to astronomers is much greater than the theory that earth is 6000 years old and then Adam blew it. Thus "the Lord has many mansions" and one would expect creativity to be generic in the universe.

ignoranceprior 6y ago

The fact that we find ourselves in such an incredibly unlikely situation, on a planet that seems perfectly designed to harbor life, is probably the best argument for the existence of a higher power.

simonh 6y ago
I can see how that is attractive to people who believe in a higher power, but it’s really a terrible argument because it has no actual explanatory power. Exactly the same argument is used to justify various forms of multiverse for example - more rolls of the dice on types of universe equals a greater chance of us turning up. All it really means is ‘there must be a reason’, but it says nothing about what that reason is. Anything beyond that is just projection.
- dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago
  It's true that such an answer doesn't give any meaningful explanation by itself. But it can motivate us to somehow search for this higher power. I think the Voyager Golden Record is an example of such an action on behalf of mankind.
dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago
This is something that, I think, we all intuitively feel. The big question is: what is the nature of this "higher power"? Is it something external or related to our consciousness?
PaulHoule 6y ago
I think the other way theologically. If you think "God is Great" the majestry of creation known to astronomers is much greater than the theory that earth is 6000 years old and then Adam blew it. Thus "the Lord has many mansions" and one would expect creativity to be generic in the universe.