Thursday, December 10, 2009

ideas to ponder

Steward mentality v Dominion mentality. Biblical in nature or "human nature" exampled in Bible?

Climate Change: deniability: Doubt in the science: Science as an idea: epidemeology vs empirical data in chaos systems: GOD again--belief, in the image of the divine--destroyer or shepherd. The world is ours to destroy as we are godlike: or God will save us no matter what; or we are the chosen beings and so we will fix ourselves.

However, God is a belief and we believe, if we do, out of fear, lack of knowledge, tacit/facile acceptance of cultural beliefs--but we don't need to see it to believe it and if we are wrong about it (ie, dead and no after life you're still just dead) no big deal; if we're right we're saved (maybe); so this is a "better safe than sorry" attitude--hedge your bets...why not the same attitude with climate change?

T0 my mind Science (all of us within its long reach) should doubt all things it does and imagine always that any minor change will be bad news...ie, expect Frankenstein's Monster, not the cure for cancer and proceed with fear and caution. We do the exact opposite of this.

2 comments:

sstup said...

Believing in God is more convenient than "believing" in climate change. Belief in God means the ability to offload personal and moral responsibility. Belief in climate change means WE are responsible, there is no savior from ourselves.

Perhaps climate change is the ultimate exampling of human nature. We (collective "we) are too greedy to put a stop to systems, industries, ways of life that are destroying the planet.

Maybe belief in God isn't always a lack of knowledge, maybe it's also a scapegoat.

Isn't it sad that people will create Frankenstein's monster as long as they're making money? I think science has become the God of climate change; don't believe in it or you have to accept responsibility and be willing to change.

Not sure if this is cohesive... trying to sort out my thoughts as I typed.

stormnemesis said...

Interesting--I would agree that Science, as I am aware of it, has two distinct characteristics...discovery and creation (invention). These are put at the service of hubris, money, power (all of these).

Look, I made a man out of parts and he walks and talks and has feelings! Uh, oh--that didn't go quite right...let me try to fix it by doing the same thing again, but with a little tweak...uh oh...that didn't work...

Until at some point the desolation of failure takes hold OR success is called because things look okay--until 20 years on a problem is discovered that was unnoticed, that couldn't have been imagined/predicted/understood at the time...uh oh.

God fills in for understanding; for personal responsibility and courage; as rationale for bad acts that are given the veneer of holy intent.

This is not "unique" as all ideology can be put to this use. But no one likes to have their God called "an ideology"--Oh Holy Ideology--Our Ideology Who art in Imagined Space, Hallowed be Thy Non-Being...