God's Debris, a thought experiment by Scott Adams

by daystar 3 Replies latest jw friends

  • daystar
    daystar

    A Scott Adams (you know, Dilbert?) thought experiment. Read and discuss. This has been around a bit, but I couldn't remember seeing any threads here regarding it. I haven't read it in a while. I'm attempting to (at the office) re-read it now.

    Free online download. (PDF format)

    SynopsisImagine that you meet a very old man who?you eventually realize?knows literally everything. Imagine that he explains for you the great mysteries of life?quantum physics, evolution, God, gravity, light, psychic phenomenon, and probability?in a way so simple, so novel, and so compelling that it all fits together and makes perfect sense. What does it feel like to suddenly understand everything? God's Debris isn?t the final answer to the Big Questions. But it might be the most compelling vision of reality you will ever read. The thought experiment is this: Try to figure out what?s wrong with the old man?s explanation of reality. Share the book with your smart friends then discuss it later while enjoying a beverage.

  • daystar
    daystar

    There are a number of nuggets in that story I like. I just read this one and like it:

    ?

    D oes God have free will?? he asked.

    ?Obviously he does,? I said. It was the most confidence

    I had felt so far in this conversation. ?I?ll admit there?s some

    ambiguity about whether human beings have free will, but

    God is omnipotent. Being omnipotent means you can do

    anything you want. If God didn?t have free will, he wouldn?t

    be very omnipotent.?

    ?Indeed. And being omnipotent, God must be able to

    peer into his own future, to view it in all its perfect detail.?

    ?Yeah, I know. You?re going to say that if he sees his

    own future, then his choices are predetermined. Or, if he

    can?t see the future, then he?s not omnipotent.?

    ?Omnipotence is trickier than it seems,? he said.

  • Fe2O3Girl
    Fe2O3Girl

    I have downloaded it and started reading it. I was naughty and skipped to the end.

    Your post has reminded me to revisit it. I should buy it really, I prefer paper.....

  • JimWood
    JimWood

    An incredible read, makes you think outside the box. I highly recommend it.

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