A random metaphysical theory

[jotasbrane]

So here's a theory about the nature of the universe and religion and stuff that has just randomly crossed my mind. I don't necessarily believe it's true, but I'm also not assuming it's false (since my beliefs on the creation of the universe are basically "God did it, somehow, but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions on how"). I wouldn't be at

Comments

[bemused_leftist]

See C. S. Lewis's MIRACLES. Very similar ideas! There's also someone recently blogging at Blogspot about this.

[jotasbrane]

Hmm. Y'know, I bet I read that years ago. I guess it's time to read it again!

[bemused_leftist]

There was a similar idea in Lewis's THE PROBLEM OF PAIN. At least about a deterministic universe unfolding from God's first action. It was in an early chapter, or maybe the introduction, about whether God having a choice about whether to create the universe or not but no choice about the details. ;-)

[maga_dogg]

This is pretty standard stuff, mostly, and although I'm not sure about this precise combination it's exactly the sort of thing I'd expect of, e.g., a British academic in the first half of the C20th (a baseline of Cartesian dualism, a little watered-down deism, a little Theosophy with the wanky bits stripped out), or a convenient strawman in a metaphysics lecture.

[duchez]

at least the first bit, creating with a set of parameters and just letting the program, if you will, is more or less how i was taught. so at least one group (sub-group?) of one of the major religions thinks that way

[markm]

What I keep getting stuck on is the concept of free will, which seems to mean different things to different people. Interestingly, Ars Technica just posted an article about free will: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/12/my-free-will-is-your-destiny.ars