Thinking Is Authorized! (BEYOND Religion/Science)

Insightful Book Review

2011-02-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

By Lee Harmon (of The Dubious Disciple)
http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/01/book-review-thinking-is-authorized.html

"With a mysterious Bang! 13.7 billion years ago, an incredible universe of time and space tumbled forth. Science and religion both are fascinated by this existence, as we humans peer ever deeper into the mysteries of the universe. But Nash’s book is different: it wonders what else is out there. It invites us to contemplate what lies outside our prison of time and space. This concept is so key to the book that Nash has given it a label: Lack of Time and Space, or LTS.

The greatest mystery of LTS may be life itself. Life, Nash contends, is special; we’ll never instill life in a robot, which will never be more than a construction in time and space. But where did life come from? How did emotion, thought, wonder, break into our world of time and space? Where does this life-matter go when we die? Is life truly eternal, existing in LTS? What does eternal mean where there is no time?

Nash Khatri meanders through these questions and more as he probes the mysteries of LTS. Nash obviously has a religious background, though he doesn’t discuss it in the book. He at time appears apologetic (though he needn’t be) for contradicting the beliefs of various religions. He points out the silliness of some of our age-old assumptions with both humor and respect.

At times, I would find myself asking: “Is this idea theologically sound?” And then, on the next page, “Is this idea scientifically sound?” You know, it really is hard to think beyond religion and science! In the end, I am unqualified to answer either question about the book, but thank you, Mr. Khatri, for encouraging me to think."

Assume away God?

2010-12-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

While trying to banish a divine creator from physics, (atheist) physicist Stephen Hawking recently proclaimed that God did not create the universe. Instead, he asserted that given the existence of gravity, "the universe can and will create itself from nothing.”

Notably, and irrespective of the validity of Hawking’s theory, the idea of God can apparently be discredited by conveniently treating matters like gravity as “given”. But, given by whom? In my view, the answer lies beyond the time-space realm and depends on our individualized definition of God.

Validity of Hawking's theory is beside the point

2010-12-03T20:05:00.000-08:00

The validity of the atheist physicist’s theory is beside the point.

My “utmost faith in science” comment was intended to highlight how the idea of God can (supposedly) be discredited by conveniently treating matters like gravity as “given”. Given by whom? Like I’ve explained in my videos on You Tube, the answer lies beyond the time-space realm and depends on our individualized definition of God.

I have a strong science background and am all for science, but I do not have utmost faith in it because I acknowledge its time-space limitations. For instance, science cannot (and in my view will never) provide a real-time text printout of our thoughts to formally prove (a term cherished by many) that thoughts exist. I also do not think science will enable us to originate life from purely inanimate objects.

It is, of course, your prerogative to disagree and believe (as in blind faith) that science has no limitations. Regards.

Martian colonies

2010-11-24T12:04:00.000-08:00

Recently, a couple of scientists suggested that, in order to establish Martian colonies, we should consider sending volunteer pioneers on a one-way trip to the Red Planet. The volunteers would go into the mission knowing that they will die on Mars, perhaps within a few years of landing. Understandably, most of us do not favor such suicide missions. I go a step further. In my view, the very idea of establishing Martian colonies (other than in science-fiction movies) will remain a fantasy even in a distant future.

Even if substantial scientific advancements are assumed to be forthcoming, establishing Martian colonies will basically entail two options. The first will require taking with us parts of worldly essentials to Mars (like we do on Earth inside a submarine). The second option will essentially require making Mars, or portions of it, become Earth-like and thus habitable – which is a tall order, considered potentially satisfiable only by those who blindly believe that science has no limitations. In my view, both options focus too much on the hole (science and technology) as to miss the donut (practicality and quality of life).

Also reminded me of what the physicist Stephen Hawking recently proclaimed while trying to banish a divine creator from physics. He said that God did not create the universe. Instead, he asserted that given the existence of gravity, "the universe can and will create itself from nothing.” Given the existence of gravity? I suppose, that makes perfect sense to those who have utmost faith in science.

Why bother?

2010-08-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

I have had it trying to convince folks about the merits of my ideas/book regarding the great mysteries of life and universe. Perhaps, the stuff I’m talking about is way ahead of its time. Oh well. It’s your prerogative to stick to the status quo. Peace.

Not making up anything

2010-08-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

@361240: Note that I have not made up anything in my book/videos. I have merely defined (assigned meaning) to LTS, Life-matter, Creation1, 2, 3, Inter-domain inconsistency, Nalture, Napture, etc. So, I am not asking you to believe (or not believe) in anything. My book/videos are meant to promote self-determination of what we believe regarding nature, life, prayer, future, death, afterlife, etc. They are intended to stretch our imagination and enlighten us in the process, since it is authorized to think.

Fallacies?

2010-08-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

@jamesellis33: Are you saying what I call in the video Creation1, Creation2, and Creation3 are fallacies? If so, I am not sure why, since I have merely defined (i.e., assigned meaning to) them. I have not made anything up per se. Are zero and infinity fallacies too? In my view, while the smallest/largest numbers are time-space related, zero/infinity are LTS related. Do you see the subtle difference?

Is LTS a part of our reality?

2010-08-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

@enfomy: You asked: "Isn't it a contradiction to say this LTS, which sounds a lot like the concept of nothing, should still be apart of our reality?" I hold that LTS is a realm that is TOTALLY SEPARATE from our time-space universe. In my view, terms like "existence", "truth", and "reality" are applicable only to the t-s universe related (not the LTS related). So, the answer to your question is No it is not contradictory. Let me know if you did not follow that.

Dynamic Knowledge and Static Truth

2010-07-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

Both Knowledge (which is dynamic) and Truth (which is static) are time-space related. They do not apply to LTS-related matters like life-matter (soul), God, afterlife, etc. That is, there is no such thing as knowledge/truth about life-matter (soul), God, afterlife, etc.

Only humans possess a soul?

2010-06-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Most religions hold that only humans possess a soul and consequently, consider all other life forms to be of a lower or inferior nature. As such, many religious folks may not think twice before killing an animal for sport in the name of hunting or fishing. Often, we see on the cover of specialty magazines the hunter and the hunted, with the former proudly displaying their sizeable kill and flashing a genuine smile for the camera. Likewise, thanks to taxidermy, many hunters proudly display in their living rooms the stuffed heads or bodies of their various kills. These same individuals are often adamantly against abortion for religious reasons—their rationalization, not surprisingly, being that animals do not have a soul, but humans (and thus, human fetuses) do.

Explaining the Incomprehensible

2010-05-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

There is a subtle difference between “God was Created” and “God was Created3”. The former begs the question “by whom?”, whereas the latter doesnt/shouldnt. It is like the difference between “the biggest number” (which is time-space related) and “infinity” (which is lack-of-time-and-space or LTS related). In theory, we can multiply the biggest number by 2, but we cant do the same with infinity (by definition). Like infinity, Creation3 implies/provides some kind of a closure/explanation about the incomprehensible.

Artificial Life Fantasy

2010-05-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Regarding the recent hoopla about creation of partially synthetic bacterial cell, I agree with the scientists who praised Dr. Venter’s project but characterized the experiment in less revolutionary terms. They noted that only the genome was synthetic; the recipient cell was equipped by nature and billions of years of evolution to make sense of the genes and turn them on.

Though I consider myself to be science-oriented, I acknowledge limitations of science and prefer stepping beyond the boxes of both religion and science. While some may characterize Dr. Venter’s experiment as “the latest step toward making life from scratch”, I don’t. And while some may think science will some day help to create artificial life, I don’t. In line with the theory of biogenesis (which states that life can only come from preexisting life), I hold that life cannot be generated from purely inanimate objects.

In my view, science and its tools are limited to the time-space realm, but life (including freewill, instincts, and thoughts) pertains to a realm that is beyond time-space—and is as such beyond the reaches of science and its tools. Thoughts or emotions for instance, cannot be created per se by science and its tools; rather, they can only be influenced by them. Chemicals and drugs merely manipulate preexisting thoughts or emotions—they do not conceive, originate, or invent them from scratch.

"Creation", "Forever", and "Purpose"

2009-06-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

At first glance, concepts like creation, forever, and purpose have a clear, unconstrained, and universal connotation. Closer scrutiny, however, suggests that such concepts can lose relevance within the confines of our five-sense-bound faculties and become enigmatic.

We often treat these concepts as if their applicability is unbounded, and extend their meaning to answer questions that they are not really capable of addressing. For instance, we assume that God had some purpose for creating the universe. Likewise, we assume heaven and hell last forever.

The book Thinking Is Authorized! has an intriguing follow-up discussion about those concepts.

Do prayers get answered?

2009-06-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

I recently heard of a case in which an upstart business owner had to have a sample of his product tested by a licensing authority to ensure it had enough bacteria of a certain type. The sample failed since the trial test showed the product did not have sufficient bacteria. The barely established business owner felt powerless and got very worried. Being religious, he prayed for the bacteria to multiply as rapidly as possible so that the follow-up test the next day would not fail. As it turned out, the follow-up test showed positive results and the business eventually became a major success nationwide. The business owner attributed the success of his business to that particular prayer early on which apparently increased the bacteria count in the test sample.
However, taking into consideration, for example, that the business eventually affected the lives of numerous employees, shareholders, customers, and all associated with them—including me writing and you presently reading about it—I doubt strongly that it was the prayers that multiplied the bacteria. Chances are, it was nothing supernatural—the bacteria count grew most likely due to normal, natural causes.

If it were possible to successfully transplant our brain into say a rabbit, a mouse, or a duck

2009-05-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

From my perspective, all life-matter is identical regardless of the size or complexity of the species. What distinguishes one species from another is not their life-matter, but rather, the size or complexity of the physical body their life-matter happens to reside in.

As such, and in theory, if it were possible to successfully transplant our brain into say a rabbit, a mouse, or a duck, then their behavior would become similar to that of humans. It would resemble the behavior of such animated cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzales, and Daffy Duck. By the same token, if it was possible to transplant a rabbit’s brain into a human, the human would behave like a rabbit.

IF the Titanic had had enough lifeboats ....

2009-05-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

While statements such as “If the Titanic had had enough lifeboats, not as many people would have died” have merit from a historical perspective in terms of learning from past mistakes, we have no way of knowing whether the giant ship would have hit the fateful iceberg and sunk had there been even a single extra lifeboat on board.

Ever wondered if it took time to create time?

2009-05-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Or wondered who created the ultimate creator?

And can you tell the key differences between the following three purported miracles?
1. Part the sea with a wave of the hand.
2. Lions mating with zebras.
3. Converting a stick into a snake.

My book addresses such concepts.
www.ThinkingIsAuthorized.com

Excerpt from "Overview" chapter

2009-05-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

"The title of this book is meant to convey the idea that, irrespective of our partiality toward religion or science, we do not necessarily need to have someone else interpreting for us the mighty unknowns of life and the universe. We have the capacity and faculties to contemplate them ourselves. But we have to actually exercise that ability to reflect. So, the title reminds us that it is authorized to think."

My Book "Thinking Is Authorized!"

2009-05-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

More information about the book (including excerpts) is at www.ThinkingIsAuthorized.com

The subtitle of the book is "BEYOND Religion and Science". You will very likely find the book uniquely thought-provoking.

The concept of "lack-of-time-and-space" (LTS) discussed in the book, for instance, is literally an out-of-this-universe phenomenon.

Your comments/feedback are welcome!