deism vs. materialism

Daniel Davis buybuydandavis at yahoo.com
Mon May 9 10:32:20 CEST 2011


>From: David McDivitt <david at subjectivist.org>

>Subject: deism vs. materialism
>
>I find his view more honest than materialistic atheism. A materialist is 
>big on physical law, but a materialist is never able to say what causes 
>obedience to physical law. 

I don't get your point, but I suppose I often don't. A materialist would more accurately say that he has models that have worked to a given accuracy. The whole talk of "law" is just a leftover metaphor from deistic thinking. There are no physics cops enforcing physical laws, and no one but deists think there is.

The regularities are observed. If you ask why, I may show how one regularity can be derived from another regularity in our models. Lacking such, the only answer to give is "that's what we see, when we can break that regularity down further in terms of other regularities, we'll let you know." 

But why, Mommy, why? Sometimes you don't have any why. 

I don't see what is dishonest about such a view.

 Buy Buy -- Dan Davis


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