tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12647652.post113309119804660700..comments2023-11-03T05:19:38.869-07:00Comments on Search Your Soul: Religion, Spirituality and FateThe Soul Doctorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06282012741855216292noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12647652.post-1133553276005467142005-12-02T11:54:00.000-08:002005-12-02T11:54:00.000-08:00Let me start by saying that your final post has be...Let me start by saying that your final post has beautifully summed up your series, replete with all its questions and conundrums. I must say that I don’t completely agree with your characterization of “fanatical believers”. Not all belief is fanatical. In fact, it is possible to arrive both at a theistic or an atheistic interpretation through logic alone, which may give rise to beliefs of either denomination. Of course many of these logical arguments are “debatable” on both sides as u said. So your stated inability to reach a black and white conclusion is not necessarily a result of some inadequacy on your side, but as a property of the nature of the questions in themselves.<BR/><BR/>Let me put forth another logical question about this so called search for answers itself. Why has it not been possible for humanity inspite of all its progress in the sphere of rationalism and philosophy to settle these questions? Why still does the individual human being ask himself “why am I here”?<BR/>If the questions and their lack of established answers were simply a result of the dictates and properties of human society, then any rational individual , who can logically de-construct society's motivations, would have solved the problem long ago! So I am forced to conclude that these questions have a depth that is beyond social.<BR/><BR/>Or is it simply insufficient information? If this were the case, then as science progresses towards a “Theory of Everything”, these questions should be solved. But any such theory must by definition also describe this quest for answers by man. If man is to ultimately discover the workings of such a theory, then the theory in itself must contain an assertion that it will be sought after, discovered and fully understood! We are therefore faced with the following conundrum. Man must understand the “Theory of Everything”, to actually know that he has understood everything. Till he hits upon that “golden truth” he essentially doesn’t know whether he has any useful knowledge at all!! At this point a theist would say “Once you know perfect knowledge, you know it all. Till then you know nothing”. :-) The other possibility (equally probable) is that the “Theory of everything” asserts that it can never be completely understood. In which case these questions can never be completely resolved by anyone!<BR/><BR/>It has been shown by many philosophers both western and eastern through logical analysis that all these questions that you have asked (Who are we? Where did we come from? Where are we going? Etc) can be logically boiled down to one fundamental existential question (It could be formulated in many different ways such as Who am I? Why are we here? Who is GOD? Why is the universe how it is? etc...I won’t go into the logical arguments to prove this, for lack of space). If this fundamental question were answered all others would logically be answered as well. But this question is in itself so vast that it encompasses everything, even the very search for its own answer as I said before! So you are right, that if these answers which I shall call “knowledge” are possible, then they must already exist. Because they must encompass the workings of the universe in itself! So the knowledge must already be out there in some form, otherwise the universe wouldn’t work!! <BR/><BR/>Since the “mind” is part of the universe it must also be governed by this “golden theory” as well. But how can the mind which is a part of the system, know the working of the entire system? The only manner that this is possible is if the “mind” or the “soul” or whatever term you may use to describe this “knowing entity” (that we refer to as “I”, “Me”, “Myself”) encompasses the entire system! In which case, to know the nature of the mind/soul/self is to know the answer.<BR/><BR/>The other possibility is that the “mind/soul/self” does not encompass the entire system. So it will never have the ability to know the “theory of everything” In such a situation this “theory of everything” will govern certain events that the mind can never completely explain. This I humbly submit, is often misused and mis-stated as Fate.<BR/><BR/>Of course the very process of logic that I have applied is also part of the universe, so I cant really comment to its adequacy in addressing any of this!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12647652.post-1133344857311188232005-11-30T02:00:00.000-08:002005-11-30T02:00:00.000-08:00@ LNGreat to see you back. Take your time. Start a...@ LN<BR/><BR/>Great to see you back. Take your time. Start a blog. It will be nice to read your posts.The Soul Doctorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06282012741855216292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12647652.post-1133218065108239882005-11-28T14:47:00.000-08:002005-11-28T14:47:00.000-08:00Karthik! I am sorry I haven't managed to write bac...Karthik! I am sorry I haven't managed to write back to you. I will ... hopefully soon.<BR/>I like this piece... this reflects that you are TRULY openminded.<BR/><BR/>Will write back soon, SK!<BR/>bye for now.<BR/>anbudan Lakshminarasimhan.<BR/><BR/>PS: I don't have a blog... no time to do that... atleast now!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com