God – An auto suggestive voluntary hallucination
“Some people think God is an outsize, light-skinned male with a long white beard, sitting on a throne somewhere up there in the sky, busily tallying the fall of every sparrow. Others—for example Baruch Spinoza and Albert Einstein—considered God to be essentially the sum total of the physical laws which describe the universe. I do not know of any compelling evidence for anthropomorphic patriarchs controlling human destiny from some hidden celestial vantage point, but it would be madness to deny the existence of physical laws.” ~ Carl Sagan
I do not believe in god, especially as the idea/concept is presented in traditional religions.
That there is a person sitting on top of a hill with a ring on top of it’s head; it can do anything it wishes; and it sits on judgment over every act of mankind on earth.
Not only is there no proof of such a being, the idea actually seems illogical – our whole history proves that we are on our own, no one actively punishes the sinner and rewards the do-gooder, and no one has ever come back from heaven/hell to give an authentic account of what the hell/heaven happen there.
The concept of “God” – is an idealist approach to conceptualize God – to give it a shape and a form in the human mind… the God can not be conceptualized – and as soon as it’s made so, the God will move further away… like an infinity.
Could this life – as we know it – be a recursive phenomenon happening across recursive universes?
The question may be a bit difficult to understand without an example. The example is a bit specific – but this thought hit my mind while I furtively tried to study for my practical(procrastinating)..
For example, today we are trying out LHC projects in order to understand the creation of the universe and we are dealing with quantum particles and nano-black-holes etc. So we will conduct mini-big-bang and will give birth to micro-universe in our laboratory (say).
Suppose one day we think of inserting life onto one of those tiny particles(when we reach zenith of our scientific/technical expertise). Then there will be life prevailing on the quantum particles in the micro universe in our laboratory..
Then they (the mini life ) too will evolve – and give birth to humans – who may start, one-day, a LHC experiment and will again deep dive down further into another recursion to explore another universe.. just the way we too might have been created by the macro universe outside of the universe where we live..
However, there are some possibilities:
- It is exceedingly probable that ‘life’, or ‘consciousness’ has arisen in our universe billions of years before it arose on earth. It is also exceedingly probable that many of these ‘conscious’ beings evolved into entities vastly superior than us, and now they can influence events across entire galaxies. To them, we are as insignificant as ants are to us. But still, perhaps once in a million year, they spend a nano-second contemplating the affairs of all the inhabitants of earth. Perhaps they do nothing, but once in a few million years, perhaps they tinker a little here and there…………
- It is even more probable that ‘life’, or ‘consciousness’ has arisen in some universe somewhere trillions of years before our universe began. and those entities have, eventually, learnt how to control entire universes and define their laws, thus guiding their evolutions. It might just be possible that they created a universe in which the knowledge and causality would be arranged in onion layers. This universe is comprehensible to its inhabitants in a progressive manner – the more they think about it, the more they can unravel its mysteries.
For, remember what Einstein said – the most incomprehensible part of our universe is that it is comprehensible.
Or, I can define God as an auto suggestive voluntary hallucination.
Hi, I am Engineer Neeraj Chhibba’s friend, precisely I consider myself one.
In regards to your your post, i comment as below:
Did you know till you read this post that there existed some called Sujeet Sinha? When I say existed, I mean it, why? Because I exist on a day to day basis meeting ends, I don’t blog, I don’t write, I don’t earn money like rabbies, I mean I don’t do anything becuase of which even accidently you would have known. Now assume that someone would have told you yesterday and assume this someone is whom you know a very little that there exists a person called Sujeet, would you have believed him?
Perhaps yes or perhaps no.
So in case of my existence, your belief, your knowldege has no role, you understand NO ROLE, ABSOLUTELY. I was there and I will be there irrespective of you.
Did you ever meet Einstein? No, perhaps, still you know him, why ? Because about him it is written in text books. So have you ever met some one who wrote about Einstein? Again perhaps big NO and you still believe that there was someone called Einstein. What a game yaar, you believe only in something written in the book but
when I or some one says you yes there is a God, you don’t believe him.
Ok, let me ask you, if you really want to know if there is a god, what should be your action? Perhaps go and search him? Where to go and search him perhaps will be another question, but tell me when did you last searched him and for how long your search lasted? Dear, don’t expect that God will appear to you when you are busy with your blogging or sipping your coffee with a goood cigarette. Go and search and if you don’t find him then conclude there is nothing called god, else based on
assumptions of those who never ever searched him is unfair no?
Ok, now when you say had there been a God there would have been no unjustice on earth. You are correct here partially,why because earth is not God’s kingdom and it is in no way God’s work to do justice here, yes in the other world where he lives there is a justice.
God gave us life and now it is your and our duty to do justice.
Sorry, have to work now, if I get some time again and have enough concentration, I will complete my thoughts.
Sujeet
Hi Sujeet, thanks for dropping by.
I would save us both the time by not asking ‘have you seen the almighty?’ – as the answer is no. I must define ’seeing’ as you just pointed out I’m too young to have met someone who has died centuries ago. But is there any tangible proof? Do you have one? People have faith in god, has anyone seen the very person? Anyone?
Now, neither of us knew we existed prior to this point. Glad to have met someone who is highly opinionated.
To believe or not is one’s prerogative. I exercised mine.
Aren’t you being a bit too prejudicial about my habits? Don’t.
God or not, it has and always been one’s action that shapes the paradigms we live in. Our actions decides our way of life. Good or bad. Happy or Sad. Success or Failure. Just by chanting names, worshiping doesn’t make things work out. It’s how much of dedication, effort and self-belief that acts as the deciding factor.
Yes, please, whenever you’re free, would like to see you around.
Do keep visiting.
Good day.
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P.S : I’m not sure if you’re accustomed to net-etiquette’s, but it’s considered as ‘Shout’, harsh behaviour and outright disrespect for the other person when you chose to use bold-face. You’re more than welcome to question my views – but it would be immensely appreciated if you refrain from further such idiosyncrasies.
Hi.
I usually prefer not to get into the whole atheist vs theist argument…If both sides are strongly fanatic about their beliefs neither side is ever going to change.
However, I just want to point out here(as this is what I inferred from your blog) that thanks to the theory of evolution-you believe that life evolved, thus eliminating the need of a creator.
However,the theory of evolution has certain gaping holes due to which it cannot be conclusively proven as fact. I am not going into too many technical details here-
(you can do a quick google or read-
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/documents/topics/science-youth-spirituality-boilogical-mythology-social-disaster.pdf)
If for a moment you refuse to accept the theory of evolution and look around at the amazingly complicated and beautiful creation around you- you must wonder-”Who is the creator?”
Has any creation ever come out of an explosion? If I showed you a tiny model of the solar system with the planets revolving around the sun in perfect synchronization – the first thing you will ask is- who made it? And yet you chose to accept that the entire universe arose out of a ‘big bang?’ Where there is creation there must be a creator…..
The thing is- modern education forces us to blindly believe in science. I am not saying that everything science has established is wrong- Its just that science has a limited understanding of how nature works. And any student of science knows-that the first thing we learn is a bunch of wrong theories before we reach upon the ‘currently accepted- so called right theory’(Eg are the atomic model or the theory of light) So really even science requires you to have faith in something which is (or atleast might turn out to be) faulty.
The problem also lies in the idea of God being an old man. This is again a limited understanding. God is ever youthful, He is all attractive.
Ofcourse- when we claim that God is blue in colour(like a dark monsoon cloud) and does nothing but play on His flute whole day- the question again is – on whose authority? And the answer is equally simple -God’s! If you wanted information on a personality like Sharukh Khan- the first book you would read would be an autobiography or atleast an authorized biography. The same holds true for God. And the scriptures are exactly that- authorized descriptions of and by God himself.
As for seeing God- I have been reading books which describe people of having seen and interacted with God as recently as 500 years ago(Saints in West Bengal and Orissa). Besides saints of Maharashtra-like sant Tukaram- have also seen God- and that was during Shivaji Maharaj’s time so I’d say 18th century.(These are recorded events) And I am sure there are people in more recent times too… Anyone can see God once he has developed the proper qualification.
I think I have gone on too long…. Do read http://reflectionsofathinker.blogspot.com/2009/09/why-i-believe-god-exists-and-think-you.html
for a view opposing yours. Its a nice blog….
Hello,
I would reply to two of the points raised by you:
1. You are saying that there are gaps to the theory of evolution as it currently stands. I have very basic knowledge of this theory, so I would take your word for it. However, acknowledging these gaps, I do not understand why that should lead me to a belief in god! if there are gaps in the theory of evolution, we should wait till scientists fill up these gaps, or replace it with an even better theory, shouldn’t we?
After all, the cornerstones of physics as we know it are the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics: and both are incomplete! so we are striving to fill up these gaps, and replace both theories with something better: superstrings, or loop quantum gravity, or whatever. Are we saying, instead, that since these theories are still incomplete, that they should be replaced with a belief in god?
2. You are saying that our universe was created in a big bang, and since there was a creation, there must have been a creator.
My understanding of the latest hypotheses doing the rounds is this: there are branes,and these branes collide with each other, leading to creation of many universes (one of which is our own). Concepts such as physical laws, space-time etc themselves get created when these universes are created. since many of these universes have very different physical laws, hence it is meaningless to ask what was there “before” our universe was created: since causality, and time, is limited just to our universe!
You can think of it as a multiverse of many branes, and many universes are being created or destroyed at the same time! there is no creator since this multiverse always has been, and always will be
Shweta – yes, we are constantly pushing forward the boundary of our knowledge, and pushing back the limits of our ignorance. we do not know yet what happened before planck’s time (10**-34 sec), but who knows what we will discover tomorrow? why would you assume that god exists before that simply because do don’t know yet? this is the same as saying that we should believe in a creator just because our personal knowledge of evolution is flawed
I am not denying that an intelligent designer might yet be there somewhere (after all this universe might just be one of many simulations running on some mainframe in someone’s backyard ), but why presuppose him?
Do keep visiting.
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P.S: I did read the blog. It states one’s beliefs, faith. And the post wasn’t limited to the concept of god.
Hey…
I had written the post she told you to read.
So-
Basically, you choose to not believe in God because of the lack of tangible proof in that direction, correct? And yet, you would place your faith in these branes, colliding and creating whole new universes? Just outta curiosity, could you point me in the direction of the ‘proof’ supporting this theory?
Look, basically, it all comes down to the question of-and this is a quote from your own post-’to believe or not believe’. Because, as of now, it is technically impossible to prove OR disprove the existence of God. However, the biggest hole in the theory of evolution is that no-one can understand how life itself evolved from purely dead matter. That spark, that unknown source of energy that distinguishes the living from the dead…no-one knows where it comes from, although there are theories ranging from accidental arrival from outer space, to active involvement of much more evolved species. These are, basically, pushing the problem onto some-one else – these all-knowing aliens [or supra-humans, or people of a bigger, macro-universe, or whatever], who originated in that unknown way, understood how they did it, and accidentally/on purpose distributed that gift to humble humanity. As i see it, your beliefs are something like that?
From a completely logical viewpoint, the amount of faith required to believe something like that is exactly the same as that required for a belief in God, as both have zero proof. Right?
The difference however, is that the aliens are a passive concept-they came, they gave life, and they kept going. Their involvement in your, or my, present life is non-existent. GOD, on the other hand, is much more active. He smiles benignly and rains mercy onto his faithful believers, making their life easier, and frowns down upon the sinners, giving them the opposite. Worse, he judges you after you are dead, lifting you to Heaven, or thrusting you into a cruel Hell. Hence, you must follow HIS rules, doing or not doing things you may not always want to, and being controlled in a horribly intrusive way. Which is why, many people are more comfortable with the simpler, easier and much less scary alien concept.
Now. Suppose the Passive state of things turns out to be true. What happens to you, a firm supporter? All-round winner. You only had one life, which you lived to the full, doing what you wanted, and then died a [hopefully] happy man. And me? I definitely screwed up. Believing in that weird God concept, i spent my life chanting useless prayers, worshiping idols, and staying away from various awesome pleasures-alcohol, tobacco, blah, blah. True, i probably live a longer, more self-controlled, more spiritually satisfied life as a direct result of the abstinence and prayer, but what the hell? I still was wrong.
BUT-and here is the clincher-what IF the God concept turns out to be true? What happens to me? Amazing stuff! Heaven and all its thrills, a happy God, blah.
And you, where do you end up?
So, finally, the question is not faith versus pure logic and absolute proof, it is faith versus other faith…and if you’re smart, you’ll see where you stand to lose more, and where you stand to gain more…
Vipluv.