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En Garde, whole no. 16, January 1946
Page 4
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Page 4. overlooks the fact that religion is a symptom, not the cause. That is, the militant atheist so views it. The Agnostic, neither believing nor disbelieving, becomes little more than a fence-straddler. He can not be charged with lacking courage of his convictions because he avoids having any convictions, escaping instead into his in-between stand. Therefore it appears that the non-militant atheist takes the only valid stand. Realizing it is all a matter for individual decision, he attempts to consider it dispassionately. (1) UNIVERSE<--------NO CAUSE. (effect) (2) UNIVERSE <--------- CAUSE-1 <-------- CAUSE-2<---------CAUSE-3<---------- [[infinity symbol]] (effect) (effect) (effect) (effect) We are faced with a universe we are unable to explain more than partially, and that with no absolute certainty. To better examine our problem we generalize, and thus find two alternatives. In the first we have the Universe which is an effect. We postulate that there is no cause needed to explain it. Therefore, it follows that any concept of a Supreme Being that created it is superfluous. In the second we have the same Universe and offer Cause-1 to explain it. But Cause-1 is also an effect, so we bring in Cause-2, another effect, then Cause-3 and so on until we find ourselves with a regression to infinity. Feeling this unsatisfactory, suppose we try substituting Supreme Being for Cause-1. We can then either decide arbitrarily that Supreme Being explains everything and there is no need to think about it any farther, or we can be intellectually honest and admit that Supreme Being is an effect and still needs Cause-2 to explain it.....and so on. Why should a mind accept such abstract concepts as infinite distance, infinite time, or an infinite universe, yet balk at an infinite chain of cause and effect? Having seen so clearly that the interposition of Supreme Being really explains nothing, it obviously can be nothing but a symbol of a mind's refusal to reason beyond a certain point. Call it Supreme Being, Mind, Will, Power, or any other evasion one wishes. Embellish it with whatever other characteristics prove comforting. It still remains nothing but an escape from reality. INSPIRATION: Glad to see Inspiration again, Lynn. On Time And Stuff was an interesting resume. Your wondering about the reactions of fans to atomic power may have to go unanswered for a while as far as I am concerned. Like so many others, I'm still in the process of adapting my thinking to this new reality. HORIZONS: Your suggestion for a really comprehensive fan index sounds decidedly interesting and worthwhile. But the necessary work involved seems utterly appalling. I shy away. As to number of pages published in fandom, I'm afraid counting up indicates only about 500 for me. Guess that doesn't even leave me in the running. THE VOICE: In this matter of Canadian vs. U.S. money, I don't think suspiciousness has anything to do with it. It's just that the average American, business man or otherwise, doesn't like to be bothered with anything calling for special consideration. They will accept Canadian money at the current discount if it can't be avoided, but they'd much rather shove the responsibility for converting
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Page 4. overlooks the fact that religion is a symptom, not the cause. That is, the militant atheist so views it. The Agnostic, neither believing nor disbelieving, becomes little more than a fence-straddler. He can not be charged with lacking courage of his convictions because he avoids having any convictions, escaping instead into his in-between stand. Therefore it appears that the non-militant atheist takes the only valid stand. Realizing it is all a matter for individual decision, he attempts to consider it dispassionately. (1) UNIVERSE<--------NO CAUSE. (effect) (2) UNIVERSE <--------- CAUSE-1 <-------- CAUSE-2<---------CAUSE-3<---------- [[infinity symbol]] (effect) (effect) (effect) (effect) We are faced with a universe we are unable to explain more than partially, and that with no absolute certainty. To better examine our problem we generalize, and thus find two alternatives. In the first we have the Universe which is an effect. We postulate that there is no cause needed to explain it. Therefore, it follows that any concept of a Supreme Being that created it is superfluous. In the second we have the same Universe and offer Cause-1 to explain it. But Cause-1 is also an effect, so we bring in Cause-2, another effect, then Cause-3 and so on until we find ourselves with a regression to infinity. Feeling this unsatisfactory, suppose we try substituting Supreme Being for Cause-1. We can then either decide arbitrarily that Supreme Being explains everything and there is no need to think about it any farther, or we can be intellectually honest and admit that Supreme Being is an effect and still needs Cause-2 to explain it.....and so on. Why should a mind accept such abstract concepts as infinite distance, infinite time, or an infinite universe, yet balk at an infinite chain of cause and effect? Having seen so clearly that the interposition of Supreme Being really explains nothing, it obviously can be nothing but a symbol of a mind's refusal to reason beyond a certain point. Call it Supreme Being, Mind, Will, Power, or any other evasion one wishes. Embellish it with whatever other characteristics prove comforting. It still remains nothing but an escape from reality. INSPIRATION: Glad to see Inspiration again, Lynn. On Time And Stuff was an interesting resume. Your wondering about the reactions of fans to atomic power may have to go unanswered for a while as far as I am concerned. Like so many others, I'm still in the process of adapting my thinking to this new reality. HORIZONS: Your suggestion for a really comprehensive fan index sounds decidedly interesting and worthwhile. But the necessary work involved seems utterly appalling. I shy away. As to number of pages published in fandom, I'm afraid counting up indicates only about 500 for me. Guess that doesn't even leave me in the running. THE VOICE: In this matter of Canadian vs. U.S. money, I don't think suspiciousness has anything to do with it. It's just that the average American, business man or otherwise, doesn't like to be bothered with anything calling for special consideration. They will accept Canadian money at the current discount if it can't be avoided, but they'd much rather shove the responsibility for converting
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