Re: extraterrestrial intelligence

Moorad Alexanian (alexanian@uncwil.edu)
Mon, 12 Apr 1999 09:33:22 -0400

Man is a detector of the material and the supernatural. If you do not agree
with this, you are not a man. That man is the most complicated "machine"
around is obvious. Give me a counterexample. Just one! What is self-evident
to man may not be able to be written down as a scientific theory. Please
tell me what love is in scientific terms---not the physical manifestations
of it but its very essence. Newton used Kepler's laws to develop a theory
that gave rise to such laws by means of mathematical logic. Of course,
Einstein's theory superceded Newton's theory. But all dealt with nonexistent
models that reassemble better and better the real thing. Man is the creator
of the theories of nature and reason is something that is not in the models
but in its creator--man reasons, matter does not. Accordingly, the reason
that we find in nature also needs a Creator. Obviously, this is not a proof
in the mathematical sense, but the contrary assumption---that there is no
creator--is less plausible.

Moorad

-----Original Message-----
From: Pim van Meurs <entheta@eskimo.com>
To: asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>; 'Sona Thorburn'
<sthorburn@mindspring.com>
Cc: evolution@calvin.edu <evolution@calvin.edu>
Date: Sunday, April 11, 1999 10:35 PM
Subject: RE: extraterrestrial intelligence

Moorad: The following article indicates that scientists believe they can
detect
extraterrestrial intelligence by merely using mechanical devices, viz.
antennas.

Unlikely.

Moorad: I ask you, isn't detector-man more capable of detecting
intelligence than mere machines?

You tellme

Moorad: If you do not believe in a supernatural component in man, then you
must believe that man is the most complicated machine---much more than a
petty antenna.

Why is that a requirement. I fail to see how you reached that conclusion

Moorad: It is so self-evident to me that we detect intelligence in nature
and its workings.

Yes, it's much harder to turn that "self evident fact" into something more
scientific. If your faith is that this is the case then fine otherwise your
belief is worth little without some supporting evidence.

Moorad: That is to say, there is at least a brain orders of magnitude more
powerful than ours that gave rise to the whole thing is. Of course, I
believe that that entity is God who is
actually beyond our comprehension. Speculations about how He did create the
whole thing are nothing but musings of proud minds.

There is no evidence of such a requirement. But perhaps you could enlighten
us where others have failed ?