> "I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the Talmud and the
> Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a mind....A little
> philosophy inclineth a man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth
> men's minds about to religion. For while the mind of man looketh upon second
> causes scattered, it may sometimes rest in them and go no further; but when it
> beholdeth the chain of them, confederate and linked together, it must needs
> fly to Providence and Deity."
I really like that. Thanks, Jim. However, I suspect that there are
more effects of varying depths than Bacon enumerates. It seems more
likely to me that as one attains greater understanding at any level of
philosophy, the pride of accomplishment is likely to incline the
practitioner's mind to thinking that his knowledge has increased and
therefore pushed God farther back. But, if the investigator is honest,
as he contemplates what he has learned, he will realize that the new
knowledge has raised additional questions, and the end result is likely
to be that even though he knows much more than he did, he is even more
keenly aware of the vastness of what he _doesn't_ know.
-- Bill Hamilton whamilto@mich.com------------------------------------------------------------------------------William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.1346 W. Fairview LaneRochester, MI 48306(810) 652 4148