[...]
>
>It seems clear to me that there are distinctions we may never be able to
>make, because the needed information is not available, because we may
>simply not have the ability to gather the needed information, or because
>God may have explicitly denied us the ability to make them. Usually no one
>responds when I say these sorts of things, but they are considerations we
>need to keep in mind. Ignoring them doesn't make them disappear.
>
>When we find the fossil remains of a human or human-like creature, how are
>we to decide they are or are not the remains of a human being? All the
>criteria being discussed (art, civilization, tool-making, etc.) are perhaps
>reasonable criteria for identifying humanity, but as someone pointed out
>(Brian Harper I believe) what we are really seeking in these discussions is
>a basis for judging that some fossil remains are or are not the remains of
>a human who was capable of having a relationship with God.
>
>In speaking of living humans the Bible teaches that only God knows the
>hearts of men. We look at externals but God knows the heart. But we have
>such imperfect knowledge of living humans we can interact with, talk with
>and question. Our knowledge of archaic humans is more remote. All we know
>about them is what they left behind. We ought to be very cautious about
>ruling any ancient human-like creature out of the human race. Why? because
>we might provide openings for a future Hitler to rule living humans out of
>the human race.
>
Bill is right and I'm not just saying this because I agree with him, I'm
sayin' it because he's right. :-)
Another danger in tying our notion of spirituality to physical criteria is
that it invites a physical explanation of spirituality. I think most (all)
of us aren't going to like this idea too much, but how do you fairly poo
poo it if it follows from the criteria that we've helped to establish?
In other words, suppose someone finds a physical theory which accounts
for all the physical criteria that we've talked about. What would we
say then? "err, uh, you know, uh that's not really what I meant by
spirituality, er, uh, spirituality is not reducible to physics er uh ..."
Best to make this distinction to begin with methinks.
Brian Harper
Associate Professor
Applied Mechanics
Ohio State University