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My life is the sum of the reminder of an unbalanced equation inherent to the programming of the Matrix.
I am the anomaly.

2005/06/05

Probability for God's existence - 0.666 !?!

No. I did not derive this probability value. In fact I think of probability, statistics etc. as unscientific approaches or 'psuedo-sciences' as I like to call them (More on that later, if you are interested :)

I happened to glance across this article in some very old Outlook magazine in a restaurant a long time ago, while waiting to get seated. Half the page was torn so I couldn't get the writer's detailed arguments, but there was a summary box which outlined his article. He tried to list out the arguments supporting and denying the existence of God. I don't remember them exactly but they were something like these.
For:
* There is no totally satisfactory explanation as to 'Why and how the universe exists? or why life exists on this universe? how life came into existense' (or something like that)
* --Dont remember the second point :)
Against:
* Apparent lack of God's interference with the universe. If he is out there, he is not maintaining justice in this world as he is supposed to be. The universe seems to be working as per a standard set of rules(framed by God?). 'God is not playing dice'
So the writer arrives at this 2:1 ratio and says that the probability of God's existence is 2/(2+1) : 0.66

As I said, the probability value is meaningless to me(unless it is 0.0 or 1.0). The truth is something that fits all the available evidence. Not a probability of the percentage of evidence that supports the assumption. As Sherlock Holmes would say, 'When you have eliminated all the other possibilities, whatever possibility remains, however improbable it might look, is the truth.'

Anand Swaminathan, to answer your comment in my previous post 'World's most widely spread disorder'. Yes. I do think about God a lot. Atleast about the questions for which the scientific studies haven't been able to give satisfactory answers. Questions for which the 'believers' believe the answer is God. Something on the lines of
* Why universe?
* Why life?
* What is the start/end of time and space? (I couldn't understand Stephen Hawking's explanation that time-space is spherical and doesn't have start/end. Somehow doesnt seem to make sense)
* Why these rules that govern the universe? (To what extent can scientific study provide answer to the question 'Why'. How atom exists? Because of protons and electrons having opposite charges and they attract. Why should opposites attract? Why not repel? I mean, who framed these rules? Is this where science ends and religion starts?)

BUT, I am not ready to take 'God' as the default answer for the lack of even some flimsy piece of evidence to support it, except for people's belief(and how many billions of them for how many ages)

8 comments:

Sudhakar said...

Your arguments are not that convincing to prove the non-existence of God. Please provide more as I, too, am have the same opinion abt God.

Ponniyinselvan/karthikeyan(1981-2005 ) said...

Sudha,
Nope. I know I don't have any arguments to prove the non-existence of God. At the same time I haven't come across any argument that proves the existence of God either. Right now , its a stalemate, I guess. (But again, how do you prove the non-existence of something that has no signs of existence. How do I prove that there is no ghost in my closet?)

Anonymous said...

ennada in recent times...
you seem to be spending too much time thinking about God.... whats happening return of faith?

-
sodabottle

Ramses said...

""* Why universe?
* Why life?
* What is the start/end of time ""

argh
ive thot abt y we exist i know i wont find any answer..but still ill search..

Vijay said...

demi madar,

no doubt that there are a zillion different arguments on both sides.

I have my own thoughts on the same and will post it on my blog. Will post them when i get the time on my blog. Keep watchin !

And btw, i've reached here alive and the journey was quite a roller-coaster. Will post abt that too. Ciao.

Ponniyinselvan/karthikeyan(1981-2005 ) said...

soda,
All I want is the truth (like Neo ;). Whatever it is. Having said that, I dont think I will ever go back. I do have ample proof that God even if he exists, doesn't function the way everyone says he is.

Ramses,
Keep me posted on ur search :) Yeah, even I can't stop thinking about it occasionally, even if I know the chances are very slim of getting an answer.

Vijay,
'no doubt that there are a zillion different arguments on both sides.' The truth is something that fits all these zillion arguments(at least all the valid arguments on both sides) Waiting for ur post.

Saravana said...

dude, space-time is not spherical in shape ... It is a curvature. it is the distortion created when there is a disturbance from the natural state (absoluteness, GOD, say whatever).

Ponniyinselvan/karthikeyan(1981-2005 ) said...

Saravanan,
As I said, all I read on this subject was from Stephen Hawking's couple of books. His analogy of space-time curvature to the 3-D space curvature of the earth misled me, I guess. May be I should try to re-read his books.

Yaaro,
The question is, is there a conscience in that energy source? Does it consciously exert its will on the universe?