Metafilter is an interesting group weblog with built-in (members only) discussion. One of today’s topics is Discover Magazine’s article Guth’s Grand Guess, an insightful, detailed article/interview with Alan Guth, “cosmology’s leading man.” This article is definitely worth reading. The MeFi (as au currant insiders refer to the site) discussion, though, stumbles quickly and unsurprisingly into the paradox of existence–if, as Guth says is likely to be proven true, the universe as we know it came into existence and its current state due to the odd foibles of quantum physics, from where did these odd foibles come? One poster is quick to raise the theological flag (God did it). Others miss the point entirely by claiming there can be a scientific explanation and thereby remaining inside the circle. I myself am quick to recall the Native American mythos that the world sits on top of a gigantic turtle. Where does that turtle stand? On top of another. And so on.
As I write this one poster (with the strange yet mythopoetic handle of mooncrow) has also come to the turtle story. However, theology is also another case of simply pushing the question back another turtle. If God created the Universe, who created God? To me, there is no possible ‘final’ answer to this question that our minds can comprehend. Sorry. This is not to say that God does or does not exist. I will say that if He does exist, he hasn’t sent me any email lately.
BillSaysThis 