Reply #61: I didn't exactly concentrate on it. I gave it one sentence. [View All]

[immoderate]

Yeah, I put it in the subject line to be cute, but didn't mention it after that. The rest of my post, one might say, was about intellectual rigor.

Reductionism is using the principles of one discipline to explain another. Since you gave no examples of the universal truths you allude to, I'll generalize. The laws of physics do not predict the laws of biology. Yes, biological entities may not violate laws of physics in their functioning, but you mostly ignore that. Finding an occasional congruence is not proof of anything objective.

There is a difference between reason and logic. Logic requires some strict rules, but if followed, the quality of the result is guaranteed. Reason is something else. It's whatever you can come up with to persuade someone. There are no rules. And I can see that's where you're coming from. It might serve you well to explore some of the rules of logic because there are places where it counts. You also don't have a very rigorous definition of truth, which could come in handy.

The only similarity between Newton's third law and karma is the possibility of using the word "reaction" in both definitions. Newton's Third Law of Motion is just that. It describes mass, velocity and acceleration. It made possible the steam engine, internal combustion engine, rockets, the entire industrial revolution. It is reproducible and right 100% of the time in its domain. Contrary to other statements in the OP, Einstein did not overturn Newton's laws, he extended them. They still apply, but only to physics. Certainly there is no connection to karma, which is based on no theory, cannot be measured, or predicted. Karma is a dear notion that has no correlation with reality. Did Reagan and Bush, Sr. have good karma? Did John Kennedy have bad karma? Oh, it doesn't work that way? Well physics does. Physics makes no pretenses to controlling the fortunes of men.

Wherever did you get the notion that if something is true in one situation, it will be true in any other situation? Would you stop and think about how dangerous that is?

Why are you so ready to see the connections between all the notions in the universe and yet you can't see the connection between religion and the black cat? What if he worshiped that cat? Biblical Jews and early Christians sacrificed lots of animals. People pray to animals today. How can I tell which is faith and which is superstition? By the way, they will tell you their reason and logic for it.

--IMM