Digest urth.v028.n079

Alex David Groce · 07 Nov 1999, 14:32 · from urth-v0028.mbox · original

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From: Alex David Groce <Alex_Groce at gs246.sp.cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: Digest urth.v028.n079
Date: Sun, 07 Nov 1999 14:32:04
Message-ID: <urth-v0028-0416 at digest.urth.net>
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>What Wolfe is doing with the tea-lady is to give us her view of science
>thru teleological eyes ie., that science destroys wonder (a common
>anti-evolutionist claim to this day). When the ballooning of the cathedral
>tent can be explained by the hot air from the fire which was started by
>Severian's crash, this for her, misses the point, which is to see the Hand
>(of God) in nature. She isn't calling for a miracle, but that the event
>should send us to God, not to the explanation. We modernists in turn reject
>her viewpoint, eg., viz. Dawkins last book "Unweaving the rainbow :
>science, delusion and the appetite for wonder" which I believe argues that
>scientific understanding is what truly leads to wonder and respect for
>evolutionary explanation.

Yes, although from my brief skim, Dawkins does so in poor fashion--I disagr=
ee
with Dawkins on (most) things, but usually he's at least an honest battler,
heading straight for his target--here he dodges around the fact that his own
ideas would tend to reduce Mozart & Keats to, well, specious memes of dubio=
us
survival value.

An interesting point with respect to Wolfe here is that a lot of the 18th
century natural theologians, and earlier thinkers, rested much of their
argument on the beauty and charm, if you will, of nature--the pleasant aspe=
cts
of the design.  CASTLE OF THE OTTER puts forth Wolfe's claim that part of t=
he
inspiration of BOTNS was to (heavily paraphrasing) approach natural theology
from another side--pain and torture as indicative of the existence of God.
I suppose, to show God's presence not just in butterflies and little lambs =
and
such, but, Book of Job-fashion, in the alzabo and various Leviathans of Urt=
h's
oceans (Abaia & co., who would be equally tricky to draw out with a hook).

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32
--
Alex David Groce (agroce+ at cs.cmu.edu)
Ph.D. Student, Carnegie Mellon University - Computer Science Department
8112 Wean Hall (412)-268-3066
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~agroce

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

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