Dawin's Regret

[dizzydoll]

Dawin's Regret

My mind has changed during the last twenty or thirty years... Now for many years I cannot endure to read a line of poetry… I have also almost lost any taste for pictures or music… My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts...

If I had to live my life again I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week… The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature.

Don't let this happen to you.

[JuniperWoolf]

"Dawin?"

Also, this has nothing to do with religion.

[dizzydoll]

Sure but since there seems to be such an imbalance between religion and science I found his words pretty profound and therefore wanted to share. He did attend church to the end, and that too is an eyeopener as most credible scientists today do not attend church.

"Science has nothing to do with Christ, except insofar as the habit of scientific research makes a man cautious in admitting evidence. For myself, I do not believe that there ever has been any revelation. As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities."
Charles Darwin

Sorry if posting this thread was out of line

[kiki1982]

Any credible scientist does not attend church?

(I love those new smilies!)

What about Catholic universities in Europe then? They do embryo-research there, as far as I am aware. Microbiology and the like. They even have paleonthology on their list of subjects.

While it is sad that Darwin actually went away from any art and got burried in science, I don't think that has anything to do with the concept of science as such.

One is able to believe in God and consider evolution as truth (though some of it still has to be really proven). The existence of God has nothing to do with evolution, although some might claim it does. Even the pope has acknowledged that. (already in the 70s I believe, please correct me if I am wrong).

It is perfectly possible to believe in God and practice or enjoy art AND to consider science as something good, great and improving.

[EDIT] But maybe this should be in the Serious Discussion forum or something. Although, we have probably had this a few times now.[/EDIT]

[JCamilo]

Darwin did not attend to churches at the end, did not regreted because of his studies, neither ceased to be an atheist. He was however considerably more caring and tolerant than some people as he held the publication of his studies for years afraid of hurting his wife, a religous woman. That is respect.

[mal4mac]

Even Richard Dawkins admits that credible scientists attend Church! Even some top scientists. But, as he argues in the God Delusion, many are atheists who just go for the poetry and ambience (e.g., Martin Rees.)

[dizzydoll]

If you think about it, what do we really know? I feel we [society] are only at the beginning of our evolution. Surely a warmongering bunch like ourselves still have a ways to go, if we consider there has to be a purpose to life. After all we only discovered DNA ten minutes ago, what marvelous discoveries must await us in the next 20-30 years.

Science and religion really should learn to cohabit peacefully. I believe we have a soul [old soul] but as science already knows I cannot prove it. But there is other stuff science accepts without prove, like intuition, so eventually they will come around to accept we have souls, I believe. Religion too, as one member stated, the Pope is showing an interest in science. This is good news too. Eventually. Imagine if they had caught Isaac Newton for heresy we would all still be floating in the sky. lol

The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature.

This part of his comment stuck out for me. I have no doubt intellectual people often deny the emotional sides of their characters. Its in our emotions that we find our spirituality, not in our logic. It seems like Mr Darwin discovered this shortcoming late in life.

[Babbalanja]

This part of his comment stuck out for me. I have no doubt intellectual people often deny the emotional sides of their characters. Its in our emotions that we find our spirituality, not in our logic. It seems like Mr Darwin discovered this shortcoming late in life.

What you mean is our rational side usually has to be shut off before we think we're addressing our "spirituality."

If you ever actually read Darwin, you'll find an imagination consumed with possibilities and an intellect striving to expand our horizons. I think Darwin wrote the manifesto of the quintessential modern writer and seeker in The Origin of Species.

And incidentally, what we find more often in our emotions is our wishful thinking, our prejudices, and our capacity for self-delusion.

Regards,

Istvan

[dizzydoll]

And incidentally, what we find more often in our emotions is our wishful thinking, our prejudices, and our capacity for self-delusion.

Absolutely you are 100% correct in part, but that is not the true definition of emotion and therefore they should not be discounted for the reasons you provide. Can you think of other areas where emotions can be of value?

What you mean is our rational side usually has to be shut off before we think we're addressing our "spirituality."

You express yourself much better than I do. I am not as fluent as you.

[Niamh]

moved to serious discussions forum from religious texts forum.

[dizzydoll]

Cool

[MarkBastable]

I have no doubt intellectual people often deny the emotional sides of their characters.

Why do you have no doubt about that? What has convinced you?

[dizzydoll]

Just an observation. People seem to be either emotional or logical, neither seem comfortable to stray to the other side of the fence. Is it not true that emotional people feel things and logical people think things? Can you provide an example of a logical person who was emotionally inclined? or vise versa?

Of course when it comes to passion, both the logical and emotional person is capable of this.

enquiring minds

[MarkBastable]

Just an observation. People seem to be either emotional or logical, neither seem comfortable to stray to the other side of the fence. Can you give me an example of a logical person who was emotionally inclined? or vise versa?

enquiring minds

You started out saying 'intellectual' and now you're saying 'logical'. Which do you mean?

[Babbalanja]

dizzydoll,

Since you posted the OP to denigrate an author whose work you don't understand, perhaps you should be less concerned with emotions and more with getting acquainted with an imagination whose ideas continue to inspire:

It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the external conditions of life, and from use and disuse; a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

Regards,

Istvan