On several of the anti-Darwinist threads, I have been asked to back up my claim that God's existence can be demonstrated rationally. To my shame, I have only responded by referring my interlocuters to Kant, Hegel or Marx. This was necessary because my time is limited, and I thought it would be useful because I assumed that some people would already by familiar with these people's ideas. How wrong I was! As you might expect, this proof is rather complicated, which is why the common herd of religious believers must rest content with "faith." But, if anyone's genuinely interested, I can take you through it in such a way that you will not only understand, but be utterly and completely convinced by.
This will be a lengthy process. It will have to be taken step by step, and those steps will have to be little. I will make sure that I have established each of my points before moving on to the next stage of the argument. And of course I will have to pause periodically to kick away Gurrier, Nino Savatte and the rest of the pack of mangy curs who have nothing better to do than yap at my heels all day. Many on these boards are fanatical anti-theists, and convincing them will not be easy. But I shoulder the task with goodwill--someone has to do it--and it ought to be fun. The rational proof of God's existence begins with the definitive characteristic of human society: exchange. Yes, exchange. The exchange, say, of a cow for a lamb. This will eventually produce the commodity which, of which Karl Marx says:
"A commodity appears at first sight an extremely obvious, trivial thing. But its analysis brings out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties."
He was not using the words "metaphysical" and "theological" figuratively. First, we need to agree that the exchange of a cow for a lamb involves the invention of a third factor: the concept of *value.* The *value* of the cow must be perceptible--although it is of course not a material thing--it must, I say, be *perceptible* in the *body* of the lamb. Is everyone with me so far?
Feel free to ask questions or to raise any objections at this stage, because we will not be retracing our steps as the argument progresses.
This will be a lengthy process. It will have to be taken step by step, and those steps will have to be little. I will make sure that I have established each of my points before moving on to the next stage of the argument. And of course I will have to pause periodically to kick away Gurrier, Nino Savatte and the rest of the pack of mangy curs who have nothing better to do than yap at my heels all day. Many on these boards are fanatical anti-theists, and convincing them will not be easy. But I shoulder the task with goodwill--someone has to do it--and it ought to be fun. The rational proof of God's existence begins with the definitive characteristic of human society: exchange. Yes, exchange. The exchange, say, of a cow for a lamb. This will eventually produce the commodity which, of which Karl Marx says:
"A commodity appears at first sight an extremely obvious, trivial thing. But its analysis brings out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties."
He was not using the words "metaphysical" and "theological" figuratively. First, we need to agree that the exchange of a cow for a lamb involves the invention of a third factor: the concept of *value.* The *value* of the cow must be perceptible--although it is of course not a material thing--it must, I say, be *perceptible* in the *body* of the lamb. Is everyone with me so far?
Feel free to ask questions or to raise any objections at this stage, because we will not be retracing our steps as the argument progresses.
