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Dear Cicero,
Smoke signals on
the horizon this morning. A stormy night has passed, and in the
drenched floodplain farmland along the Meechi River, bonfires are
lit, signalling the last chance of winter, before the big spring
bloom. Already the almonds are in full flower, the roads are awash
with wind-scattered petals. It's easy to forget that I live in the
modern world.
But, Cicero, I've
been reading “On the Nature of the Gods”, and my first impression
is how modern it all seems. The debate you describe is basically
continuing unchanged after two thousand years, an observation that is
both depressing, and exciting. There are some ideas in your book
that we moderns have put to rest with the advances of scientific
observations, but there are a lot of theological and philosophical
questions that seem very relevant, and actually form the basis of
contemporary debate, particularly regarding evolution versus
intelligent design.
You say something
in the preface which I must address, and I confess that my letter may
be nothing more than my response to this one idea. I have read most
of the book now, (as I begin writing my letter to you) but this
opening statement seems to underlie the whole debate, and the
problems of the manner in which the debate is carried on, seem to
rest upon this one, fragile idea.
Book 1: preface
There is no
subject on which there is so much difference of opinion among both
the learned and the ignorant. But in this medley of opinions, one
thing is certain. Though it is possible that they are all of them
are false, it is impossible that more than one of them is true.
I've
also been reading Plato, and as such, of course I have been making
friends with Socrates. So, in the spirit of Socratic inquiry I will
ask you, why? Why is it impossible that more than one opinion can be
true? In my opinion, the nature of divinity is, by its very nature,
pluralistic. The modern author Hunter S. Thompson said “Man is
the only creature to imagine there is a God, and the only creature
who behaves as if there is none.” It seems to me, that there
is every possibility that the many, diverse, differing, and even
opposing opinions and experiences regarding the nature of the Gods,
could be simultaneously true.
Though
I do agree that all opinions could be equally false.
When
speaking to someone today about your book, my friend said that there
is no proof that the Gods even exist. I responded, that while I can
offer no proof that the Gods I have met do exist, nonetheless, I have
met them. I do not seek to prove anything, but I do believe that my
senses can be trusted to provide me with the truth. (Which I think
puts me in the Stoic camp...I'm still a little cloudy about the
differing opinions between the Epicureans, Stoics and Academics on
the subject of the reliability of the senses...)
Can
my senses be trusted to reveal the truth? That is a core question
that was present in your day Cicero, and which today is still
discussed by philosophers and laypeople alike. It seems akin to the
same question regarding dreams. Are dreams real? Do they show us
anything real, or are they just random noise in the brain, playing
memories across the sleeping consciousness of the dreamer?
I
think that when I have a dream, I have really had a dream. It was a
real dream. I cannot deny that I have dreamed, therefore the dream
was real. Was the message real? Were the images meaningful? These
may be separate questions, but somehow they are related the question
about whether or not the senses can be trusted to reveal the truth.
I
have perceived my dream, I am aware that in my sleep I dreamed. I
believe that my senses can be trusted to reveal the truth.
Therefore, the things that my dreams reveal to me are real
reflections of the truth of my inner (or subconscious) nature, and my
relationships to the outer world.
I
also believe that my inner nature is both a reflection and an
expression of the nature of the Gods.
I
exist in the world. My dreams exist inside me. Therefore my dreams
exist in the world. Therefore, the Gods who I dream of, also exist in
the world. The world is real and I am real. Therefore the Gods are
real.
However,
it is possible that my opinions on this subject are false. Equally,
it is possible that they are true. I do not believe in my
opinions, nor do I believe in my beliefs. I experience my
opinions and my beliefs, I consider them, I ponder them, I discuss
them, I write about them. I form ideas about my experiences, and
about my opinions which I try to observe with an open mind. I try to
always be ready to be proved wrong.
Being
proved wrong happens every day.
I
will write more next week....
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