Should we engage nature… or embrace artifice?
That’s a good question.
I make a great coffee. Triple shot fresh ground organic beans, a blend of steamed raw milk and cream, and a touch of wild honey. Now thats a “good morning” coffee! Nothing artificial in my brew. Just nature at its best and an experience that maybe hints of a deeper lifestyle philosophy.
We are an intrinsic part of the realm we call nature, albeit practiced in varying degrees of passion and expression that reveal the extent of which we either engage nature or embrace artifice. This position is revealed via our actions either by determination or default, but if addressed formally could maximise lifestyle benefit. It’s a destiny question that will ultimately influence our values, diet, environment, world view, behaviour, markets and even our monetary system.
I support the view that there is an energy and intelligence greater than mankind that is responsible for our natural world, which is why I try to live in harmony with nature and nature’s god. It's not an unreasonable position, in fact given thought it is objective, validly persuasive, and even compelling.
Consider, a modern car. It has 30,000 parts that form 9 major systems. Such precision, order and harmonious function is evident. No-one in their right mind would conclude that the order we identify as a car, with all its parts and systems came together in the absence of energy, intelligence or design. It defies logic, and is well beyond statistical probability for a car to exist otherwise.
The human body is made of 37 trillion cells, forming 78 organs and 12 systems, all working in precise unison and order. Again, no-one in their right mind would conclude that all those parts came together in the absence of energy, intelligence or design. It too defies logic, and is well beyond statistical probability. Design points to a designer even in nature, and clearly one has to embrace artifice to reach a different conclusion.
The origin of our natural world has energised discussion for millennia. Scientists point to a “big bang," philosophers ponder spontaneous generation, theologians refer to “creation," yet others conclude in some respects they may just be the same thing. The big bang/spontaneous generation/creation view finds support from the second law of thermodynamics in that both our natural world and manmade world travel from “order to disorder”. This can best be understood by example. Picture a shiny pocket knife brought into existence through design, intelligence and order. Place that pocket knife on a rock and in 200 years it would have become a small pile of rusty metal, but place a small pile of rusty metal on the same rock for 2,000 years and it will never become a shiny pocket knife. Order requires energy, intelligence and design… from somewhere. Surely one has to embrace artifice to reach a different conclusion.
With basic reasoning we can observe that everything in existence, tangible and intangible, has at a minimum both a unit and an intelligence.
Take Music for example. It comprises 7 basic notes. (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of Beethoven, a 5th Symphony comes into existence.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
English literature is formed from a 26 letter alphabet. That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of a Martin Luther King Jnr, we have the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
Mathematics has 9 numerals and a zero. That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of Pythagorus, geometrical calculations and structural solutions are determined.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
Our natural world is comprised of 118 elements (hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen oxygen, etc) That’s its unit… so where is the intelligence that brought it all together ?
To ignore that a power and intelligence greater than mankind is responsible for our natural world is to embrace artifice, which is why I try to live in harmony with nature and nature’s god. Or maybe I should rephrase my mantra… I try to live in harmony with nature (creation) and nature’s God (our Creator).
Enjoy your morning coffee !
Graham Daniels
February 2022
graham@danel.ch
We are an intrinsic part of the realm we call nature, albeit practiced in varying degrees of passion and expression that reveal the extent of which we either engage nature or embrace artifice. This position is revealed via our actions either by determination or default, but if addressed formally could maximise lifestyle benefit. It’s a destiny question that will ultimately influence our values, diet, environment, world view, behaviour, markets and even our monetary system.
I support the view that there is an energy and intelligence greater than mankind that is responsible for our natural world, which is why I try to live in harmony with nature and nature’s god. It's not an unreasonable position, in fact given thought it is objective, validly persuasive, and even compelling.
Consider, a modern car. It has 30,000 parts that form 9 major systems. Such precision, order and harmonious function is evident. No-one in their right mind would conclude that the order we identify as a car, with all its parts and systems came together in the absence of energy, intelligence or design. It defies logic, and is well beyond statistical probability for a car to exist otherwise.
The human body is made of 37 trillion cells, forming 78 organs and 12 systems, all working in precise unison and order. Again, no-one in their right mind would conclude that all those parts came together in the absence of energy, intelligence or design. It too defies logic, and is well beyond statistical probability. Design points to a designer even in nature, and clearly one has to embrace artifice to reach a different conclusion.
The origin of our natural world has energised discussion for millennia. Scientists point to a “big bang," philosophers ponder spontaneous generation, theologians refer to “creation," yet others conclude in some respects they may just be the same thing. The big bang/spontaneous generation/creation view finds support from the second law of thermodynamics in that both our natural world and manmade world travel from “order to disorder”. This can best be understood by example. Picture a shiny pocket knife brought into existence through design, intelligence and order. Place that pocket knife on a rock and in 200 years it would have become a small pile of rusty metal, but place a small pile of rusty metal on the same rock for 2,000 years and it will never become a shiny pocket knife. Order requires energy, intelligence and design… from somewhere. Surely one has to embrace artifice to reach a different conclusion.
With basic reasoning we can observe that everything in existence, tangible and intangible, has at a minimum both a unit and an intelligence.
Take Music for example. It comprises 7 basic notes. (A-B-C-D-E-F-G). That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of Beethoven, a 5th Symphony comes into existence.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
English literature is formed from a 26 letter alphabet. That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of a Martin Luther King Jnr, we have the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
Mathematics has 9 numerals and a zero. That’s its unit… but with the intelligence of Pythagorus, geometrical calculations and structural solutions are determined.
Everything in existence has both a unit and an intelligence.
Our natural world is comprised of 118 elements (hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen oxygen, etc) That’s its unit… so where is the intelligence that brought it all together ?
To ignore that a power and intelligence greater than mankind is responsible for our natural world is to embrace artifice, which is why I try to live in harmony with nature and nature’s god. Or maybe I should rephrase my mantra… I try to live in harmony with nature (creation) and nature’s God (our Creator).
Enjoy your morning coffee !
Graham Daniels
February 2022
graham@danel.ch
