Where do we come from

By “nothing” I believe they mean nothing but hot, dense matter. The nothing I was referring to was absolute nothingness.

Yes, yes! Whatever it is (vacuum), it’s at least not what is defined by the Big Bang: no matter, space, and time. I can accept laws exist always, like the law of gravity, but not that these laws can explain something from nothing (though I do wish my bank account could spontaneously increase from mathematical principles that always exist).

vacuum means there is a space.

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Yes. That’s why (one of the reasons why) Lawrence Krauss’s take on this matter doesn’t do it for me. Cosmologists’ arguments related to something from nothing are rationally unsatisfying to me.

The argument that hot, dense matter existed for infinity then “one day” spontaneously exploded and became you, me and the OP is too big a stretch for me.

True. In my view then, no need to quibble about a picayune detail like life getting started on some scrubby planet, but to each their own.

Any kind of God is an almighty answer to all of questions we could have. It can give peace of mind for those who need an absolute answer to everything.

People are full of contradictions.

The condescension of materialists towards spiritual belief just isn’t warranted by some supposed ability of materialism to better answer metaphysical questions like where do we come from.

More important, I reckon, is where are we going?

And what if we can’t get there from here?

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I think it’s more the old joke: “I wouldn’t have started from here if I were you, mate.”.

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There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of condescension, that’s for sure.

Yup, crawling out of the sea because you’re sick of being repeatedly struck by lightning doesn’t seem like a recipe for success.

Pointing out that materialism is as faith-based and unscientific as religious belief when it comes to explaining our origin isn’t condescension.

Maybe it was a reference to Dialetical Materialism, as in Marxist theories, which may be deemed “unscientific” , perhaps? So I concur.

I come from a beautiful country in Europe full of idiots, but it could be worse, many people here come from USA.

When the origin of intelligent life is lightening randomly striking sea water there are bound to be plenty of short circuits.

Science is an ideal methodology (or family of them), not a set of prescribed beliefs. It is also situated within a certain community (or communities) of practitioners.

But the USA is the Beautiful Country! :rainbow:

Sure, it doesn’t have to be. It’s being condescending that’s condescending.