Bad Dogma!
A book that digs deep… then deeper…
Dogma has probably caused more misery and deaths than any other factor in human thought. Once, it was just found in intolerant religions, but it has since spread… We can stop it, but first we have to become aware of it…
Are you puzzled by the Science/Religion schism, when neither side seems to be able to come up with completely convincing arguments for their case, and every ‘discussion’ ends up leaving you just as puzzled or uneasy as ever, but not sure why?
And why do philosophers seem to have no helpful answers either?
And what role does dogma play in all this confusion?
We can do something about that confusion….
Things either happen or they do not happen.
If something does happen.. then there is a cause for it.
There is logic in there somewhere.
We can find that logical path.
And once we’ve found it, who knows where it might lead…
Nullius in verba
(Take nobody’s word for it)
Motto of the Royal Society
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Test everything
Saint Paul in Thessalonians 5:21
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Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense
Buddha
A Word to The Reader
How to get the best out of this book….
The text is in two formats. The normal one, like this, and passages in a smaller font, tinted in a restful shade of blue.
§ Like this.
The normal font sets out the main points I want to make. The tinted passages
add extra examples, or matters arising. Thus you don’t need to read the tinted
stuff in order to read the book.
I suggest that you read the normal passages straight through, and if you find a theme of special interest, then it might be worth re-reading, adding the tinted passages as you go.
One or two academics have suggested I replace the tinted passages with
conventional footnotes or end-book Notes, but this is not a conventional or
academic book and I don’t see the point. Footnotes are fiddly to use, and end-
book Notes have you flipping back and forth; either way you lose your thread.
Most people who have read this draft are very happy with the current system.
CG
Carmarthen
West Wales
September 2022
I include a number of internet hyperlinks in this text, but I’m afraid I cannot
guarantee that they will all be up and running if you choose to try them.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored
Aldous Huxley
My journey towards this book followed a path from a casual childhood interest in ghosts, to an eventual understanding of why science didn’t share this interest, then on to why science at one point even refused to acknowledge the existence of ‘Mind’ itself. Many other similar puzzles arose. I eventually realised what all these puzzles had in common, and what the underlying problem was…