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No I don't agree that science has shown quantum events are non-intentional. That may be consensus among physicists but that's not my view. How would scientists determine non-intentionality? They'd need some detection scheme for non-intentionality. Now, having said that, I am not a fan of...

My understanding of "intentional" is that there is some purpose involved. I don't think most physical scientists would say that the collapse of the wave packet has any purpose. It just happens for some reason that is unknown but not intentional. Now, the term "random" is an interesting one...

Right, it's a complicated issue and scientists have looked at this and tried to find ways to do determine if the observation methodology and equipment skews the result. However, the consensus seems to be that the observers choice is somehow a determining factor. It depends. Quantum theory is...

Libet was the first to conduct experiments on this. Others later have duplicate his results. However, where the error is, in my view, is in the interpretation that somehow this means we don't make choices freely. Just because the decision making process is unconscious that doesn't mean we...

Well if there is a theory of everything, then it would mean everything. So, in principal, every thought and action would be predictable. The only way around that, in my view, would be to accept that events are not limited to necessity and chance. And that would mean rejecting the prevailing...

Right, but if a certain worldview has serious downsides that we don't find appealing, it can prompt looking further. The challenge is finding a model about how reality is constituted that doesn't go against what science says so far but also opens up the possibility for human freedom, among...

Ok, let me expand on what I said. As I understand it, under the most prevalent model in physical science, all events (be they "physical" or "mental") occur either by necessity (natural law) or by chance (quantum indeterminism). Now the current standard model in quantum theory causes a problem...

Now, the idea that "the unexplained [will] be explained" is appealing to some people, but for the life of me I can't understand why. That would mean that your very post could be explained by some theory of everything. Exit any real meaning of free will or agency. Basically it would say that...

Einstein was a complex individual. From his statements it is hard to discern what exactly he believed about God. And like other people maybe he vacillated in his beliefs. Certainly he didn't believe in a personal God. And clearly he didn't think much of organized religion. But at times he...

Here's what I said: I said, "in my view", and "for those who believe there is an ultimately meaning-full basis for reality". So atheists would be excluded. Now certainly an experience need not be considered religious by a person so maybe I overreached. However, if an experience says...

As an American, I too am appalled by the extreme shift to the right in some circles. However, I think the media here in the US is a lot to blame for it. I don't know about Europe, but here in the US there has been a rise of conservative TV news and talk radio. And they promote tribalism and...

I fully agree. And even more, in my view, for those who believe there is an ultimately meaning-full basis for reality, there is no such thing as a non-religious experience, including in science. Too often it is thought that a religious experience must be something dramatic and profound. But...

Strange. First you complain about the lack of substantive arguments and then you address comments with short statements with no elaboration. Without any explications, it's impossible to understand what your arguments are.

Take things like the virgin birth or homosexuality. We have a scientific perspective on those things. People may think that based on our understanding of reproduction, the claim for virgin birth is not a reasonable "fact" to believe in. Today it appears that sexual orientation is not so much...

In discussions about "sacred" text (particularly about the Bible and Quran) there seems to be this strain of thought that there cannot be any substantive "errors". Debates about semantics, intent, and moral positions relative to the texts seem to imply that there would be something disastrous if...

What the meaning of life is, is a difficult question. It has been pondered for millennia. Good resources in a search for an answer might be found in all the wisdom literature, philosophy, art, music and dialog. Although I don't pretend to know the complete answer to that question, it seems to...

Evil is a label we apply based on moral sensibilities. To me the goal is to ground it in the divine morality. Evil comes in many forms and in many cases is a very subtle distinction, whether it be attributed to animals, humans, or natural acts. Thanks.

Sure, God could, in principal, diddle with neurons, dendrites and neurotransmitters for explicit revelation of the text. The question is, does that sound reasonable? It leads to all the problems that supernaturalism poses for many people today. It comes down to a sensibility or intuition about...

So the question would be, how would that work? The very same forces that create the wonders of life also create the evils. The very same forces that bring the life giving rain also bring the tsunamis that kill thousands. The same forces that cause new muscle to build as other muscle is...

Yes I reject the "Test" paradigm. Is life a test to see who is worthy of eternal bliss or the end of suffering? It seems a bit too judicial to me. I think it stems from an innate sense that there must be some justice for the evils in life. Not a bad sense, but is it the fundamental meaning...