A Measure of Truth: The Realistic Idealism, Philosophy Based on Evidence

By Ralph A. Hall

Believe it or not, everyone has a personal philosophy. To some extent, everyone explores all the things philosophy explores. A life with a positive, uplifting philosophy will bring forth a life worth living. The Measure of Truth is a philosophy about humanity. It attempts to realistically resonate with our obligatory social and individual characteristics and, simultaneously, extrapolate ideals of love and compassion from the Judeo-Christian heritage. Finally, within our limited bubble of awareness, we can know where we come from, where we are, where we are going, and what things are possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Nov 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466901919

Ralph A. Hall

Although the idea of contributing to the body of philosophical thought had been on Dr. Hall’s mind from the time he was a young man, many of the concepts presented here originated from discussions among his friends and were later delineated from 1975 through 1994 when he passed away. During this time, I worked with Dr. Hall as an editor organizing his thoughts. By the end of that time, much work had been completed, and I built a website. I tested the work by posting portions of the book on Usenet, where challenging debate and criticism arose quickly. This has been a great learning period for me in that I was motivated to go to the sources myself to defend or reconsider parts of the book. A few parts have been deleted while other parts have been expanded. Everyone who comes to understand The Measure of Truth is invited to build on its foundation as I have.

Book preview

A Measure of Truth

The Realistic Idealist

by

Ralph A. Hall, MD.

(1914-1994)

Edited by Alden Bacuzmo

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© Copyright 2011 Alden Bacuzmo.

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Contents

Forward

About the Author

Chapter Titles

1. The Opinion

2. Understanding Knowledge

3. G*D, Nature, and Reality

4. Logic: Dialectic Whatever

5. The Dilemma of Logic and Ethics

6. The Language Of Nature Is Science

7. REVERENCE and FAITH,

The Road to Equanimity

8. ALIENATION, the Road to Despair

9. What is Truth?

10. Doctrines

11. Creation

12. Ontogeny: development from embryo to adult

13. Evolution

14. Heritable Behavior and Abilities

15. Learning and Motivation

16. Extinct Humans

17. The Fit and Capable

18. THE SEARCH FOR ORDER

19. The Old Testament: Judaism

20. The New Testament: Christianity

21. The Family: Natural Tradition

22. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

23. A GOVERNMENT IN TRUTH

24. The Practice and Application

25. CLOSING THOUGHTS

THE QUESTION OF PSALM 104

The Art Of Solipsism

THE REFUTER’S INSTRUCTION KIT: FREE

The Quitter Everyone Loves

Forward

By Alden Bacuzmo

In the past, ostensibly, facts were few and far between. They were not near enough together to be closely related. To relate them, one had to bridge long gaps with logic. Due to observations recorded using the scientific method we now know so much that we can travel great distances in reason without losing touch with factuality.

Believe it or not, everyone has a personal philosophy. To some extent, everyone explores all the things philosophy explores. A life with a positive, uplifting philosophy will bring forth a life worth living. The Measure of Truth is a philosophy about humanity. It attempts to realistically resonate with our obligatory social and individual characteristics, and simultaneously, extrapolate ideals of love and compassion from the Judeo-Christian heritage. Finally, within our limited bubble of awareness, we can know where we come from, where we are, where we are going, and what things are possible.

The Measure of Truth is not anti-theistic. It recognizes the value, and place, of reverence and faith. It underlines the importance of love and compassion, and urges us to prepare for knowledge, and understanding. This philosophy is not liberal (oppositional to traditional values), and also, has no doctrine (a preconceived structure). It is founded in nature. This philosophy proposes that one life, committed to the service of others, is enough.

Although the idea of contributing to the body of philosophical thought had been on Dr. Hall’s mind from the time he was a young man, many of the concepts presented here originated from discussions among his friends and were later delineated from 1975 through 1994 when he passed away. During this time I worked with Dr. Hall as an editor organizing his thoughts. By the end of that time much work had been completed, and I built a website. I tested the work by posting portions of the book on Usenet, where challenging debate and criticism arose quickly. This has been a great learning period for me in that I was motivated to go to the sources myself to defend or reconsider parts of the book. A few parts have been deleted while other parts have been expanded. Everyone who comes to understand The Measure of Truth is invited to build on its foundation as I have.

Scientific knowledge is the most successful way to understand our universe

About the Author

Untitled-1.jpg

Dr Hall wrote: "It was a rather hot day in August, late in the morning when I got a phone call to tell me a patient with scurvy had been admitted to my medical ward. I was so busy at the time that I put off seeing her for a while. Scurvy, after all, was due to a chronic vitamin C deficiency. She had taken at least a month of improper eating, free of fruits and vegetables to get that way. It would take her a week of drinking three glasses of orange juice a day to get back to health. She didn’t need immediate emergency care!

It was eleven o’clock at night when I was heading for my quarters for a badly needed shower, when I remembered the case. I hesitated. Should I let her go till morning, or should I give her a short glance before retiring? I’d give her a glance. I took the elevator to the fourth floor medical ward. There were six beds on each side of the room. The new one was the fourth on the right.

You won’t miss it! The curtains are drawn around her. explained the nurse at the desk as she gave me the chart. She wrinkled her nose and pointed to the left. I really needed a shower. I took the chart and rushed off to see the patient.

I wondered why the curtains were drawn. A frown knitted over my eyes. I turned on the lights on the ward. Everybody groaned and put their arms over their eyes. I zeroed in on the curtained bed and pulled back a corner so I could see. Something about the picture made me pause. I just stood and stared for about twenty seconds. The patient looked like she was in a coma. Was she that far gone with scurvy? Was she dying? There were bud red blotches all over her body and face. Scurvy?? I glared at the patient and flipped open the chart. The temperature was one-hundred and five! I dropped the chart at the foot of her bed, and slipped inside the curtain to her head. I slipped my hand under the back of her head and pulled. Her body came off the bed like a ram-rod.

Scurvy?? I repeated half aloud and ran for the nurse. I need a spinal needle tray and your help, I ordered. Oh, all right! she responded irritably. She was hot and overworked, her cooperation was reluctant.

She ran one way, and I ran back to the patient, and began to position her for the spinal tap. She was difficult to move. She groaned as I pulled her around in the bed. I began sponging her back with alcohol. The nurse got there with the spinal tray and pulled the patent’s knees and neck together. The patient groaned loudly.

I make the spinal tap. The spinal fluid, instead of being water clear, was more like thick cream. I replaced the stylus into the needle. This stopped it from leaking. I explained to the nurse I was going to the laboratory and that the patient must not roll onto the needle. The nurse glared at me. I have a lot to do and I can’t stay here holding this patient, she was already red in the face, get some help!

I ran off to the desk and phoned the emergency nurse to come and relieve the floor nurse. I hung up without explaining. I then ran downstairs to the lab. I smeared some of the spinal fluid on a glass slide and put the rest in the refrigerator with the patient’s name on it. Stain was applied to the smear. I hastily dried it holding it over a Brunson burner, and placed it under the microscope. It took about fifteen seconds, meningococci were all over the field of view.

I phoned the night supply nurse and ran to meet her at the supply room. We ran together to the refrigerator praying that we had some meningococci serum. We did! We paused a moment to contemplate the fact that it was out of date by two days. What the heck! I said as I palmed the vial and headed back to the emergency room nurse with the patient. The supply nurse ran to get a couple of bottles of intravenous glucose and water.

When I arrived, the emergency nurse was truly red-faced and sweating. Why didn’t you take all night? She exclaimed. It had been quite a struggle keeping the patient from rolling onto the spinal needle. I drew the serum into the syringe, inserted the syringe into the needle, injected it into the patient, and withdrew the needle. Shortly after, the intervenouses arrived and I got one started. I took a blood culture which later turned up positive for meningococci.

Sulfanilamid had just become available to the profession, and I got the patient to swallow two tablets every four hours. I didn’t know if it would help. The literature didn’t mention meningitis, but it was a logical try. I spent the rest of the night with the patient. By morning her temperature had dropped to one hundred and she was sleeping restfully."

Dr. Hall spent his early childhood in Europe. Later, in America, he was in C.M.T.C. Signal Corps and was an Eagle Scout while in high school and ROTC Signal Corps while in college. He received his BS degree in atomic physics and mathematics at the University of Michigan. He graduated from Syracuse University in New York State with a Medical Degree. He was treasurer and recording secretary in the Alpha Kappa Kappa medical fraternity, was tapped for the Knocker’s Society, and held membership in the Hutchinsonian Psychiatric Society.

Six months before Pearl Harbor he joined the Navy. He joined because he didn’t like the way the Germans were treating the Jews. The world had not yet learned of the holocaust. He was wounded during the Normandy Invasion. While convalescing, he received a course in photographic chest X-ray at St. Albian’s Hospital on Long Island. He was then sent to Hawaii where he read 1,500 chest X-rays daily. He received the highest commendation for accuracy in his performance. After the war he began his own medical practice.

He was dedicated to promoting the study of nature. He was responsible for building a Public Planetarium in New Jersey where he fostered courses for public instruction. He was responsible for assembling one of the most comprehensive geological exhibits on the east coast from his own collection.

Dr. Hall was born into an exciting point in history where fantastic scientific discoveries were being made every year. When he began Medical School anti-biotics and anti-histamines were just on the verge of being promoted to the public. By the time he had begun his practice, these were commonplace items. Dr. Hall witnessed the growth of the automobile, the commercial airplane, the television, and the computer. All through his life great advancements through science were made to improve the well being of the general public. And, at the same time, the philosophy of the age of enlightenment of the nineteenth century was still fresh and accessible.

In 1975 Dr. Hall resumed College in retirement and wrote A Measure of Truth until his death in 1994. Although it was never published till now, it became the basis of the website: Realistic Idealism. Since 1995 I realized that the ism on the phrase suggested the existence of a doctrine and have dropped the title.

I was fortunate to have his blessing to contribute a small part in the development and continuation of these ideas. I wish he had lived to know the internet, I think he would have loved it.

Chapter Titles

Chapter 1. The Opinion Poll. The disarming of knowledge and the abdication of leadership. What is an opinion? (p.1)

Chapter 2. Understanding Knowledge. New knowledge will appear meaningless until it fits into the pattern of the knowledge already possessed. For instance, never attribute anything to evil that can’t be explained by stupidity. Some of the characteristics of knowledge are discussed and why it is feared. (p.4)

Chapter 3. G*D, Nature, and Reality. This is a consideration of the evolution of the concept of God from the evolutionary dawn of literacy to today. It shows a progression and dimension up to and including the discovery of the scientific method: today’s ultimate discovery of G*D. What guidelines can be devised to limit erroneous thinking about God? (p.11)

Chapter 4. Logic: Dialectic Whatever. Logic, alone, leads to futility. The futility of logic, without scientific knowledge, still rules most of our social order. (p.20)

Chapter 5. The Dilemma of Logic and Ethics. Examples of the futility of logic as applied to ethics, and how morality can and should be based on evidence. Morality based on evidence is the most convincing morality. (p.37)

Chapter 6. The Language of Nature is Science. Some of the mystery and all of the magic are stripped away from life as our ancestors knew it. This is humanity’s search for reality and the continued revelation of G*D. (p.49)

Chapter 7. Reverence and Faith: The Road To Equanimity. This is basic human psychology. You will be introduced to the trinity of Reverence: Identification, Dedication and Humility. You will find out what these mean to the Obligated Social Being: YOU! (p.63)

Chapter 8. Alienation: The Road to Despair. A fast growing, modern, individual affliction: the affect of ignoring reverence. (p.75)

Chapter 9. What is Truth? In this insightful survey: Truth and Fact are no longer confused. In a way, Facts are the strands of life while Truth is the fabric of life. The Truths of life are revealed as Love, Beauty, Work, Mystery and Freedom. These become some of the basic principles of The Measure of Truth. (p.86)

Chapter 10. Doctrines. We are alerted to the road blocks to understanding presented by doctrines, especially that of Boaz. (p.105)

Chapter 11. Creation. The Bible describes creation in seven days. Why not one? Because, even back then, they knew that it was a process. The Biblical creation was the most up-to-date scientific explanation of the time (it was Aristotle’s time). It would have been published in the Scientific Babylonian. This chapter discusses scientific revelations of the further expansion of G*D’s process. (p.111)

Chapter 12. Ontogeny. Every living thing starts with one cell. Next to paleo-phylogeny, the development of life through the study of fossils, ontogeny is the strongest indication of the existence of the evolutionary process. (p.140)

Chapter 13. Evolution. A discourse on an understandable explanation of a truly beautiful, and, ultimately, obvious process of the development of all life from one miraculous, or perhaps, predestined, cell. It has been said that a chicken is an egg’s way of making another egg. (p.152)

Chapter 14. Heritable Behavior and Abilities. The guides to heritability are 1. social or environmental pressures which encourage specific heritable characteristics in sexual mate selection, 2. extermination of part or all of a population, 3. geographic separation allowing separate development, and 4. mistakes in DNA replication increasing the variation of a population. (p.164)

Chapter 15. Learning and Motivation. Here is discussed some important aspects of the process of learning. Learning and the resulting change in behavior is a neurological process with an evolutionary agenda. How can we shape our interaction with our environment without an understanding of this process? For instance, Patricia Kuhl at the University of Washington has excellent evidence that indicates language is learned through inherent physiology shaped to the prevailing environment during a specific maturational window of time. (p.180)

Chapter 16. Extinct Humans. This is a short description and discussion of our early, now extinct, human like variations from Ramapithicus to Cro-Magnon. We take a side trip with Neanderthal. (p.192)

Chapter 17. The Fit and Capable. The characteristics of the mind are determined by the brain. The racist condemns all members of a stereotype to have no variation beyond what the prejudiced impression provides (no variation). A wide range of genetic variation in regard to the brain and it’s capabilities is essential for evolution to take place. If some declare (in order to combat racism) that evolution and variation stopped 50,000 years ago, their motivation is admirable, but the evidence is missing. In this chapter we explore the observed width of variation through time among humanity’s many families. It has to be emphasized that each human family is widely variant and is continuing to evolve with the seeds of individuals from other families. (p.210)

Chapter 18. The Search for Order. This is the introduction to our interpretation of the Old and New Testaments. (p.238)

Chapter 19. The Old Testament: Judaism. Here, the real beginning of the Old Testament (Exodus) is interpreted from a new perspective. Scientific verification is revealed. In hopes of unraveling some of the mystery surrounding one of the basic tenets of western society, the Ten Commandments are explained in a way that give them new and deeper meaning… then and now. (p.250)

Chapter 20. The New Testament: Christianity. Although virtually everyone thinks of Jesus as the Christ, there are some differences between what Jesus thought and what Christians expect. In spite of these debatable variations we can rest assured that Jesus Christ highlighted the concepts of love and compassion. This is the basis of The Measure of Truth which now builds on this tradition and proposes a yet newer Gospel. (p.269)

Chapter 21. Family Tradition. Examining raising children, the effects of family on physiology, and some of the roads to sexual identification. (p.296)

Chapter 22. Crime and Punishment. Examining criminal behavior and our justice system from the perspective of evolutionary principles. (p.318)

Chapter 23. Government in Truth. A realistic approach to governing. (p.340)

Chapter 24. The Practice and application of the Realistic Idealist. We have Love and Compassion. Now we have Knowledge and Creativity for those who are ready for stewardship. (p.358)

Chapter 25. Closing Thoughts (p.365)

Addendum Essays

The Question of Psalm 104 A detailed study of the relationship of Pharaoh Akenhaten’s Hymn to his single God, Aten and psalm 104 in the Bible. (p.369

The Art Of Solipsism A look at the Solipsist viewpoint. (p.379)

The Refuter All the nasty tricks of debating. (p.384)

The Quitter Everyone Loves Want To Stop Smoking? (p.387)

This book dedicated to all those who find wisdom in these pages and continue on

1. The Opinion

It would benefit everyone to learn the ideas of those who have given measured consideration to a subject and are clear about the nature and organization of their thoughts.

Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) recognized that every thought develops through levels and orders:

In Spinoza’s thinking, the first, and lowest, order of thought is an opinion in which one forms a thought based on what one hears, perceives, or imagines. In this case, opinions have little relation to verified facts except by coincidence. An opinion is very often a spurious assertion lacking a well thought out basis. It is based on what we feel, or have been told about a subject. Once something is a verified fact, it is no longer considered an opinion. We must get away from allowing opinions to rule us.

Opinion polls are big business and their results often influence important policy. There may be some degree of understanding which is measured in these polls, but this can be doubtful. Opinion poll results change quickly, and are unreliable. Even opinions of people of the highest caliber, who are not focused on a subject, are suspect. The idea that elected officials in government positions look to opinion polls to determine how they should behave to keep their job is the realization of Plato’s condemnation of democracy as government diminished to leadership by the masses.

The second order of thought is speculation in which incomplete and inadequate information is available. Significant reaction, if possible, should remain on hold. There are situations of exceptional emergency in which one must act before all the pertinent information can be ascertained. To save the life of a person trapped in a burning automobile one must rush to the car and haul out the victim before one knows how close the fire is to the fuel tank. Available time in an emergency may limit the order of thought on which we act. But, for the most part, we usually have time to reflect and promote a better understanding of a question.

The third order of thought is knowledge in which one’s ideas are based on verified facts. To establish a verified fact it must be repeatable. That is to say that any person who would follow a procedure to examine the evidence would find the same conclusion. Furthermore, it must be reliable. That is to say that all people considering the same evidence would see the same results, everywhere. Finally, the fact must be consistent with everything else that we know. We must establish that we are not experiencing an illusion: what we are studying is valid. We must be able to use the fact and see it work. If these three criteria, repeatability, reliability and validity, are established, we may be fairly assured that we are dealing with a fact that is qualified to become a part of our knowledge.

The fourth order of thought is understanding in which one has learned how the facts are inter-related, especially in a constructive form. With understanding we may manipulate our knowledge with confidence, even though we may be dealing with dangerous material. Understanding is usually linked with experience. Experience entails the repeatability, reliability, and validity of any subject. The understanding of electricity is a case in point. One cannot watch men working with high-voltage live wires without appreciating the understanding they have for the subject. Experience has minimized their fear.

The fifth order of thought is idealistic creativity in which one may draw on one’s knowledge and understanding to foresee the best consequences and make innovative construction effective. In every instance this is the result of hard work and some artistic qualities. If the result is reliable, used repeatedly, and is deemed to be valid, it becomes knowledge from which others can gain greater understanding.

2. Understanding Knowledge

"A generality seems to apply to everyone except the individual

whom we are considering."

Levels of thought, then, as we see them today are: opinion, speculation, knowledge, understanding, and idealistic creativity. In this book we will introduce the reader to a level of knowledge and understanding that engenders confidence, and opens a door to idealism.

In ancient times there was not enough evidence available to substantiate many firm conclusions. Until enough scientific evidence was discovered, the gaps had to be filled in with logic. In the middle twentieth century there was no further excuse for this, and logic as a primary player became obsolete. We are in the middle of a great, challenging transformation.

A society governed by opinion and speculation, is headed toward political paralysis in which no one may take action because of fear. In contrast, a society governed by knowledge, understanding, and idealistic creativity has a chance to be progressive, vigorous, brave, and successful. With each passing year there is increasingly more knowledge to be obtained.

Knowledge is information that is believed to be true, or thought to be valid. For instance, Jesus said the truth will set you free, John 8:32. What He meant by this was acceptance of the knowledge that the only way to the Father is through Jesus will set you free from sin and give you entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who disagreed with Him had knowledge of other theologies. Jesus’ idea evolved into knowledge that was believed to be true for many centuries. This was partially due to the fact that any deviation from this knowledge was dealt with harshly.

Anselm (1033-1109) was called a realist because he wrote that truth, as knowledge issued by the church and faithfully accepted, can then be rationalized. This introduction of reason was a step away from the idea that certitude of knowledge rested only in revelation based on the literal knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) stated in his theory of knowledge that there were two levels of knowledge—that which deals with the facts of nature: reason, and that which deals with the mysteries of the Christian Doctrine: faith. Through the writings of Averroes (1126-1198), an Arabian scholar, this became known as the two-fold truth. He stated that that which is true in philosophy may not be true in theology. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) recommended a marriage between the empirical and rational but still maintained that revealed theology was beyond the tests of science and philosophy. This was probably a wise conclusion in that people such as Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) were still being imprisoned and burned at the stake for questioning established theology. None-the-less, the importance of reason and empiricism in obtaining knowledge was being reborn from the days of Aristotle (384-322 BC).

Today we see several types of knowledge. We will start with what Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) called a-priori knowledge, or knowledge from faith and revelation (Belief). This is knowledge that is derived from scriptural interpretation and was generally considered infallible. In more modern terms, this is knowledge that is accepted on the basis of social discourse and conditioning of the individual. It is knowledge that has come to be promoted because it satisfies social and individual needs. These include religious beliefs and beliefs of personal standards such as character. Then, there is analytic, or theoretical knowledge, such as (1) Knowledge based on the Meaning of Language that comes from deductive relationships based on language (a bear is an animal). This is knowledge with complete certainty due to the meanings of words. Another example is (2) Knowledge of Mathematics. This is knowledge of mathematical relationships (14+8=22). The certainty of these rules are very high, but their relationship to reality is must be guarded.

Kant’s second category, a-posteriori, refers to empirical knowledge that is considered falsifiable, that is can be proved wrong, and thus has a variable level of certainty such as (1) Knowledge from Direct Observation. This is knowledge that one senses from the environment (the hammer is in the drawer because I see it there). This is assuming we have already settled the question that we exist as sentient beings functioning in an ever-present reality. (2) Knowledge from Science is knowledge that has been determined by the scientific method with rigorous testing to validate it’s reliability, repeatability, and consistency (validity).

Science is the human comprehension of Nature. Still, all knowledge has a certain degree of probability. In the physical/chemical world the generalities are usually one hundred percent credible. As an example, hold up your pen and let it go. It will drop until it hits a solid surface, and there it will stop, and maybe bounce a bit. That generality has a credibility index of 99.999999— percent. Our knowledge of the spaciousness of matter, however, might lead us to wonder if at some time, no matter how improbable, the pen might pass through the table to the floor. Therefore, we must have some very small percentage of doubt even with that phenomenon. The doubt being very near the vanishing point.

The "correlation should be mentioned here. A correlation is a statistically derived association of factors. The correlation does not give us an understanding of how the factors interact, however. One can draw incorrect conclusions in regard to how they are associated. An example is the correlation between poverty and crime", when poverty is prevalent, so is crime. One conclusion could be that poverty causes crime. The opposing conclusion is that crime causes poverty, because a crime infested neighborhood would be antithetical to business and commerce, employment would be low.

When we come to the knowledge of people, however, a generality seems to apply to everyone except the individual whom we are considering. Many statements about people apply only to a portion of the whole. A statement that applies to a minority of twenty five percent, or even less, can be pretty good. For instance, when two brown-eyed heterozygous persons marry, twenty five percent of their children should have blue eyes. That will hold only if they have a large number of children. They could have eight brown-eyed children in a row; but, if they had had eight hundred children, one might expect two hundred with blue eyes.

Knowledge is power. Knowledge often leads to money, recognition, or a better life in some way. This is shown over and over again in experience. Yet we still find exceptions, because this is a rule. Wars have been won because of greater knowledge on the winning side. People make more money because of knowledge. A woman is impressed with a man who can fix her car and visa-versa. Knowledge is sex.

Knowledge is denied. Knowledge of all kinds has, to some extent, been denied, suppressed, or rejected. This is because of doctrines. Doctrines are a point of view based on a set of logical principles which are determined as irrefutable. The Measure of Truth is refutable. Doctrines are present in politics, religion, science and education, to name a few. This book will help you to understand these doctrines and identify them.

It is not unheard of that honest, intelligent, educated people act abominably because they act on doctrines. The Spanish Inquisition is a well known example. Historians tend to depict those people as villains. Yet, I doubt that any group was more certain that they were doing God’s work here on Earth. They were acting with the authority of an irrefutable doctrine. What historians have failed to point out is that Inquisitors live and act today. They are zealous people who inadvertently cause continued pain and suffering through poorly thought out programs based on unrealistic concepts.

Knowledge can be exclusive. There is a percentage of the population who respect knowledge and applaud knowledge if they hear it from someone they believe has knowledge, but they do not understand it. They memorize and ritualize the knowledge in hopes of a better life. Quite often, they do experience a better life. This is the way-it-is with the majority of the population of the world probably. To everyone, actually, there is some aspect of knowledge which is elusive. With greater knowledge and understanding, one’s lack of knowledge becomes more evident to the individual.

Perhaps there is something especially horrid and revolting when people use the right concepts to do things that turn out wrong. It is like a beautiful, tender woman doing something intentionally violent, like machine-gunning a crowded bank during a robbery. The irony is almost more than we can stand. Perhaps some of us would much rather that miscreants act from ignorance, and thus excuse them. Maybe we must suffer through periods of misapplication and learn from bad experience before we can use facts constructively.

Fear of knowledge can cause a retreat to magic. Everything can be explained by magic, if nothing else. Magic is everything we don’t know. Magic dispels the things we find depressing. Magic is a lottery. Everyone awaits the showering of wonderful gifts from a magical somewhere unknown. We are never sure when the next partial payment is coming, but we continue to wish. Magic frees us from the limitations of our own space and time. There is good magic, and there is bad magic. Magic astounds us when we see it! Yet, sometimes we expect it. Surely, isn’t television magic? Moving pictures magically appear from thin air. And the automobile? Is there a person alive who knows enough or has all the tools to actually make an automobile? How about the child who boards a jetliner and exclaims, This won’t fly, Its too big! Magic has always existed. Television, automobiles, and modern technology are new; yet, we have looked to fortune tellers, witch doctors, leprechauns, and gods for magic as far back as people can remember.

There are some people who do not want knowledge of the kind defined here. An example is the talented and charismatic people who hang signs outside their shops reading: Psychic, Tarot Cards Read Here, Astrological Charts. It is no wonder they smile as they see someone walk through their door. Just the act of walking through that door greatly diminishes the chances of all but a few mindsets to stand before them. In the mind of the psychic, the only question is, how much money do you have! We should not make sweeping generalizations though, because this is a rule, and there are exceptions. The point is, it is not the fact that these individuals have made fortunes telling fortunes, but that there exists the mindset to make this possible.

There is no reason why a realistic person cannot be idealistic in searching for more perfect relationships among realistic goals. In this book is a synthesis of a large portion of knowledge to get any person of reasonable intelligence off on the right foot. Anyone is invited to refute it. Indeed, it seems that realistic goals are the only attainable goals. We have only to set a proper realistic program into operation and our goals will be attained. It is essential that our ideals are not couched in unrealistic dreams.

The question we hope to answer in this book is: What does the world look like with no sentiment for magic, superstition, and logic? It is possible to have such an attitude without destroying such concepts as Love, Beauty, Work, and Mystery. We may find that all the old traditions still have validity, but with a measurable shift of emphasis.

A new philosophy, to some degree, must challenge the doctrines of previous philosophies. To each degree of newness there is some temporary degree of heresy. In this case without apology an attempt is made to justify this heresy with new understanding. Long ago I decided that I must determine what is best for me and not try to apply my standards to other people if they act harmlessly.

3. G*D, Nature, and Reality

The Discovery of the Universe IS the discovery of G*D.

In the earliest thoughts of mankind, there was little understanding, all appeared as magically under the control of unseen beings. There was no distinction between magic and reality. Things appeared separate and unconnected. Human beings believed in, and depended on, many separate spirits. Because each human being was material and was living, so each material thing and perceived activity in the world was represented by a living spirit. This is called animism and is still practiced today.

By the time Mankind entered the evolutionary dawn of literacy, the spirits had become gods controlling great aspects of nature (heavens, earth, water, light, and dark), specific cities (the better the city, the better the god), and even private gods for individuals. These gods were collected in pantheons.

The Sumerian Cuneiform writings (3,500 BC) have been translated (History Begins at Sumer, by Noah Kramer) to contain the seeds to many of the stories of Genesis. These were polytheistic times and the gods were called dingir. The early Biblical writings reflect this heritage of polytheism: Gen1:26 ‘Then The Lord said, ‘Let US make a man, in OUR image.’ and, Gen3:22 ‘Then the Lord said, ‘Now that the man has become as WE are, knowing good from bad..’ these writings were so holy that these ideas were never purged.

In the Old Testament, The Lord is often referred to in a plural form. Elohim is plural, adonay is plural. For example, you have King of kings, G-d of gods (which men worship). The Hebrew is elohay ha-elohim, elohay being a contraction of elohim shel ha-elohim, and translated G-d of gods.

In the Creation story, G-d lived visibly in his creation. Adam hid from G-d. God was thus limited in his powers while humans had freewill. G-d punished Adam and Eve with death (of oblivion), among other things.

By the time of Moses, G-d had become invisible. He became fierce, jealous, and vengeful. He offered death to sinners. Unlike the Gods of the Egyptians, He