dr_who@umcp-cs.UUCP (08/22/83)
From Alan Wexelblat (wex@ittvax)
Human thought, however, seems to be somehow outside the chain of
causality (yes, I know this is a huge issue in itself, but leave it go
for now). In other words, humans, as a result of their cognitive
processes seem to be capable of causing events without the humans'
thoughts being determined by outside causes.
Well, nobody else seems to want to leave it go, so neither will I. Chalk me
up for the view that thoughts are caused. Concentrating on your latter
sentence here, I want to point out that the fact that our thoughts are
caused in no way negates the fact that our thoughts cause something else.
Thus, the fact that human thought seems to cause events in no way allows us
to conclude that the thoughts themselves are uncaused. We may only so
conclude if we are unable to find anything which causes thoughts -- but that
is not the case; we are finding such causes.
Somewhere, there needs to be a first event, and that event requires a
first cause.
Why should the first event require a cause? According to Big Bang theory,
there was no such thing as time before the Big Bang -- i.e., there WAS no
"before the Big Bang." Thus, the cause of the Big Bang (if it existed)
would have to be simultaneous with the Big Bang. But could a thought that
was simultaneous with the Big Bang be its cause? That seems pretty
mysterious to me.
--Paul Torek, U of MD College Park