There is a God

There is a God

Antony Flew

• I have embraced since the beginning of my philosophical life of following the argument no matter where it leads.

• "Monkey theorem". This idea, which has been presented in a number of forms and variations, defends the possibility of life arising by chance using the analogy of a multitude of monkeys banging away on computer keyboards and eventually ending up writing a Shakespearean sonnet.

• Analysts and psychologists can make of this what they will, but the impetus for me is still what it has always been: the pursuit of valid arguments with true conclusions.

Imagine that a satellite phone is washed ashore on a remote island inhabited by a tribe that has never had contact with modern civilization. The natives play with the numbers on the dial pad and hear different voices upon hitting certain sequences. They assume first that it's the device that makes these noises. Some of the cleverer natives, the scientists of the tribe, assemble an exact replica and hit the numbers again. They hear the voices again. The conclusion seems obvious to them. This particular combination of crystals and metals and chemicals produces what seems like human voices, and this means that the voices are simply properties of the device.
But the tribal sage summons the scientists for a discussion. He has thought long and hard on the matter and has reached the following conclusion: the voices coming through the instrument must be coming from people like themselves, people who are living and conscious although speaking in another language. Instead of assuming that the voices are simply properties of the handset, they should investigate the possibility that through some mysterious communication network they are "in touch" with other humans. Perhaps further study along these lines could lead to a greater understanding of the world beyond their island. But the scientists simply laugh at the sage and say: " Look, when we damage the instrument, the voices stop coming. So they're obviously nothing more than sounds produced by a unique combination of lithium and printed circuit boards and light-emitted diodes"

• How easy is it to let preconceived theories shape the way we view evidence instead of letting the evidence shape our theories.

• I therefor put to my former fellow-atheists the simple central question: "What would have to occur or to have occurred to constitute for you a reason to at least consider the existence of a superior mind?"

• Einstein maintained that God manifests himself "in the laws of the universe as a spirit vastly superior to that of man,and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble"

• Einstein:"We're in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is.That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.

• Science is, very usually, branded as being atheist. After what we have said this is not astonishing. If its world picture does not even contain beauty, delight, sorrow, if personality is cut out of it by agreement, how should it contain the most sublime idea that presents itself to the human mind.

• Laws of physics "really exist", and scientists' job is to uncover and not invent them.The laws are written in a cosmic code that scientists must crack in order to reveal the message that is "nature's message, God's message, take your choice, but not our message".

Imagine entering a hotel room on your next vacation. The CD player on the bedside table is softly playing a track from your favorite recording. The framed print over the bed is identical to the image that hangs over the fireplace at home. The room is scented with your favorite fragrance. You shake your head in amazement and drop your bags on the floor.
You’re suddenly very alert. You step over to the minibar, open the door, and stare in wonder at the contents. Your favorite beverages. Your favorite cookies and candy. Even the brand of bottled water you prefer. You turn from the minibar, then, and gaze around the room. You notice the book on the desk: it’s the latest volume by your favorite author. You glance into the bathroom, where personal care and grooming products are lined up on the counter, each one as if it was chosen specifically for you. You switch on the television; it is tuned to your favorite channel.Chances are, with each new discovery about your hospitable new environment, you would be less inclined to think it was all a mere coincidence, right? You might wonder how the hotel managers acquired such detailed information about you. You might marvel at their meticulous preparation. You might even double-check what all this is going to cost you. But you would certainly be inclined to believe that someone... knew you were coming!

• We've all the evidence we need in our immediate experience and that only a deliberate refusal to "look" is responsible for atheism of any variety
• Who is this "I"? where is it? How did it come to be? Your self is obviously not just something physical, just as it is not just something supra-physical  It is an embodied self, an ensouled body; "You" are not in some part of your body. The cells in your body keep changing and yet "you" remain the same.
• To the question, "How do I know I exist?" a professor famously replied, "And who's asking?"
• The self is what we are and not what we have