Intelligence gives us the predisposition to question and even believe; can we say what a worm or snail believes; I think not but worms and snails, perceived as so-called lower creatures to humankind, do react to stimuli.
What is this thing which we call “intelligence” and from intelligence we acquire knowledge, or a curiosity to know. That we have something which we call DNA, and DNA contains predisposed knowledge, or the building blocks of an organism, and all organisms are closely related in DNA, gives some indication of an absolute truth, in my opinion.
That we have the ability to know, or even believe we know, is in and of itself rather amazing. Many say that it is due to the human central nervous system that we have the capacity to know, unlike other species here on earth. But the dolphin has an innate unique intelligence which human beings seem to lack, as does other creatures. Humans have a very limited perspective of intelligence.
GreenSlate, I hear what you are saying; atheism is not a monolith like most people perceive it to be. Strictly speaking “atheism” means without a thesis, translated as a disbelief in God by many, but lots of atheists do have a life thesis, or philosophy of life, and that life thesis is not based on science for all atheists. You have referenced Jesus which many might say is antithetical to atheism. But as I have said atheism is not a monolithic perspective.
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Originally Posted by lemex
There can no such things as ultimate truth s, agreed.  |
Not really! Although "ultimate" infers a limit and I tend to believe that there is no limit.
Thank you all for a thoughtful discussion.