The role of chance and contingency in life (Introduction)

by Balance_Maintained , U.S.A., Monday, January 19, 2015, 10:28 (3383 days ago) @ David Turell

George:This article by Prof Alice Roberts may be of interest
> > 
> > http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/18/scientists-wrong-luck-cancer-genes-alice... > 
> > Randomness is useful - even necessary.
> 
>David: Thank you for this article.I view this as a parallel to Gould's approach that everything is contingency, and that pure chance led to humans. I take an opposite view as you know. In this area of thought it is all opinion with nothing solid.-I think these scientist should, perhaps more than anyone, understand that the appearance of randomness is a far cry from the reality of randomness. For example, when I met my wife, it would, at the outset, seem to be something entirely random. It was not planned. But I was at that party because I was at that university. I was at that university because I chose to pursue music. I chose to pursue music because of my experience in highschool band. I chose highschool band because of my love for music. I had that love for music because of my mom. -That apparently random event was not random at all, it was the intersection of a million different choices spanning my entire life, and part of my mom's life before I was born. (How she developed HER love of music.) I don't believe in destiny, but just as destiny is an illusion, so is randomness.

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What is the purpose of living? How about, 'to reduce needless suffering. It seems to me to be a worthy purpose.