B.RUCE LIC.HT
FOUNDER OF MY ELEVATOR PITCH FOR GOD, ENTREPRENEUR, AND AUTHOR
Bruce grew up in Lafayette, California and received a BA in Political Science from UCLA as well as a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America. After graduating, Bruce operated his family’s 100 year-old retail fine jewelry business for twenty-two years. Bruce had a passion for computers and graphic arts, so he changed careers and joined his best friend at a national technical publishing company for seventeen-years as the company’s Publisher, where they invented the modern labor law poster industry, including the first “All- On-One Labor Law Poster” and “Labor Law Poster Compliance Plan.”
Aside from being the Founder of the website, “My Elevator Pitch for God,” Bruce was the co-editor of the book, My Elevator Pitch For God: Volume 1, and author of the cookbook titled, Immediate Chef: No Previous Experience Required.
The Emperor Has No Clothes
BRUCE LICHT
On April 12th 2012, there was a public conversation at the Australian National University,(1) between two atheist scientists,(2) British evolutionary biologist and zoologist, Professor Richard Dawkins and Canadian-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Professor Lawrence Krauss titled, “Something from Nothing."
During this conversation, Professor Krauss discussed how in the beginning, there was nothing, and that nothing created everything, and explained what theoretical physicists meant by “nothing”: (3)
“You can start with absolutely nothing, that means… no particles, but not even empty space, no space whatsoever, and maybe (4) even no laws governing that space, and we can plausibly (5) understand how you could - without any miracles, without any need for a Creator, without any supernatural Creation – you could produce everything we see.”
Professor Krauss also said during this conversation: (6)
“There are just some things that our brain is not equipped to intuitively understand. And one of the amazing things about science is that it forces us to realize that… there is far more to the world than what we see. And we have to recognize that what we think is natural or normal, when it comes to culture, morays or physics is not that way, and… the greatest gift of science is that it teaches us that we need to go beyond ourselves.
After listening to this last quote above, I found that I actually agree with Professor Krauss, only I would substitute his use of the words “science” and “physics” with the words “God” or “one’s belief in God.” I would say:
“There are just some things that our brain is not equipped to intuitively understand. And one of the amazing things about one’s belief in God is that it forces us to realize that there is far more to the world than we see. And we have to recognize that what we think is natural or normal, when it comes to culture, morays or God’s existence is not that way, and the greatest gift of one’s belief in God is that it teaches us that we need to go beyond ourselves.”
Professor Richard Dawkins, one of the world’s most well-known atheist, agrees with Professor Krauss’s theory, that in the beginning there was nothing, and that nothing created everything. Professor Dawkins has asserted repeatedly: (7)
“Of course, it’s counter intuitive that you can get something from nothing. Of course, common sense doesn’t allow you to get something from nothing. That’s why it is interesting. It’s got to be interesting in order to give rise to the universe at all. Something pretty mysterious had to give rise to the origin of the universe, which is exactly what is meant by nothing, but whatever it is, it is very, very simple.”
It's clear to me that as Professor Dawkins attempts to justify this belief that he shares with Professor Krauss, he admits that it defies common sense, and then claims with zero support that this “nothing” really is “something.” How can “nothing” be “nothing” and “something” at the same time? (8) Seems like the emperor has no clothes. (9)
Footnotes:
1) https:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QNpV7dpO5Y
2) https:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QNpV7dpO5Y
Professor Krauss actually does not describe himself as an atheist, but rather as an “anti-theist” saying that, “I cannot prove that there is no God, I just certainly wouldn’t want to live in a universe with one.”
3) Exact quote: “You can start with absolutely nothing, that means, unlike the Cardinal said, and unlike some people argue, no particles, but not even empty space, no space whatsoever, and maybe even no laws governing that space, and we can plausibly (1) understand how you could - without any miracles, without any need for a Creator, without any supernatural Creation - produce everything we see.”
4) Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of the word, “Maybe”:
: Uncertainty
5) Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of the word, “Plausible”:
: Superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often deceptively so
a plausible pretext
: Superficially pleasing or persuasive
a swindler…, then a quack, then a smooth, plausible gentleman—Ralph Waldo Emerson
: Appearing worthy of belief
the argument was both powerful and plausible
6) Exact quote: “There are just some things that our brain is not equipped to intuitively understand. And one of the amazing things about science is that it forces us to realize that our myopic picture of reality is just that – that there is far more to the world than we see. And we have to recognize that what we think is natural or normal, when it comes to culture, morays or physics is not that way, and I think that for me, I think that’s the greatest gift of science is that it teaches us that we need to go beyond ourselves.”
7) https:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSZN5l61F8
8) In actuality, and this is semantics, there is really no such thing as “nothing,” because for nothing to exist it would have to be something. Even a void is something.
9) The expression originally comes from the Hans Christian Andersen tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In this famous story, tailors convince an emperor that they can weave him a magical suit of clothes that are invisible to anyone who is incompetent or foolish. The emperor parades naked in public, while everyone else, afraid to admit that they see nothing, pretends to see the beautiful clothes. The charade is ultimately exposed when a child cries out, "The emperor has no clothes!"
The phrase is used to describe situations where people are afraid to point out an obvious truth or a blatant falsehood because of social pressure, fear of appearing foolish, conformity, or the perceived authority or importance of the person or situation, in order to avoid criticism. The saying serves as a commentary on the human tendency to avoid challenging authority or public opinion, even when one's own senses tell them otherwise.