God help us
| Someone then used this to attack the Catholic Church by saying that Godel's theorem applied to God and religion as well. Religion, after all, is a system of propositions in which the existence of God is taken as a given. But this can be neither proved, not disproved. The Vatican got very upset. |
| Richard Dawkins, the well-known Oxford professor of bio-sciences, and author of the highly successful book The Selfish Gene and an atheist, has in this book taken on God and religion. But his bibliography does not contain a reference to Godel. |
| But never mind, because he is right nevertheless. |
| He says God and religion lie at the root of the many of our problems. For example, had neither been there, would 9/11 have happened? And so on, whether it is the Crusades or whatever other violence that has been perpetrated in the name of God and religion. Eliminate them, and the world at once becomes a better place. |
| It is hard not to concur with this view, especially when you have the courage to concede that it was Man who created God and not vice versa. He refers to the oft-cited Einstein quotes and says that whatever it was that Einstein meant, it was neither that God existed nor that he, Einstein, believed in God. |
| There is also a general belief that atheists are far and few. In fact, says Dawkins, there are a great many more of them than is popularly believed. Apparently, this was the case even in the 19th century, in Europe at least, which led the great John Stuart Mill to say, "The world would be astonished if it knew how great a proportion of its brightest ornaments... are complete sceptics in religion." |
| That may well be so, but the numbers of those who believe in God and religion is greater by an extraordinary margin. Highly educated people, who make rationality the cornerstone of their lives, also suspend it when it comes to at least God, if not religion necessarily. |
| I read this book mainly to see if Dawkins would make a distinction between the two, as much of what we know as Hinduism does. But I suppose that was too much to expect from a West-centric academic. Hinduism, after all, leaves some space for atheists as well. |
| The book, which is dedicated to Douglas Adams, is a fascinating read in every respect. But it also fails to deal adequately with the question of ritual, which to most people is the essence of religion. |
| It also does not come to grips with issues that arise from the apparent human need for identity. The two major sects of South Indian Vaishnavism, for instance, differ only on the former, that is ritual. And if organised religion has been violent, it is largely because of the latter. |
| Dawkins has also not discussed another element central to both God and religion, namely, that the choice is entirely yours. Whether you are an atheist or not is a voluntary decision. He does, however, refer to Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician who said that even on a rational basis the payoff was greater if you believed rather than if you did not. |
| Thus, if you believe in God, and are right, you go to heaven and if you are wrong it won't make any difference. But if you are wrong, that is if God does exist, you will go to hell and if you are right, it will not make any difference. So you may as well believe. |
| This is good game theory but Dawkins has a problem with it because he says all you have to do is pretend""except of course that if God turns out to be omniscient, you had better watch out. Indeed, he says that it is "ludicrous" to think that you have an option. |
| He then goes on to mock the entire notion of believing and belief in God, as well he might because belief is central even to Godel's theorem. If something can neither be proved nor disproved, all you are left with is belief! And, since it is all about belief, will rational arguments change things? |
| God knows. |
| THE GOD DELUSION |
| Richard Dawkins Bantam Press Price: Rs 1,600; Pages: 400 |