"The Lessons of History”

"The Lessons of History”  by Will and Ariel Durant

From "The Lessons of History” by Will and Ariel Durant (p. 45).

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"History has justified the Church in the belief that the masses of mankind desire a religion rich in miracle, mystery, and myth.

“Some minor modifications have been allowed in ritual, in ecclesiastical costume, and in episcopal authority; but the Church dares not alter the doctrines that reason smiles at, for such changes would offend and disillusion the millions whose hopes have been tied to inspiring and consolatory imaginations.

“No reconciliation is possible between religion and philosophy except through the philosophers' recognition that they have found no substitute for the moral function of the Church, and the ecclesiastical recognition of religious and intellectual freedom."

The paradox is here plainly set out. My emphasis added.

Exactly the same paradox plays out in the physicist's visceral rejection of the personal implications of what they research and teach.

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You don’t need to be a historian or physicist to understand the heart of the issue. Here’s Joni:

"We're only particles of change, I know, I know. Orbiting around the sun. But how can I have that point of view, when I'm always bound and tied to someone..."

From the title track, "Hegira", by Joni Mitchell.

Exactly right. This is why no-one really and truly believes in nihilism. How could you live your life on the basis that you are a collection of fundamental particles shaped by local, historical boundary conditions within the vastness of the timeless universe - and that is all that can be said about you, and everyone and everything else?