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Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on January 3, 2010 at 11:05am

Any claims that some dead authority figure supported some position should always be met with great skepticism. As in both sides of the religion/atheism debate claim Einstein was supportive of their position. One can generally find some quotation or citation which taken out of context would appear to support just about any proposition one would wish to make.

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Permalink Reply by Kirk Holden on January 3, 2010 at 6:19pm

Any argument from authority is bullshit. Argument from dead authority is bullshit squared. I am certain without evidence that Sagan said something like "if any creed is not 100% bullshit, vedic cosmology might be a candidate". And he said that in the sense that Buddhist like the Dalia Lama are willing to modify their beliefs to accommodate new evidence.

But at some point the dogma and the science converge and you are left with the science. That's the same as withholding belief pending evidence. You get to the same conclusion without scrolls and incense.

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Permalink Reply by Kirk Holden on January 4, 2010 at 7:47pm

Okay, to be completely fair I watched the first part of the YouTube video. I stopped it right after they made the claim that the Iron Pillar of Dehli "was beyond the capability of modern metallurgists". That's probably why "wiki Iron Pillar of Dehli" gets you to the first (and for me the last) EPIC FAIL. Not only modern metallurgists but modern 4th graders can find out exactly how the thing was made down to the atoms. Basic science today was leading edge science once upon a time. These craftsmen were ahead of their time but we have caught up. Mystery solved.

If you want to hear Sagan in his own words -- not a wishful reinterpretation by some faithful Joe with a holy axe to grind go here:

http://www.petemccormack.com/blog/?p=505

Just a sample,,, "It is the only religion where the timescales correspond, no doubt by accident, to modern scientific cosmology."

Then later in the episode he says the Vedic's thought it was possible that "men dreamed Gods" [into existence].

Finally - he was saying that some folks got a head-start on science and that was a good trick. In other words, it's not 100% bull shit.

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Permalink Reply by Subzero on January 5, 2010 at 12:56am

Thanks @Kirk Holden for the 2nd reply, researching and replying. I saw the video and found its source. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DC50E11C4B81F76B&page=1. It is on episode 10/13. Am now seeing the entire series, very interesting. I had no trouble with the Iron Pillar it has got nothing to do with any religion. It only shows that a few of our metal forging ancestors were brilliant.
The Big Crunch as viewed by Vedic Cosmology is probably not gonna happen as the evidence is against it(Increasing rate of expansion). Vedic cosmology's timescales differ by x10. Got it pretty close, dunno how but would definitely like to know.

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