13 August 2005

The Question of Existence

"If there's no meaning in it, that saves a world of trouble as we needn't try to find any."

I might make a similar comment about the Taoists. Since the Taoists make no claim that the Tao exists, it saves them a world of trouble in trying to prove that the Tao exists.

Just compare the situation with the history of Western religious thought! Good heavens, the amount of debates, battles, bloodshed and torture over the question of whether God does or does not exist!...The Sage has no need to affirm the Tao; he is too busy enjoying it!

—from The Tao is Silent by Smullyan (shortened considerably by me :-)



Smullyan's book is an interesting (and entertaining) read. The segment above is part of what convinced me to buy it and read it. For some reason, I'm inpsired to turn it into a parable.

A native guide was leading two tourists through a rough area. A loud, deep rumbling began on the track ahead of them. "Ah, it is an automobile. We should get out of the way," the guide tells them, and steps off the track. One of the two tourists nods, the other scoffs. "There's no such thing as an automobile! It's just a stupid legend!"

"Maybe it does," says the other tourist. "I mean, what else could make that noise?". And they stand on the path and argue. The guide listens for a while, and finally pulls them both to safety moments before the automobile races by. "Whew, that was close," the second tourist says.

"Ha! We still don't know whether the automobile exists!" says the other.

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