Indeterminism: Zoroastrianism and probabilities

Dear Dino and Ardeshir
And if indeterminism is closely connected to, even dependent on, pragmatism, does this not again emphasize that Zarathushtra was the originator of pragmatism and process philosophy?
In addition, indeterminism is also a requirement for choice, or the Zoroastrian version of what we would clumsily term "free will", right?
Ushta
Alexander

2009/12/9 Special Kain

Dear Ardeshir,

This is truly fascinating!!!
By the way, I'm sure you'd love Gilles Deleuze's «Nietzsche and Philosophy».
Christian cosmogony starts with God entering the room and starting to sort things out and also creating new things. That cute story only got interesting the moment the talking snake appeared.
When it comes to cosmogony, I've always LOVED Charles Sanders Peirce's brilliant and intuitive understanding of the universe and the physical laws: he intuitively grasped the nature of our universe as essentially indeterministic and in a state of flux when everybody else took the universe for a big and well-oiled machine. When everybody was talking about necessity and determinism, Peirce believed in absolute chance (tychism) and described the physical laws as quite persistent habits. And decades later modern physics would prove him right! Peirce's evolutionary understanding of the universe is truly brilliant!
When I used to conduct parapsychological research eight years ago, everyone involved - from theologians to physicists - described and explained the universe probabilistically. There are probabilities only. And this is where Zoroastrian cosmogony could step in.

Ushta, Dino


--- ardeshir farhmand schrieb am Mi, 9.12.2009:


Von: ardeshir farhmand
Betreff: Re: [Ushta] Zoroastrian ethics vs Zoroastrian cosmology
An: Ushta@yahoogroups.com
CC: "mehrdad farahmand"
Datum: Mittwoch, 9. Dezember 2009, 21:07


Dear Alexander and Dino,

i find ur writings very interesting. but i have to say per Yasna 31.7 and 31.8, our seer does talk about cosmogony. it is however, a complete different approach than the biblical one. it is about the thought of ahurmazd mixing with spiritual lights and creating new manifestaions. there is a wonderful exegesis on this subject on the Varsht-manthar gathic book of commentaries. again, i ask everyone of to please cite the gathic text, and justify ur explanations on the words, etymology of the words and wonderful body of exegesis.

now what i found fascinating about gathic cosmogony is the view of the prohet about the amazing possibilities present in various levelS of being or myriad of worldS and their corresponding creative orderS.

i alluded in my ahun-var article to this, the very name "mazdâ," not only suggests inherent wisdom and intuitive understanding, but it is connected to thoughts, memory and brilliant ideas, Lith. mintis "thought, idea, and vision mantis "one who divines, prophet, seer. more interestingly the word is related to Skt. mahan/mahas "the great world of possibilities."
"this is strongly confirmed by the ancient exegesis. accordingly, this shows most interesting connection to O.E. mæg (inf. magan, pt. meahte, mihte), from P.Gmc. root mag-, O.N. mega, Ger. mögen, Goth. magan "to be able"), from PIE *mogh-/*megh- "power to realize." O.C.S. mogo "to be able," mosti "power, force," ." "mazdâ" is not only vision and wisdom, but also the power to realize that vision and make it happen and möglich.

Furthermore, "shyaotha-na- nãm" in ahunvar or Yasna 27.13 refers to the manifesting act of "spentâ mainyû" or the auspicious spirit of ahurmazd.

ardeshir