“Unlikely” versus “rare and unique”
Greetings to the esteemed Rabbi,
The Rabbi’s opinion is that an ” unlikely ” event that brought us to our current situation, such as evolution , is evidence of a planner who is somehow behind everything.
On the other hand, the rabbi admits that the history of the Jewish people is very rare and unique, but it is absolutely impossible to deduce from it a general providence of God.
So, several questions arise:
- What is the difference between “unlikely” and “unique and very rare”. I would appreciate an answer that is as clear and detailed as possible. (For example, unlikely = 0.000000000001. and rare and unique = 0.1).
- After the rabbi explained the technical difference between “unlikely” and “rare and unique,” I would be happy to have a specific explanation for evolution as “unlikely” versus the survival of the Jewish people as “rare and unique.” It is important to emphasize that atheists do not see the current state that evolution has reached as “unlikely,” but rather as one state (which is not at all special) out of several possible states. On the other hand, religious people actually see the survival of the Jewish people (and the land remaining empty) as an “unlikely” event (and therefore requiring a planner, of course). If so, I would be happy to test the rabbi’s method against other methods.
I would appreciate the answers, Your Honor.
Best regards, Ehud
Hello Ehud.
I have explained the difference between improbable and unique several times in the past. A random result of rolling a die a hundred times is unique but plausible (something has to come up). But when a 6 comes up a hundred times, it is also improbable.
Naturalists are a hundred times 6, and therefore they demand an explanation (God). But the history of the people of Israel is as unique as any other random result of the dice. There are many peoples and many circumstances, and it is no great wonder that one people has a special history. Especially since a large part of it has a cultural explanation (the character and values of this people) even without the direct involvement of a divine hand.
The rabbi writes, “Naturalists are like a hundred times 6.” What exactly does he mean?
Is the fact that the laws themselves exist in their current form equivalent to a hundred times 6 or is it that the laws have led us to the current situation, which is equivalent to 100 times 6?
Thank you
The two options are the same. The complexity of the law can be seen through the complexity of the situations it creates. I argued this in my book on evolution and in the article, and also in the third conversation in the first place.
Ehud, check out the long debate here on the site in column 144 🙂
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