If you like your atheism raw, here is Carrier´s attack on the rather notorious Old Testament prophet Ezekiel...
Monday, July 20, 2026
Troy has fallen
Breitbart News surrenders and admits that Nolan´s Woke "Odyssey" is a block bluster. It´s over.
Nolte: "The Odyssey" launches best live-action opening of year with 120 million dollars
Questions for Taoists
I previously commented Norman Geisler´s "Questions for Atheists, Agnostics and Non-Christians". Just for fun, I asked Gemini to respond to Geisler´s anti-Taoist polemics. Enjoy!
How would a Taoist respond to these questions from a Christian missionary? [Questions follow]
These questions come straight out of a classic Christian evangelical apologetics framework—specifically designed for proselytizing in Chinese-majority societies by challenging folk religious practices (like burning joss paper) and reframing ancient concepts like Shangdi through a biblical lens.
From a authentic Taoist perspective (drawing on the Tao Te Ching, Zhuangzi, and traditional Taoist philosophy/cosmology), a Taoist priest or practitioner would answer these foundational worldview differences like this:
1. Who sets the standard for goodness? Would it ever be possible for you to reach that standard?
The Taoist Response: No external judge or deity "sets" a moral standard in Taoism. "Goodness" (Shan) is not a checklist of divine commandments, but a state of being in harmony with the Tao (the natural, underlying flow of the universe).
As Laozi writes in Chapter 2 of the Tao Te Ching: "When people see some things as good, other things become bad." Rigid moral standards are man-made constructs. Instead of striving to reach an artificial bar of perfection, Taoism teaches us to return to Ziran (spontaneity/naturalness) and Pu (the uncarved block—our original, uncorrupted nature). You don't "reach" a standard; you simply stop resisting the natural order.
2. What will you be in the next life? Are you confident that you will make it there?
The Taoist Response: Taoism doesn't focus on anxiety over a legalistic "destination" after death. In philosophical Taoism (and concepts like Hun and Po souls), life and death are simply the gathering and dispersing of Qi (vital energy).
Zhuangzi famously celebrated when his wife died, explaining that she merely returned to the giant cycle of seasonal change. "Confidence" about the next life comes from realizing that you are already part of the universe. Whether your Qi recombines into a tree, a bird, another human, or dissolves back into the infinite source, nothing is lost. You cannot be cast out of the Tao, because everything is the Tao.
3. Who can assure you of that final destination and destiny?
The Taoist Response: Nature itself is the assurance. Water does not need a external ruler to assure it that it will eventually reach the ocean; it simply flows downward. The universe does not require a legal contract or a personal savior to guarantee where your energy goes. The natural laws of transformation (Zaohua) handle all creation and dissolution effortlessly.
4. Do you think there is a way to be certain what the heavens want so that we can please them?
The Taoist Response: Chapter 5 of the Tao Te Ching states: "Heaven and Earth are impartial; they treat all things like straw dogs."
Heaven (Tian) in Taoism is not an emotional, human-like monarch sitting on a throne waiting to be "pleased" or offended by human actions. Heaven is the natural law of the cosmos. How do you alignment with Heaven? By observing nature, cultivating stillness, practicing non-contention (Wu Wei), and living without ego. You do not "please" Heaven with flattery; you embody Heaven by living in balance.
5, 6, & 7. Questions about offering food and paper money (Joss Paper) to dead ancestors:
5. Do you think offering food to your dead ancestors once a year will be enough?
The Taoist Response: Here, the Christian question mistakes a ritual of filial piety (Xiao) and remembrance for a literal, commercial transaction.
Philosophical View: Offering food and joss paper during Qingming or the Hungry Ghost Festival is fundamentally an act of gratitude and memory. It grounds the living in respect for those who came before. It is not about "paying off a debt" or "buying time." You do it as long as you wish to honor your roots.
Religious/Folk View: In religious Taoism, ancestor rituals ease the transition of the Po (earthly soul) and comfort spirits in the underworld (Yindu). The rituals stop when the family line ends or when the ancestral spirit has fully transitioned. But the core purpose is always mindfulness for the living—keeping families connected across generation lines.
8. Should there not be a way to keep one’s descendants informed so as not to waste time/money? Otherwise, the paper money is pocketed by someone unrelated!
The Taoist Response: This reflects a Western, literalist view of a symbolic, spiritual medium. Joss paper (Mingbi) is not paper legal tender sitting in an earthly bank account; the fire acts as an alchemical medium converting physical matter into symbolic, spiritual intent (Qi).
Nobody "pockets" burned ash. The "currency" being transferred is the emotional devotion, love, and respect of the living descendant. That spiritual intent cannot be stolen, diverted, or wasted, because the act of offering purifies the heart of the person giving it.
9. Would you like to hear about the One and Only God, Shang Ti, whom even the great Chinese emperors worshipped?
The Taoist Response: A Taoist would likely smile at this clever historical argument, as Christian missionaries (starting with Matteo Ricci) often attempted to merge the ancient Chinese concept of Shangdi (The Highest Emperor/Ruler) with the Biblical God.
A Taoist's response would be: "Shangdi was indeed worshipped by ancient Chinese emperors as the high lord of the heavenly court. But in Taoist cosmology, even Shangdi, the gods, and the heavens themselves are bound by and birthed from something even higher: The Tao."
As Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching says:
"Man conforms to the Earth.
Earth conforms to Heaven.
Heaven conforms to the Tao.
And the Tao conforms to its own nature."
In short: A Taoist would respect your belief in a supreme personal God, but would gently remind you that any deity who can be named, conceptualized, or given a personality is a manifestation of reality, not the unnamed, limitless Source of reality itself.
Back to Nebadon
For some reason, I feel like linking to this old blog post of mine. OK, not *that* old. It´s from December 2024.
See also here:
Frihet och välstånd
Hade Trump bara gjort den här typen av dumheter, hade det hela nästan varit roligt...
God in the dock
Many of these lawsuits failed since G-d doesn´t have a home adress and hence can´t be served?!
The flight of theurgy to the Alone
No surprises here, but good summary c/o ChatGPT.
How is "salvation" or "liberation" achieved in Neoplatonism (as far as we know)?
Neoplatonism does have something very much like a doctrine of liberation, although its emphasis is on return (epistrophē) rather than on forgiveness of sins or escape from divine judgment. The goal is the soul's return to its divine source, ultimately to the One (to Hen), the absolute principle beyond all being and thought.
The precise details differ somewhat between thinkers like Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus, but the basic pattern is remarkably consistent.
The human condition
According to Plotinus (204/5–270 CE), every soul originates in the intelligible world. It "descends" into the material cosmos, where it becomes preoccupied with bodily life, desires, emotions, and sensory experience.
Importantly, this descent is not exactly a moral fall comparable to the Christian Fall. Rather:
- the soul becomes distracted by multiplicity,
- forgets its true nature,
- identifies itself with the body and ego instead of its higher self.
The soul is therefore alienated from its true home.
One famous Plotinian phrase is:
"The flight of the alone to the Alone."
That summarizes salvation in a single sentence.
The path of return
The ascent occurs through several stages.
1. Ethical purification (katharsis)
The first step is living a virtuous life.
This includes
- moderation
- justice
- courage
- wisdom
- freedom from excessive passions
Virtue is not merely moral obedience; it is a process of making the soul resemble its divine origin.
One becomes less ruled by bodily impulses and more governed by reason.
2. Philosophical contemplation
The next stage is intellectual.
The soul turns away from external objects and begins contemplating eternal realities.
Instead of asking
"What do I desire?"
one asks
"What is Beauty itself?"
"What is Justice itself?"
"What is Truth?"
Through philosophy the mind awakens to the realm of Intellect (Nous), where the eternal Forms exist.
3. Interiority
Plotinus repeatedly tells his readers:
"Withdraw into yourself."
Rather than seeking God outside, one discovers that the higher soul is already rooted in the intelligible realm.
This is not introspection in the modern psychological sense.
It is discovering the deepest level of consciousness beyond personality.
4. Contemplation of Nous
The purified intellect eventually comes to contemplate Nous, the Divine Intellect.
At this stage the soul participates in
- Truth
- Beauty
- Wisdom
- the eternal Forms
Yet even this is not the highest goal.
5. Union with the One
Beyond Intellect lies the One.
The One cannot be grasped by concepts because it is beyond all distinction.
Ultimate liberation occurs in a mystical union called henosis ("oneness" or "union").
Plotinus describes it as
- beyond thought,
- beyond subject and object,
- beyond language.
One does not "know" the One in the ordinary sense.
Rather, one becomes united with it in an ineffable experience.
Plotinus claims to have experienced this several times during his life (according to his student Porphyry).
Is grace involved?
This is an interesting question.
Neoplatonism is often portrayed as entirely self-powered, but that is only partly true.
Plotinus certainly emphasizes personal purification and contemplation.
Yet he also says that union cannot simply be forced by human effort.
The One is always present.
The soul prepares itself, but the actual moment of union comes almost like an unexpected illumination.
Many scholars therefore compare Plotinus' account to later ideas of grace, though Plotinus himself does not develop a theology of divine grace comparable to Christianity.
What role does ritual play?
Here the Neoplatonists disagree.
Plotinus
Plotinus places little emphasis on ritual.
Philosophy, contemplation, and virtue are sufficient.
Porphyry
Porphyry accepts traditional religious practices but still regards philosophy as the highest path.
Iamblichus
Iamblichus makes a major change.
He argues that the human intellect alone cannot ascend to God.
Instead, one requires theurgy ("divine work").
Theurgy involves
- sacred rituals,
- prayers,
- invocations,
- symbols,
- consecrated objects,
- hymns,
- participation in divine powers.
These rites do not compel the gods but allow the gods to elevate the soul.
This is significantly closer to later sacramental religion than Plotinus' philosophy is.
Proclus
Proclus combines rigorous philosophy with elaborate ritual and theurgy.
For him the universe is filled with divine "chains" (seirai) linking every level of reality to the gods.
By participating in these chains through ritual, contemplation, and virtue, the soul gradually ascends.
Does individuality disappear?
This is debated.
Plotinus describes union as transcending individuality.
However, the soul does not seem permanently cease to exist.
Henosis is generally portrayed as an ecstatic union rather than annihilation.
Unlike some interpretations of Advaita Vedānta, Neoplatonism does not explicitly teach that individual souls are ultimately unreal.
Rather, individuality is surpassed during union while remaining meaningful within the ordered cosmos.
Is reincarnation involved?
Yes.
Most Neoplatonists accepted some form of reincarnation inherited from Plato.
The soul may experience many lives.
The quality of one's next embodiment depends on the state of one's soul.
Liberation ends the cycle of descending into bodily existence.
Comparison with other traditions
There are striking parallels, though also important differences:
| Tradition | Problem | Goal | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neoplatonism | Forgetfulness of the divine source | Henosis with the One | Virtue, contemplation, and (for later Neoplatonists) theurgy |
| Advaita Vedānta | Ignorance (avidyā) | Realization of Brahman | Knowledge (jñāna) and meditation |
| Mahāyāna Buddhism | Ignorance and attachment | Buddhahood / Nirvāṇa | Wisdom, compassion, meditation |
| Christianity | Sin and separation from God | Communion with God | Divine grace, faith, virtue, prayer, and the sacraments (depending on tradition) |
Among these, Plotinus' vision is often considered especially close in spirit to Advaita Vedānta, although the metaphysical systems differ in significant ways. Later theurgic Neoplatonism (Iamblichus and Proclus) has more in common with ritual traditions such as late antique paganism, certain forms of Hindu Tantra, and esoteric currents in Christianity, in that ritual participation in divine realities complements philosophical contemplation.
Overall, Neoplatonic liberation is best understood as a gradual reorientation of the soul: from attachment to the changing world, to contemplation of eternal realities, and finally to an ineffable union with the One. The journey is not primarily about being pardoned or escaping punishment, but about becoming what one most deeply already is by awakening to one's divine origin.
Providence lost
So I just read a book about the East Indian companies (read: European colonization in Asia). Currently, I´m reading another book, about a certain Hannibal and the Second Punic War.
War, war, war. Constant war with no end in sight. And no resolution either. Blessed are those who believe in Divine Providence (or it´s secular version: the Western Idea of Progress), because I certainly don´t.
Sunday, July 19, 2026
Concrete-operational
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| - Hello, guyz! Wazza up? Credit: Charles J Sharp |
ChatGPT is supposedly down. Except that it doesn´t seem to be. Mine is up. Ironically, I haven´t used it for a couple of days!
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