> On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 8:53 PM, Chris Doss <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The ground here is even shakier because ancient philosophy/natural
>> science
>> did not really think in terms of natural laws. I'm not even sure
>> the Greeks
>> used the word "nomos" with reference to nature at all, or the
>> Romans "lex."
>> I think that starts in the Middle Ages, when they believed in a Law-
>> Giver,
>> which the pagans did not. Modern science tends to use the Law-Giver
>> metaphysical framework whether it's conscious of it or not, as can
>> be seen
>> in the Intelligent Design debate (where it seems to be assumed that
>> order-imposed-from-wthout and order-spontaneously-arising-from-
>> within are
>> the only two options).
Right. The "creation myth" in the *Timaios* has "reason" persuading "necessity" to allow "the greater part of things" to happen "for the good." Order, but also enduring chaos, inextricably linked, makes up the world as a whole.
Shane Mage
> Porphyry in his Abstinance from Animal Flesh suggests that there are
> appropriate offerings to all the Gods, and to the highest the only
> offering acceptable is silence.