Eric Sams   Letters from an Atheist Letters on Theology and Religion (from Nancy Wansbrough, Letters to an Atheist, 1988).

16. 

15 February 1986

Dear Nancy,

Here are a few tweaks to the tailpiece.

1. It's TABULA RASA.

2. The uncertainty principle you mention dates from before I was born, I think.

3. If Dr. Capra really believes that matter really consists solely of rational interrelationships I'm not surprised he jumped into Chinese mysticism; he seems to be headed straight for the loony-bin. Don't try to follow him.

4. I'm quite sure it's not true that science is just a series of different arbitrary hypotheses. Beyond doubt, there is progress in scientific knowledge. The obvious measure of it is technology. TV and space probes work because of improved theoretical knowledge and understanding: we live longer because doctors know more, in terms of simple fact.

5. I don't recognise Kant from your description of him. I'm sure he said nothing so simple as the dictum you attribute to him (the perceiver makes sense of sense-data). I mean, could there ever have been any philosopher who didn't see that, just for starters? Of course human beings perceive and infer in human terms, with human equipment: what else? Am I missing something?

6. What's interesting, though, is the limits of knowledge. If you're talking about theology at all, you've already gone beyond my limits.

7. If you can link the feet on the ground viewpoint with the head-in-the-clouds viewpoint, that will be a great achievement. But how is it to be done?

Love as ever, E.