[Avodah] Evolution, Hashgachah and Tehillah

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Sep 21, 2011 at 10:07:26AM -0500, Lisa Liel wrote:
> I've also heard, regarding the express "ein mazal l'Yisrael", that much  
> of the world *does* operate randomly (based on the starting values  
> defined by Hashem), and that "mazal", or chance, is how the world works.  

Is "mazal" chance? We know that belief in astrology and knowledge that
the stars move in predictable ways, and in particular, that the
mazalos move together, coexisted. I would therefore think that the concept
of "mazal" is more tied to fate and predestination, a mechanical and
deterministic view of the forces of the universe.
sister to te

Whereas Yisrael, who have no sar but are beni bekhori, are lemaalah
min hateva, and mimazal, and determinism in general.

...
> These are examples of how a mere human can do something relatively small  
> that has amazingly complex and intentional results...

Chaos Theory: the study of systems with feedback loops such that miniscule
changes in initial situation can have macroscopic effects on outcome.

GCT!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Man is a drop of intellect drowning in a sea
micha at aishdas.org        of instincts.
http://www.aishdas.org                         - Rav Yisrael Salanter
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