In the beginning God said "let there be meaning"

TOC, Annotated

Annotated Table of Contents

Part I: Chapters 1-5

Ch 1: Introduction and Overview: see WebSite:

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Chapters 2-5: The Significance and Nature of Free Will: see WebSite:

"The "Outsider" Perspective: Meaning and Purpose, Moral Resposibility and Free Will defined via the perspective of a Being 'outside' the physical universe. "

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Annotation: Chapters 2-5: Exploring the nature of the type of free will which makes human moral responsibility outsider-relevant, and which allows human life to have meaning and purpose from the outsider perspective. The creation and Eden accounts from this perspective.

Chapter 2: The Outsider Perspective

Chapter 3: Meaning, Purpose, and Moral Responsibility: The centrality of free will to the concepts of moral responsibility, meaning and purpose.

Chapter 4 Quantum Puppets and Autonomous Brains: Are we all puppets of the laws of nature, and of randomness - can the type of free will which allows meaning, purpose and moral responsibility exist? What does quantum theory say, and what about Chaos?

Chapter 5: Designer Universes, and Purposive Creation: What type of universe can be considered purposive and what nature of being can be considered to be living a life which is meaningful? Does our universe qualify? Do we? Would a transcendent being with an 'outsider's' perspective agree with our assessment? Under what conditions would we be held responsible for our actions from the 'outsider' perspective of a being who created our universe and its laws of nature? Analysis of the creation and Eden account from this perspective.

Appendix Quantum Cosmology and Designer Universes: Modern cosmology is investigating the physics of the emergence of a physical universe, and even the possibility of human creation of physical universes 'in the laboratory'. What would such a universe look like to us from our 'outsider's' perspective?

Part II: Context

Part II has only one chapter: Chapter 6: An examination of the cultural context of biblical text and the type of meaning we attribute to the creation and Eden accounts in our discussions.

see WebSite:

" This hyperlink was inserted into my web page by God . [The Creation and Eden Accounts: Context & Meaning ] "

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Part III

Part III has only one chapter = Chapter 7: The Ineffability of Free Will: Free Will and Self-Causation

See WebSite:

The Ineffability of Free Will

Is the Human Brain too complex for physics to describe? "

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Part IV: Chapters 8-15: The Cosmological Effect of Free Will

Entering the realm of cosmology (the study of the entire universe as a system), we discover that the nature of free will is such as to grant it unique abilities and roles in the cosmological context. We also find some interesting parallels from cosmology to the creation and Eden accounts, the kaballah, and other realms, via the connecting link of free-willed consciousness.

Chapter 8: The Retroactive Universe: Quantum Reality and the Emergence of Consciousness

See WebSite:

"Quantum Metaphysics and Adam "The Retroactive Universe"

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Chapter 9: Quantum Reality and Moral Beings

Appendix to Chapter 8: Quantum Reality and the Emergence of Consciousness:

Appendix to Chapter 9: Quantum Reality and Free Will:

Chapter 10: Existence, Free Will, and Self Causation:

"The Ineffability of Free Will"

"The Cosmological Implications of the Existence of Free Will"

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Chapter 11: Cosmology and Kabbalah: Symmetry Breaking and Shvirat Hakelim. .

See WebSite:

"Cosmology and Kabbalah. Symmetry Breaking and Shvirat HaKelim"

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Chapter 12: The Anthropic Principle:

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Chapter 13: Complexity and Entropy: Human Creativity vs. The Heat Death of the Universe.

See WebSite:

Complexity and Entropy. Human Creativity vs the Heat Death of the Universe

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Chapter 14: Free Will and Infinitude:

Chapter 15: Computability and Free Will:

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Part V: Chapters 16-20: The Philosophical Implications of the Existence of Free Will: The Mind-Body Problem, and the Universe as a Thought of God

There are two types of phenomena known to science - the physical and the mental. What is their relationship, and which is more fundamental? What is the fundamental nature of the universe? We explore the role of free will in this matter, and the relevance to the interpretation of the creation and Eden accounts.

Chapter 16: The Nature of Consciousness:

Chapter 17: Godel, Human Transcendance and Free Will :

Chapter 18: Godel and the Sephirot: Transcendent Truths and Transcendent Realms:

Chapter 19: The Evolution of Free-Willed Consciousness:

Chapter 20: Idealism and Free Will:

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Part VIa: Chapters 21-22: The Universe as a Thought in the Mind of God

Does science state unequivocally that there exists a physical universe 'outside' our minds? Can science make definite statements about the past states of this 'physical universe'? What parts of our general scientific belief system is actually metaphysics as opposed to science?

Chapter 21: Solipsism, Existence and Occam's Razor:

Chapter 22: Dreams of Existence: The Universe as Thought:

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Part VI: Chapters 23-30c (Material Similar to "The Instant Universe")

Metaphysical and Religious Implications of the Existence of Free Will for the Creation and Eden accounts: the Emergence and Significance of the Universe and of Humanity

As a result of scientific findings, when understood as a cosmogony (a history of the origin and development of the cosmos) the creation and Eden accounts give rise to questions related to the age of the universe, the emergence of life and the evolution of humanity, as well as to speculations regarding the significance of mankind, and its role in the general scheme of things. We will find that free-willed consciousness is an important key to these issues.

Chapter 23: Quantum Randomness and Teleology:

Chapter 24: Human Significance:

Chapter 25: The First Moral Beings on Earth:

Chapter 26: The Evolution of Adam:

Chapter 27: Adam as a Race of Beings:

Chapter 28: The Age of the Universe:

Chapter 29: God As Quantum Observer:

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Chapter 30: The Anthropic Principle and the Maximization of Existence:

see WebSite:

" The Anthropic Principle, Existence as a Good in of Itself, Maimonides (Rambam) and the Evolution of Monkeys ".

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Chapter 30b: The Emergence of the Universe from the Big Bang to Eden:

Chapter 30c: The Evolution of Life from Amoeba to Adam

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Part VII: Chapters 31-33:

Ramifications of the Existence of Free Will for Jewish Philosophy: Traditional Themes

Free-willed moral consciousness and the Biblical perspective on the purpose behind the creation of the universe, the method of its creation, the meaning of life and the role of humans in the development of Biblical law.

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Chapter 31: Divine Creation: A Perplexing Contradiction in Maimonides:

see WebSite:

"A Perplexing Contradiction in Maimonides (Rambam) "

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Chapter 32: Kohelet, Cosmic Pessimism and Free Will:

see website:

"King Solomon's Discussion 3,000 Years Ago of Randomness, Determinism and Free Will"

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Chapter 33: Time Travel, Free Will and the Development of Jewish Law:

See WebSite:

"Time Travel, Free Will and the Development of Jewish law"