{"id":103371,"date":"2024-01-07T12:22:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-07T19:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=103371"},"modified":"2024-01-07T12:30:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T19:30:42","slug":"one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html","title":{"rendered":"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

"Parliament,<\/a>

A view across the River Thames to Westminster Bridge and, behind it, the Houses of Parliament, taken from very nearly my present location (or, better, from about fifty feet below it
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of those days, very possibly none at all. \u00a0So my ability to interact with people in the comments section to this blog, and to respond to emails, will be sharply restricted.<\/p>\n

That said, it\u2019s good to be back in London again, even if for only a couple of days (at least at this end of this trip). \u00a0\u201cWhen a man is tired of London,\u201d said Samuel Johnson to his friend and biographer James Boswell in 1777, \u201che is tired of life.\u201d \u00a0The full quote actually runs as follows: \u201cWhy, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t honestly say that I could never conceive of being tired of London; I like the English countryside, as well, and I like other cities and countrysides, too. \u00a0(Switzerland and Norway come readily to mind.) \u00a0And the constant bustle and noise of at least the central parts of major urban areas can grow tiresome. \u00a0But London is certainly one of my favorite places to visit. \u00a0And I would find it difficult to understand anybody who didn\u2019t find the city amazingly interesting and fascinating on multiple levels.<\/p>\n

""<\/a>

The Secret Intelligence Service Building, on the River Thames in London
(Wikimedia Commons public domain photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My wife has outdone herself this time. \u00a0Our lodgings are located at the intersection of the River Thames and Westminster Bridge. \u00a0Out one window, we have the iconic view across the river of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the towers of Westminster Abbey, and of course the bridge \u2014 as well as, straight down the river, of the distinctive Secret Intelligence Service Building, the headquarters of MI6 (famous, among many other things, from the James Bond movie Skyfall<\/em>). \u00a0Directly across the river from us, as seen from a different window, is the plainly identified \u201cNew Scotland Yard.\u201d<\/p>\n

But my wife and I are both jet-lagged and, regrettably, we definitely won\u2019t be enjoying our stay here to the full extent of its potential. \u00a0Moreover, as, now, a certifiable geezer, I just don\u2019t feel like staying up to the wee hours of the morning and then getting up to salute the break of dawn.<\/p>\n

"Undaunted"<\/a>

Cover art for the 2022 Interpreter Foundation docudrama \u201cUndaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon\u201d (created by Ryan Knowlton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following item went up yesterday on the website of the Interpreter Foundation: \u00a0\u201cTestimonies of the Witnesses to the Book of Mormon\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

"

As we begin the 2024 curriculum for \u201cCome, Follow Me,\u201d which is focused on the Book of Mormon, it\u2019s appropriate to consider, once more, the testimonies of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon. They represent the only \u201csecular\u201d evidence, the only evidence in addition to a personal spiritual witness, that has been given to us by the Lord himself. Happily, the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s 2021 dramatic film Witnesses<\/em>, its 2022 docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon<\/em>, and its more than thirty free short videos about the witnesses, as well as the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon website, are excellent resources for personal and family study, as well as for sharing with friends, neighbors, and extended family. Here are links to each of these resources:<\/p>\n

Witnesses<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 https:\/\/witnessesfilm.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 https:\/\/witnessesundaunted.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Witnesses Insights<\/em><\/strong> \u2014 https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/witnesses-insights-episode-1\/<\/a> (includes embedded videos, audio recordings, and transcripts)<\/p>\n

Witnesses Insights<\/em> YouTube playlist<\/strong> \u2014 https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLRMn4gyXMWLuvSbl9qG9TlbU42oB52Nst<\/a><\/p>\n

Witnesses of the Book of Mormon website<\/strong> \u2014 https:\/\/witnessesofthebookofmormon.org\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

"LDSFF<\/a>

At the LDS Film Festival a few years ago, representing the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s then-forthcoming \u201cWitnesses\u201d theatrical film. From left to right: Russell Richins, producer; Mark Goodman, director; James Jordan, associate producer; and a street person who was kindly granted much-needed shelter from the cold outside. \u00a0(Image courtesy of the LDS Film Festival)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n***
** ***I watched a movie called Vindicta<\/em> on the flight over. \u00a0I chose it mainly because I had been reading a lot, and I needed a film that was shorter than two hours in order to fit it into the remaining time. \u00a0I\u2019m afraid that I can\u2019t recommend it.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, I spent my time re-reading C. S. Lewis\u2019s Mere Christianity<\/em>. \u00a0(It\u2019s been a while.) \u00a0I was impressed all over again, except with his discussion of the Trinity. \u00a0That one, I\u2019m afraid, is a losing cause. \u00a0Not even the great C. S. Lewis can make sense of it or lend it clarity. \u00a0And, ironically, he really didn\u2019t even need to try<\/em>. \u00a0Nicene trinitarianism is a relatively late and quite foreign intrusion into Christian thought, and not at all essential to it. \u00a0(Please see my \u201cNotes on Mormonism and the Trinity.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I also read the opening chapters \u2014 focused on the dramatic geological history and the initial (and surprisingly recent) peopling of the northern and southern islands \u2014 in Michael King\u2019s Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand<\/em>.<\/p>\n

"Fuld<\/a>

The back of Fuld Hall, at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey***
***(Wikimedia Commons public domain photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My friend and former Maxwell Institute colleague Dr. Glen Cooper<\/a> kindly called my attention, a couple of days ago, to an interesting article about the great Austrian-American a logician, mathematician, and philosopher Kurt G\u00f6del (1906-1978). \u00a0The article\u2019s author, Alexander T. Englert<\/a>, is himself associated with the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, as was Kurt G\u00f6del before him.<\/p>\n

Some of you might find it enjoyable, as well. \u00a0G\u00f6del\u2019s belief in a Wiedersehen<\/em>, an afterlife, and his rejection of atheistic materialism surprised me somewhat, and his understanding of the purpose of mortal life as a time of learning strikes me as very similar to the Latter-day Saint understanding of it: \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll meet again:\u00a0The intrepid logician Kurt G\u00f6del believed in the afterlife. In four heartfelt letters to his mother he explained why.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Posted from London, England<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of those days, very possibly none at all. \u00a0So my ability to interact with people in the comments section to this blog, and to respond […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":103374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1543,2905,4946,55,1851,1848],"class_list":["post-103371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-c-s-lewis","tag-latter-day-saint","tag-mere-christianity","tag-mormonism","tag-trinitarianism","tag-trinity"],"yoast_head":"\nOne of the greatest of all logicians on life after death<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sic et Non\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-07T19:22:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-07T19:30:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2024\/01\/2011-10-07_MI6_Headquarters.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"424\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Peterson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html\",\"name\":\"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-07T19:22:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-07T19:30:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\"},\"description\":\"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/\",\"name\":\"Sic et Non\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045\",\"name\":\"Dan Peterson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Peterson\"},\"description\":\"\\\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\\\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death","description":"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death","og_description":"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html","og_site_name":"Sic et Non","article_published_time":"2024-01-07T19:22:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-07T19:30:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":424,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2024\/01\/2011-10-07_MI6_Headquarters.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dan Peterson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Peterson","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html","name":"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-01-07T19:22:58+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-07T19:30:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045"},"description":"  First of all, I need to explain that, for the next ten days or so, I will have limited and only occasional access to the internet and, for three of","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2024\/01\/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-logicians-on-life-after-death.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"One of the greatest of all logicians on life after death"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/","name":"Sic et Non","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/77113e9b09701bd1599fa272c4f65045","name":"Dan Peterson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5ed1a72d26805e35a503e3167599df7c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Peterson"},"description":"\"Life was very unsatisfying until I discovered Dan's blog, which gave me a reason to live.\" (gemli, 7 November 2019)","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/author\/danpeterson"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1019"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

"