On Creation

For purposes of discussion, I will use a somewhat broader definition of creation than is usually used when considering the origin of the Universe. Here, creation is the coming into existence of something as a result of some cause, either the actions of a supremely powerful being or some physical process outside our Universe, e.g. whatever may have existed prior to this Universe. The alternative, that the Universe was not created, implies that it has always existed and will always do so.

If the Universe was created, there must have existed something prior to or outside of the Universe that is the cause of its creation, some creational precursor. The question then arises, "Was the precursor created?" If we say "yes", we are led down an infinitely long path of precursors, never to find the ultimate creator. This seems highly unsatisfactory. If we say "no", we make a distinction about the kind of existence that the Universe has versus its precursor. While the Universe had to be created, the precursor did not. It has always existed and always will. But why allow this asymmetry?

There is no particular reason to assume that the Universe was created if you're willing to believe that a possible precursor needed no creation. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason to think that if the Universe must have precursors, the number would be one. Why not 10? Or 49? No, it's much simpler and satisfying to Occam's Razor to make the Universe the thing that doesn't need to be created. That it has always been, in either a cyclical fashion or a linear one, and that there is no compelling reason to insist that it must have a precursor.

As to What the Proper Role of Government Really Is

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;" By using the words, "among these are" instead of simply "these are", Jefferson makes it plain that there are other unalienable rights belonging to all men, although he has declined to state them here.

The mere fact that such additional rights exist creates an imperative that we secure them for all men, and as Jefferson makes plain, this is the reason the government was instituted. But how should we identify what these other rights are? Jefferson did not come out and make them explicit, perhaps for brevity, but just as likely because he felt their identification would best be left to the governed themselves. After all, Jefferson was a big fan of democracy.

This is only one illustration of how our Founding Fathers intended us to clarify the proper role of our government in a way that was consistent with our understanding at any point in time. So when you hear someone complain that there "is no right to privacy/health care/a dignified death", you can ask them, "Isn't that for all of us to decide?"

The Purpose of Government

What is the proper role of government? There is a lot of debate over this, but really it's very simple to understand if you look at it properly. In a democracy, representatives are elected to positions of power so that the government will do the will of the people. So the proper role of government is quite simply to be whatever the people want it to be.

Now, if the government stops fulfilling the will of the people, we are no longer in a democracy. We're now in a situation where the government is acting in the interests of someone other than the people, meaning we could have devolved into an oligarchy or a dictatorship. This is, I'm afraid, what has happened to our government. It seems to be controlled by big money interests far more than it is by American voters.