Why do some people expect a universe full of randomness to be fair? What is fascinating about the claim that the universe is "random" is that we only understand "randomness" in terms of order and purpose. And where did we get that notion from? It is commonly said, for instance, that we are random as we came from, say, one particular out of many sperm. A tree is random because one seed happened to land in the right place and sprout. But is it the case that the seeds fell randomly? Rather, isn't randomness a function of a greater order and purpose? That one seed sprouts may be random, but that seeds fall from trees with the obvious purpose of sprouting new trees does not seem random at all. We'd have to miseducate ourselves to see the world this way. And so we do these days. But the desire for justice is not random because we see that an order is present amidst much that seems to happen by chance or arbitrarily. Geometry and math are similar. We discern order in the universe, and chaos within it. Are they in tension? Sure. But it is the kind of tension that leads to lines of predictable occurences. It is the kind of tension that occurs within purposes that are not adequately described as random, since they incorporate randomness into themselves. That human being developed a certain way as opposed to others may be random, or a reaction to a particular environment over time. But that this then dicates what justice is - this is not random. Or so it seems to me. And to every child who says "but that's not
"If so then it follows that such standards come from a place beyond us, and the burden of meeting them at a universal level does not fall entirely upon our own narrow shoulders."
It would not at all fall on our shoulders. That's the difficult situation of any God, gods or higher principle beyond us as human beings. It would be responsible for the bad things too--the bad things that happen without human intention and 'will'. And also the bad things that we do 'willfully' or 'consciously'.
Of course, if that higher principle is also bound by 'randomness' or maybe rather absurdity, un-graspableness and not willfully changeable conditions. Then the responsibility is lifted but also dilutingly distributed onto all living beings.
"If so then it follows that such standards come from a place beyond us, and the burden of meeting them at a universal level does not fall entirely upon our own narrow shoulders."
It would not at all fall on our shoulders. That's the difficult situation of any God, gods or higher principle beyond us as human beings. It would be responsible for the bad things too--the bad things that happen without human intention and 'will'. And also the bad things that we do 'willfully' or 'consciously'.
Of course, if that higher principle is also bound by 'randomness' or maybe rather absurdity, un-graspableness and not willfully changeable conditions. Then the responsibility is lifted but also dilutingly distributed onto all living beings.