Can You Patent God?

Bryn Mawr · 12-12-2007, 03:23 PM

In many areas of life, if you have an idea then you patent it.

The more accurately you define your idea, the more protection you get but you leave the door open for someone with an adaptation of that idea to gain his own patent.

If you go with a more general description of the idea then you protect yourself from copycats but you dilute the idea.

Can you define your concept of God tightly enough to satisfy your belief but widely enough to protect your comfort zone?

Maybe not phrased well but I'm sure you get the idea.

Galbally · 12-12-2007, 03:34 PM

Erm.

Bryn Mawr · 12-12-2007, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galbally

Erm.

Obviously not - ho hum, there's an idea in there somewhere :-(

theia · 12-12-2007, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryn Mawr

In many areas of life, if you have an idea then you patent it.

The more accurately you define your idea, the more protection you get but you leave the door open for someone with an adaptation of that idea to gain his own patent.

If you go with a more general description of the idea then you protect yourself from copycats but you dilute the idea.

Can you define your concept of God tightly enough to satisfy your belief but widely enough to protect your comfort zone?

Maybe not phrased well but I'm sure you get the idea.

I'm not sure that I'm going to answer your question directly, Bryn, but I'm going with what it evoked in me....

My concept of God is scattered. It's as if the more I want to know, the more I have to let go of and the less I know...no comfort zone there. And I wonder, is there any belief either? I don't know. But there's a sense of something, mysterious and unfathomable, that doesn't desert me, but which doesn't lend itself to patenting.

gmc · 12-12-2007, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bryn Mawr

In many areas of life, if you have an idea then you patent it.

The more accurately you define your idea, the more protection you get but you leave the door open for someone with an adaptation of that idea to gain his own patent.

If you go with a more general description of the idea then you protect yourself from copycats but you dilute the idea.

Can you define your concept of God tightly enough to satisfy your belief but widely enough to protect your comfort zone?

Maybe not phrased well but I'm sure you get the idea.

You can only patent something if it is real and you can prove you actually invented it. Since you can't prove god exists never mind that you invented him i think you are flogging a dead horse. You might be able to claim copyright for the idea but you can hardly claim it as original. but then it similar to the arguments over copyrighting mathematical algorithms in software programmes perhaps no one should be able to claim property rights over ideas

Bryn Mawr · 12-12-2007, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theia

I'm not sure that I'm going to answer your question directly, Bryn, but I'm going with what it evoked in me....

My concept of God is scattered. It's as if the more I want to know, the more I have to let go of and the less I know...no comfort zone there. And I wonder, is there any belief either? I don't know. But there's a sense of something, mysterious and unfathomable, that doesn't desert me, but which doesn't lend itself to patenting.

It is perfectly acceptable to spread your net wide as long as all versions of God so described are within your comfort zone.

If someone has a concept of God outside of you definition then it's a different patent and you have no right to criticize.

If I believe in a God with the head of an elephant and four arms (as some of my work colleagues do) and you believe in a God that cannot possibly be physically represented (as others in the office do) then they are obviously different animals and one cannot denigrate the other.