To me, the naturalistic worldview brought my mind down from the heavens (focused on pleasing God) to the present life (focused on improving the world). My mind no longer spends time/energy processing the possibility of an eternal being and rather spends its energy on this world, in this moment.
Our brains are like computers - as a single processor, we have limited capacity to analyze information. And unlike computers, our brains require a period of rest to recharge (we cannot run at 100% for 24 hours). So hypothetically, for any given day in your life, you have the capacity to analyze X amount of information.
Experiment: Let's say that for Wade's brain today:
X = 100 AIUs (arbitrary informational units)
Now, after picking out your outfit, choosing your breakfast, and reading the paper, you've already burnt up 10 AIUs before you've left your house. Each thought, decision, mental output requires some of your limited supply of AIUs. Each day, you can spend your limited supply of precious AIUs contemplating the desires of a spiritual higher being (that cannot be proven or disproven).
With a naturalistic worldview, you are freed from the need to contemplate the ethereal realm and can spend more of your AIUs in this world. With this newly repurposed supply of AIUs, maybe you find yourself spending them on changing our world, increasing the freedom and happiness of our fellow beings.
Jesus himself advocated the wise use of precious AIUs:
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"The nineteenth-century philosopher Robert G. Ingersoll, a secular moral hero if ever there was one, found additional freedoms in a naturalistic worldview, including freedom from
On the surface, you and I are >99% different. At the genetic level, you and I are <1% different. At the atomic level, you and I are <0.001% different. As you peel off layers of reality, you begin to see that self is an illusion that exists only in our minds. A remnant of evolution.
My concept of "self" is becoming more of a "universal self". Sure, at this very moment, we are each a single human being. But we exist as a part of an global human society. We contribute to the knowledge of a global system every day through the internet. We are a piece of thousands of years of human history. This universal view of self frees us from petty needs, like "what will I eat for dinner" or "what shirt should I wear today?" I think if Jesus were alive today, he would certainly embrace this Universal Self.
The guide to recognizing this Universal Self is knowledge (of science and the world) combined with the practice of meditation, which allows you to connect the pieces in new ways and get a larger overarching view. Meditation allows you to take all of your wonderful left-brain acquired knowledge, and pump it into a right-brain inspired global picture.
A limited supply of "brainpower"
Allow me to go nerd-mode for a moment. If you've ever pulled up the Windows Task Manager on a PC, you've seen the real-time feed of CPU usage.
Experiment: Let's say that for Wade's brain today:
X = 100 AIUs (arbitrary informational units)
Now, after picking out your outfit, choosing your breakfast, and reading the paper, you've already burnt up 10 AIUs before you've left your house. Each thought, decision, mental output requires some of your limited supply of AIUs. Each day, you can spend your limited supply of precious AIUs contemplating the desires of a spiritual higher being (that cannot be proven or disproven).
With a naturalistic worldview, you are freed from the need to contemplate the ethereal realm and can spend more of your AIUs in this world. With this newly repurposed supply of AIUs, maybe you find yourself spending them on changing our world, increasing the freedom and happiness of our fellow beings.
Jesus himself advocated the wise use of precious AIUs:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?"He is saying not to waste your mental resources thinking about things that don't matter, like your clothing or food.
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Ingersoll's freedom from the supernatural
Again, here is the quote that prompted this discussion on naturalism:
the fear of eternal pain . . . from the winged monsters of the night . . . from devils, ghosts, and gods . . . no chains for my limbs - no lashes for my back - no fires for my flesh - no master's frown or threat - no following another's steps - no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl . . . I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds . . . And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain - for the freedom of labor and thought - to those who fell in the fierce fields of war, to those who died in dungeons bound with chains - to those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs - to those whose bones were crushed, whose flesh was scarred and torn - to those by fire consumed - to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of me. And then I vowed to grasp the torch that they had held, and hold it high, that light might conquer darkness still."Ingersoll's freedom came as a gradual process of deconversion from religion and his beliefs in the supernatural. No one person set him free - it was likely a combination of sources of knowledge and inspiration that led him to the realization that he needn't worry about a higher realm.
The concept of universal self
I have only glimpsed true freedom in some of my most enlightening sessions of meditation. Stepping outside of time and viewing life as a flow of kinetic energy and matter, the lines that divide "me" from "you" are no longer definite. "You" spend energy to share knowledge through this blog post, and that energy becomes "me" in the form of new neurons.On the surface, you and I are >99% different. At the genetic level, you and I are <1% different. At the atomic level, you and I are <0.001% different. As you peel off layers of reality, you begin to see that self is an illusion that exists only in our minds. A remnant of evolution.
My concept of "self" is becoming more of a "universal self". Sure, at this very moment, we are each a single human being. But we exist as a part of an global human society. We contribute to the knowledge of a global system every day through the internet. We are a piece of thousands of years of human history. This universal view of self frees us from petty needs, like "what will I eat for dinner" or "what shirt should I wear today?" I think if Jesus were alive today, he would certainly embrace this Universal Self.
The guide to recognizing this Universal Self is knowledge (of science and the world) combined with the practice of meditation, which allows you to connect the pieces in new ways and get a larger overarching view. Meditation allows you to take all of your wonderful left-brain acquired knowledge, and pump it into a right-brain inspired global picture.
Wow! You are a great writer! Let me think about this post for a while.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you used Windows task Manager to show the importance of spending our mental energy on that which matters. I thought that was a great illustration.
We'll talk soon.
Wade
First,
ReplyDeleteMy response to “better using our AIU's” by not thinking about "pleasing God" but rather how to improve human life TODAY. Why bother thinking about what might not exist when we can think about what is right here in front of us?
A C.S. Lewis quote has been helpful on this point. He says, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."
Now, he is speaking to Christians on this matter, but I think the point carries through to those who don't follow Jesus Christ.
What is the purpose of "changing our world, increasing the freedom and happiness of our fellow beings" IF an eternity with God does not exist? Do we love others today just because it is a good thing to do and makes us feel good? If there is not eternity, but only the present life, then why spend it serving others when it seems like serving your selfish needs is so much more fun?
A question for Noah: What is your motivation for "increasing the freedom and happiness of our fellow beings" if all that is coming for them in the end is death and NOT eternal existence?
Reply to "What is your motivation for "increasing the freedom and happiness of our fellow beings" if all that is coming for them in the end is death and NOT eternal existence?":
DeleteEternal existence may take a form different from an afterlife. Perhaps our eternity is the ripple effect of our actions that continues on indefinitely.
REPLY to "Universal Self".
ReplyDeleteNoah, I don't really understand the Universal Self and the spending of Energy. I have not really thought about topics like that before. By "Universal" do you mean the history of humanity as a whole? Or do you mean that we are all ONE big SELF in the end. So we all share a piece of each other?
I think you are on to something Noah--We are connected as humans. According to Jesus, we are all made in the image of God, and this goes all the way back to our Great, Great grandparents Adam and Eve. God has created us a connected people because we all share his signature and likeness to some degree. This means we bear an imprint of who He is and what he is like. For example, whenever I am around you I sense that I matter and that you care for me as a friend. Another example--an iPhone bears a representation of what Steve Jobs is like--ordered, simple, intelligent, innovative.
Yet at the same time, we do have to ask the question--- if we are all connected in some way, why do we hate eachother? Why is there war? Why is there such a massive disconnect between the rich and the poor? Why is there racism? Why do I treat Claire unfairly?
What are your thoughts in response to this, Noah??
We do all share a piece of each other. Apparently our entire bodies are rebuilt from the food we consume every 7 years. Sharing food is like sharing a part of us. Much like Jesus message at the last supper.
DeleteBeautiful illustration of the imprint we leave on the world using the iPhone. And I get the same feeling of belonging when I am around you. Even when I read this!
Why is there war? I think it evolved out of a competition for resources. Apparently our ancestors that first picked up spears to protect their grub outlived the most passive crowd. And war today is still a means of securing resources - e.g. oil in the Middle East. It is an unfortunate adaptation that will hopefully be replaced by altruism as technology increases our connectedness, reduces over-consumption, and increases overall resources and fair allocation.
In short, as Michael Shermer says, "where resources do not cross borders, armies will."
I think racism exists because we are inclined to help our "in group", meaning those kin with whom we share more of a genetic connection. Race may be a slightly larger divide for most people's "in group", and therefore they have less desire to cooperate with people of other races. Plus, we fear what we don't understand.
Why do you treat Claire unfairly? Perhaps you hold unrealistic standards for her behavior. Or you might blame her for problems in your life. Perhaps you are still learning how to cooperate on your long-term goals. Generally, conflict arises out of misunderstanding. Perhaps you misinterpreted her actions as threatening, or as disinterest. It could also come down to listening. "When two people yell, neither is listening."
Man i freaking love you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your responses!
I definitely agree with your response about Claire. So much difficulty comes from misunderstanding.
YOu have wisdom my friend! Thanks for helping me love her better!
If war is a competition of resources, Why are we competing for them? What is it about resources that we think will bring peace? Are we seeking ultimate power? Are we needing greater influence? If "competition for resources" is the motivation for war, then WHat is it about resources that makes us fight over them?
Same with racism-- why are we so focused on our own "in group"? Why can't people learn to cooperate?
What are your thoughts?
On war: We compete for resources to increase our own survival. We are trying to increase the odds that our genes will increase in frequency in the world's population. Resources provide the energy necessary to grow and reproduce.
ReplyDeleteRacism: Our "in group" appears to contain a greater number of shared genes (i.e. closer kin) than other races. We are programmed to increase the survival of our genes, not only by directly having children, but also protecting our kin that carry many of the same genes.
It seems with greater knowledge of how our minds and bodies work, we are learning to better cooperate. It seems that war, arguments, disputes stem from confusion and ignorance. We generally try do what we think is "right".