I think that Professor Tyson really nails it here.
Ego is really the biggest obstacle to recognizing scientific truth about our origin and the reality of our place in the cosmos.
After all if you believe that everything around you was created simply for your benefit, and that you yourself were created in God's image, why would you want to believe otherwise?
I'm sure you have seen Fundamentalists who get EXTREMELY agitated at the idea that man evolved from a monkey. And correcting them by telling them that man did not evolve directly from the modern chimpanzee but rather that they both share a common ancestor, and in fact also share a common ancestor that once dwelled in the oceans, only agitates them further.
In truth it is a matter of perspective. I once had a friend tell me, back when I used to feel obligated to challenge people's faith on daily basis, that the problem was I was trying to offer them truth in exchange for eternal life. Which in fact was like trying to feed a starving man a breadcrumb when they just knew there was an all you can eat buffet awaiting them over the horizon.
To me the idea of being part of this universe and having the ability to bask in its magnificence while exulting in our increased understanding of it, makes me feel blessed. Not by a God, but simply due to my existence, and the intellect to appreciate it.
I think that if we are going to make progress with our understanding we have to stop being so damn selfish, and recognize that the beauty of our existence is in its connection to everything else, NOT in our toddler like expectation that everything we experience was given to us for being special and unique.
Thoughts?
P.S. By the speaking of Professor Tyson you have to see this awesome new trailer for his upcoming Cosmos series. Prepare for awesomeness.
After a great deal -- and many years -- of "cogitation", I came to the conclusion that ego is what makes so many believe in an afterlife (not to mention a god who will take care of them), for the simple reason that it is very, very difficult to imagine not being, as in not being here, there or anywhere. I used to think that the one indestructible part of me was my "soul" which would go on forever. Now I know that this was just my ego talking. When I'm gone, I'm gone, and the only part of me that will continue to "live on" is the memories that those still living have of me. And frankly, as a cancer survivor, that doesn't bother me one bit!
ReplyDeleteEgo and fear of death.
DeleteNot that you are wrong, 8:50, but I believe Maple is more correct. Why? Because only WITH an ego can one fear death. The end of the ego/ID/Soul/identity/whatever is primarily what CAUSES the fear of death. (At least, as far as I see it.)
DeleteWhen Maple says "....difficult to imagine not being...." he/she has hit the nail on the head. It is NONEXISTENCE we fear and we fear it because we cannot comprehend it. Living "forever" is an easy thing to imagine.
Not BEING at all, not EXISTING, is very difficult to even LOOK at, let alone actually see and accept.
I understand that because I had trouble swallowing it myself. It took me years to come even that close to accepting that is what is going to happen to me.
What helped? Knowledge. Knowledge from Tyson and Sagan and James Burke. There were many others, but these three were the most meaningful to me.
And Time. And honesty to my self (which was probably the HARDEST thing I have ever tried to do!).
And I am far happier now than ever in my life because I can see the complete lack of concern the universe has for me. In fact, I can almost call it disdain. To me, that is more uplifting that any other revelation I have ever had because now I can celebrate my accomplishments as MINE - and not someone or something else's through me.
That is such a truly wonderful feeling!
"Offering a bread crumb when a feast is just over the horizon" - excellent analogy. Reminds me of a proverb - " a Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush".
ReplyDeleteToday's "christians" push aside all that is right and good and glorious that is in their face now, today, for them to enjoy and wonder - for that unknown "what's behind curtain number 3". Sure hope it doesn't turn out to be a rubber chicken for them when they finally get there.
Hedgewytch, if we agnostic/atheists are correct, they won't even know it's a rubber chicken.
DeleteI really enjoyed the Cosmos series with Carl Sagan but this is going to be so much better.Professor Tyson has the benefit of having superb special effects.I just love the way he explains our place in this VAST universe.
ReplyDeleteI think I first entertained the idea of my own insignificance when I came across the Total Perspective Vortex. It should tell you something that only Zaphod Beeblebrox managed to survive its effects.
ReplyDeleteFor the uninitiated, info can be found here:
http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Total_Perspective_Vortex
That's some heavy shit there, granny. How can I make some money off of it? Otherwise, that's too many words to read.
DeleteG. Grifter
Sorry, Granny. You won't be able to cash in on this one. Yay, verily, even the computer itself is named Deep Thought. So you're definitely screwed there.
DeleteMeanwhile, meditate on the number 42, and maybe that will slow down some of that Vogon poetry-slash-word salad you're prone to spew.
Don't forget to keep your towel handy. And don't worry about Zaphod. He's just this guy...
Professor Tyson's perspective is a good one. I was raised Catholic but spent much of my childhood outside at night, laying on the lawn, gazing into the stars in wonderment.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the Universe itself is God. And if you research the history of religion, you will find that ALL religion began as Nature Religion of some sort, with the forces of nature being personified into deities of sky,earth and water.
The sky itself was a deity -- the oldest and most powerful of them all -- as was the earth. The stars and planets were the children of these primal gods, and were called the "hosts of heaven."
As humans personified these forces, the forces acquired human personalities -- with all of humanity's traits, virtues, failings, and actions.
Yes, we create "god" in our own image. But the universe itself is God to me -- the source of our being. And I, personally, feel a vast consciousness, far beyond and very different than human, in the universe. All religious dogma is the creation of humans.
Gryphen - I thought of you when i saw this video:
ReplyDeletehttp://manneli.com/movies/Nature/Our%20Story%20In%202%20Minutes.htm
Our history in two minutes.
Two things.
ReplyDeleteFirst, this may actually make me think about getting TV service again! (I DOUBT it, but it is that intriguing!)
Second, WHAT THE HELL IS IT DOING ON FOX?
FOX TV is very, very different from Faux News. Fox TV has had some pretty cutting edge and subversive shows, including the Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and of course, Glee. Some excellent drama series as well. Remember "24" (before it got stupid) and the X-Files were on Fox.
DeleteAs for subjecting yourself to TV, we opted for what we can get over the air (local news & weather are important to us), and if there's anything else, it's available online most of the time. We even found a way to watch British TV via the computer, so we get all the good stuff way before it makes its way to the US.
I have a problem that if you try and state questions with evolution, everyone automatically assumes you are advocating creationism, and won't listen to anything. There are some issues I have with evolution the way it is presented, but far be it that I bring it up to the professor, or I get an F!
ReplyDeleteI see two possibilities.
DeleteOne: You may have some ignorant professors who don't understand that the nature of science is to question. (Even if the question is something like "what caused the first life? And couldn't that have come from God?", he/she should have taken the time to attempt an answer - even if it meant seeing you after class.)
or
Two: There is something in your questions which are religious or stupid or aggravating or so obvious as to be a waste of time.
Perhaps you should think about rephrasing the questions? Or even looking in other places for answers? And I DON'T mean church!!! Libraries are really good places for finding information as only one example.