speculation and faith
I may not truly believe atheism is a religion, but I do think it has something in common with religious beliefs that we don’t readily admit. As an atheist, I don’t believe in the gods and other supernatural beings that form the basis of the many religions that have evolved in every corner of the world. But my belief in this lack of belief is speculation, and rests firmly on my faith in a few areas.
1. I have faith in my perception of the world. Like Descartes, I know I can only be completely sure of one thing – that I exist. Unlike Descartes, I’m quite sure there’s nowhere else to take this, and certainly no amount of semantic playtime can build it into proof that a god exists. But in the absence of any evidence that my perception is totally skewed, I’m happy to have faith in what I see.
2. I have faith in scientists. I believe that all the (to me) incomprehensible discoveries about atoms and matter and galaxies and gases and swirling energy, are accurate. But I’m likely to be disinterested (or unable) to come to a full understanding myself. And in this respect, I am much like the peasant having faith in the esteemed religious expert explaining how gods created and control the world.
3. I have faith that even when our little brains and collective wisdom have exhausted their ability to explain and understand our existence, there is a reasonable, material explanation for existence that doesn’t involve any form deity requiring blood sacrifices for bad behaviour, or any god requiring its praises to be sung, or any almighty being that leaves glorified misogynistic, homophobic, genocidal texts lying around as clues to Truth.
Have faith, my friends, for we are on the right speculative road. And we shall surely die in ignorance, having experienced something that only our atoms might remember.
Oh, I like this! (It’s much cooler today so my brain is back on an even footing with the things that might or might not be reality). You know, i asked a physicist about whether atoms could possibly, in some odd way, store data; as you said, a memory. He’s a nice man, a professor from Nevada, and didn’t laugh at me. In fact, he said it wasn’t an odd question and there is a way, albeit a tiny way, atoms can indeed “remember.” It all has to do quantum numbers and stuff which i had no idea what he was talking about, but i was buoyed by the idea that i (possibly) have the power to influence an atom in some minute and minuscule way during its brief exchange with this self-aware pattern.
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My atoms remember you mentioning that before. Maybe they seek each other out in their new formations.
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Wouldn’t that be something, although i was thinking more along the lines of imparting a positive or negative “sensation” in the little critter.
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Sure a faith in nothing; but a faith nevertheless eh? There is an age-old book with the explanation of things; but the quest to find others still goes on…..
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Do you really see this as a faith in nothing? I see it as faith in perceived reality. Explanations that are subject to wild swings of interpretation across time and cultures don’t seem very impressive. They give people comfort and make existence feel not quite so stark, but the appeal is superficial.
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Interesting post.
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My mind is a lot more at ease after reading this. I can go to the loo without worrying if the Christian god is peeking.
And nicely written, too, I might add.
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Stop being creepy. I prefer it when you lavish your fake praise on my photos.
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