I recently sent in a letter to the editor of a publication ran by the SH society to which I belong. I thought it might be an interesting topic for debate.
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I would describe myself as a non-conformist. I have always been skeptical of orthodoxy and always question my deeply held views as well as those of others. Over the past couple of years I have found myself growing increasingly disenchanted with the Secular Humanist movement. It appears it has morphed into a sect of ideologues who have created a very dogmatic and authoritarian structure that I have always held in contempt. I have a great disdain for any institution or system that attempts to dictate to the individual which positions or beliefs are acceptable to hold. Unfortunately, I see the secular humanist movement slowly evolving into the very thing I despise - a dogmatic, orthodox institution who’s primary task is to maintain the status quo and suppress any form of dissent - whether real or apparent.
I find it disturbing to see the tone of the rhetoric now employed by many prominent Secular Humanist scholars. The most troubling trend seems to be the growing implication that the worth of a human being is reduced to his or her ability to employ reason. It also is obvious that many of these same scholars have become increasingly condescending and crass in their approach to the opposition. Within the society itself the public debates and forums seem to be filled mostly with individuals who enjoy driving their Bentley through the Ghetto smirking at the lives of the genetically inferior mutants deluded by religious belief and other intellectual maladies. I also sense that many in the movement have become too awestruck with the intellectual and academic achievements of the leaders. In awe of the elite one hesitates to form any opinion that goes against the grain as one fears this would be perceived as a sign of weakness by the status quo. Witin the community I currently see little original or creative dialogue when it comes to discussing the issues of importance to the Secular Humanist. I also have noticed that in the public forums there has been an increasingly dogmatic and rigid demand for adherence to semantics. Employing words such as faith, teleology, purpose, and belief are strictly taboo and politically incorrect. Their very mention, regardless of the context, is enough to bring about a serious lounge lashing.
On the public front many prominent secular humanists have taken center stage as the High Priests of reason and are apparently speaking for us all. They are the new Prophets of doom crying out from the wilderness warning mankind of the apocalypse to come. We are told if we do not change our ways and repent of our intellectual sins we are doomed. The command comes forth to go among the nations to spread the good news. The world must be purged of the intellectual blasphemers and the mind of man must be cleansed of the seditious tales of belief. Even agnostics such as myself are guilty of intellectual treason and have a corrupting influence on the common good. In short, any individual who does not march in unison is deluded, inferior, and intellectually deficient.
We are further warned that the deranged genetic mutants have run amok and at this very moment have their finger on the button waiting to vaporize mankind. What is never mentioned, however, is that it is our ability to reason and inquire into the workings of nature that have made it possible to bring about such a nightmare of epic proportions. Our rational inquiry into the nature of physical reality has given Man the ability to annihilate the human race with one press of a button.
Of course nobody would seriously suggest since Science and reason in the hands of Man has produced such a tool that they should be purged from the collective consciousness. Instead, we need to ask whether or not a species such as Man is emotionally mature enough to temper the products of his intellect. It is very easy to envision billions of years of evolution coming to an end in a whirlwind of destruction when an emotionally retarded but technologically powerful species has a temper tantrum.
This is where I believe both the Secular Humanist and the Theist miss the mark wildly. The Secular Humanist would have us believe our current predicament is the result of irrational thinking and the childish reliance on the supernatural. Religious leaders blame the situation on our lack of morality and knowledge of God. It is my contention, however, that our emphasis on reason and belief has blinded us to the instinctual driving forces that can dominate and ultimately shape our destiny. As Carl Sagan pointed out - our long term survival may ultimately depend not on reason but on our ability to reign in the ”reptilian instincts’ that lie deep in our psyche.
The ability of man to let his emotions dominate his reason is legendary. Whether scientist, theologian, philosopher, or king we all succumb to our instincts. To deny this would be to deny our humanity. Our instincts and emotions cannot simply be reasoned out of existence anymore than we can pray them away. Neither reason nor religion can squash the impulse to lash out that arises suddenly in response to a perceived threat. Although we cannot ignore our primal instincts we can learn to control them through a conscious effort. In the nuclear age the only enemy we need to conquer if we are to survive is our own arrogance. The advice I would give to my Secular Humanist colleagues is before we set off to chastise the intellectual heathens for their indiscretions we might first find it prudent to take note of the mote that exists in the collective eye of humanity.
Through his creative imagination and intellect man has created such wonderful institutions as science, art, music, and philosophy. They stand as a testament to the ability of our species to employ reason and put them to good use for the common good. We have learned to harness the forces of nature and have come to an understanding of the inner workings of matter on such a fine scale as to be unimaginable only a century ago. Unfortunately man has never learned how to adequately deal with his internal constitution or foment the seeds of content among human beings. Our scourge is that we have always found increasingly sophisticated methods to destory our fellow man yet we have never been able to find a means to bring us all together.
As General George Patton noted in his memoirs - “If History teaches us anything at all it is that the natural state of Man is war. Peace has just been a period of preparation for that endeavor.” Throughout history Man has found many pretexts to satiate his aggressive instincts that drive him to conquest - religion, territory, oil, power, greed. Removing any one of these as a pretext for waging war will do nothing to achieve the goal of coming to terms with our innately aggressive nature. The naively simplistic view among many in the movement that religion is the main reason for our condition is ludicrous. Equally ludicrous is the notion that removing religious belief and irrationality from the public square will suffice to overcome or negate our instincts for aggression.
I see many within the Secular Humanist movement accomplishing nothing more than creating another pretext for conflict and discord. By demonizing the opposition one makes any civil dialogue or understanding impossible. The militant call from some luminaries within the movement to rise up and get angry with the establishment is self defeating. Anger leads to hate and hate leads rational people to do very irrational things. To make matters worse any individual who does not propose such a stance is often taken to task for for aiding and abetting a perceived enemy. This only furthers my point that even rational beings will often let their emotions and instincts get the better of them. We should be wise enough by now to realize an eye for an eye just leaves everyone blind. I had hoped that we would all maintain our composure and not resort to the same type of polemic that is common of many in certain intellectual circles. We all need to recognize that the ultimate problem lies deep within us all in a world that exists between faith and reason.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that Man has learned nothing from history and is destined to repeat it. Unfortunately I look with great angst on what the future holds for our species. We have learned much and have fulfilled some of our wildest dreams but we have never learned to live with ourselves. We are filled with triumphant jubilance over our intellectual and technological achievements and have become confident in the ability of reason to resolve all our problems. It is as if we are a conquering hero riding atop our chariot failing to heed the warning - "Remember thou art mortal".
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Edited by Grizz, : No reason given.
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