Version
1.3 March 2012
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How we should we think of all these separate learnings? How does it hang together? This part simply brings all the other parts together. It has only one conclusion. The first 41 sets of conclusions of these global beliefs are based on reason and evidence. This 42nd conclusion provides a way of looking at the others, still being reasonable and looking at the evidence. There are no subsections. But everything else hanging off this is commentary. |
This understanding of philosophy, science, history, religion and art can provide us with the knowledge and insight to choose a good, reasonable way of life in personal practices and politics, which we might call a natural, rational, evidence based religion, ie not supernatural, not dogmatic, a truly reasonable way of life.
Global Beliefs: Global Conclusions (Statement 42)
Philosophy, science, history, religion and art can provide us with the insight, knowledge and understanding to follow a reasonable way of life in our personal practice and politics:
i) Based on reason and evidence, with a minimal degree of faith;
ii) Subject to being refined as we learn more, to improving this approach, because the process is as much a fundamental part of this “way” as the outcomes;
iii) Allowing for openness, doubt and uncertainty, which is inherent in this process;
Accepting the mystery of existence, a sense of awe and insignificance, our longing for connectedness and (so called) spiritual experience;
v) Valuing wonder, truth, struggle, compassion, respect, responsibility, justice, mercy, liberty, equality, diversity, beauty, hope;
Knowing that for this path to lead to greater fulfillment our choices must reflect this reasonable way.
These global beliefs conform to the basic structure of a religion, because they address the most fundamental questions common to our shared humanity:
a) An explanation of our origins, our genesis, where we came from;
b) An explanation of the origin of suffering, our fall from grace, our expulsion from paradise;
c) A set of values and guidelines for our behaviour, including principles for action to address suffering, in personal, social and political contexts;
d) Sources of inspiration, as models of behaviour and examples of how to express things, using the whole of our insight, knowledge and understanding:
● in art and literature, selections from religious texts, impartial histories, good quality science and reasoned philosophy;
● in the lives of many great people across the world and throughout history.
e) Sensible practices to follow – to discover the evidence, apply our reasoning, observe the outcomes – as we struggle for the truth and compassion;
f) A path to follow, to pursue life, love, liberty, equality, justice and mercy.
These collectively are more satisfying, more real, than those from any other religion.
These global beliefs define the institutions and processes that promote what we value:
I a culture of compassion, respect, truth, openness and transparency;
II democratic government, including free and fair elections and the rule of law;
III non-government organisations that support political, civil, social and economic rights, based not only on charity but on human rights.
These global beliefs:
● provide a sound, philosophical, scientific, and historically valid view of the world;
● provide a universal narrative in which we can see the parts that we can play;
● give us meaning and purpose that is more satisfying than unreasonable faith;
● define values to guide our choices in how to behave;
● define mechanisms and institutions to support and express these values;
● allow for ‘spiritual’ practices which reinforce our emotional commitment to this path;
● are the basis, and constitute the guidelines, for a reasonable way of life.
We can describe these global beliefs as a “natural rational religion”!
It is useful to describe what sort of beliefs these “global beliefs” are.
They are more fundamental, more important, “strategic” beliefs.
We can debate whether we call this set of beliefs a religion.
· If religion must involve god(s) or supernatural beings, miraculous occurrences, dogma held despite reason and the evidence, then this set of beliefs cannot be a religion, because the are none of these things.
· But if religion can address our ultimate concern, our most fundamental beliefs and the essence of our approach to life, then these ‘global beliefs’ constitute a reasonable, evidence based, rational, natural religion, a reasonable (atheist) way of life,.
These beliefs do not involve any belief in any sort of god(s) or the supernatural: they are atheistic.
Atheism itself is NOT a religion – it has no creed or moral code or any common beliefs other than a belief that there is no god. But these ‘global beliefs’ are much more than simple atheism because, though they are not a creed, they include:
● explicit statements on how we base conclusions on reason and the evidence,
● beliefs about science and history (that many atheists do share) and
● beliefs about the moral choices that are available and that we actually make,
● practices and guidelines for personal and political behaviour.
So these ‘global beliefs’ are not simply atheism, but are an atheistic religion.
Just as god
fearing parishioners can share a complex set of attitudes and moral principles,
as they participate in their community, so we as atheists, following this
reasonable way, based on reason and the evidence, can share that we have looked
reality in the eye, seen its harsh indifferent side, and chosen the path of
truth, life, compassion and mercy, and we can all look each other in the eye
and say “you have done this too”.
And if we can accept this, there are various ways to consider the implications;
Some of these considered below.
There
will be many who have thought in the past that religion cannot be rational or
natural, that it must be dogmatic, fixed, and involve the supernatural.
See here for whether Religion can be Natural and Rational?
There
are many occasions on which we need rituals to express how we feel, and it is
reasonable to develop, conduct and participate in reasonable rituals that
relate to the personal stages of life and to the cycles of life in general.
See here for notes on reasonable rituals.
Many
of us have grown up attending church, mosque, temple or synagogue, and we are
familiar with the routines regularly followed in religions involving the
supernatural.
We
are not suggesting that there should be any fixed, or prescribed format or
content for meetings of atheists, sceptics, freethinkers and so on.
But
it might be good to generate some material that will be useful for regular
meetings that can provide some focus and interest and provoke discussion and
reflection.
See
here for introductory thoughts on a reasonable liturgy
We
can make a one page summary of the 42 main conclusions, each stated on one line.
Perhaps
we can call this the ‘platinum level’ (but the colours turned out greyish).
(The
purplish gradient in the background looks on my PC but doesn’t print properly.)
See here for a summary of
the 42 conclusions, in one line each, in one page.
There
is summary, about four lines for each of the 42 conclusions, in the
introduction.
This
has pointers back to the details, like a high level site map.
Perhaps
we can call this the ‘gold level’.
Silver
and bronze levels have the next level of detail, but they’re not in one web
page.
See
here for a longer summary of the 42 conclusions.
We
can begin working on artistic expressions of these beliefs.
Haiku
is a form of poetry that originated in
In
case it’s not obvious, each of the 42 haiku is shown next to the relevant
conclusion.
The
whole poem is called MahaMaya. Maha
means greater (or grand) and maya refers to the illusion of
classification. It’s a self deprecatory,
humorous title, to acknowledge that we need to be careful of hubris, of
arrogantly thinking we know it all: we don’t.
See 42 haiku,
summarising these grand illusions.
There
is a more personal expression of these beliefs in the introductory sections.
This
looks a bit like one of the religious creeds, but it is still a reasonable way
to profess what we currently, tentatively believe, based on reason and the
evidence.
This
initial version is just a web page, with only basic formatting – but lovely
words.
Click here
to see the basic web page “personal summary” of these beliefs.
Below
is a link to another version one A4 page Microsoft Word version with a picture
of a scroll in the background to make it look ancient and obviously therefore
more believable, leaving out the additional explanations in the first
version.
Print
it and hang it in the toilet, or stick it on the fridge or the front door.
(When
I print it, all the background grey comes out the same colour, on my 2003
version of Word and my Canon printer.)
See here for
the “personal summary” with a pretty scroll background.
This
is room for another section that may come later.
These
‘global beliefs’ are presented in 8 parts: philosophy, science, history,
religion, art, personal practice, politics and how we should look at these.
The
summary conclusions for each of these 8 parts we’ve called the “Diamond”
level. Don’t get too hung up on the
name.
See here for 8 big sentences a summarising
the 8 parts of these beliefs.
Here are a few rather random or repetitive concluding remarks: not too long now.
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We could imagine there being another set of beliefs, or variations on this set, that could also be described as a natural rational religion. In that case it would be reasonable and rational to try to integrate these two sets of beliefs. The presentation of these 42 global beliefs already allows for various alternatives and allows for differences in judgements. If reason and the available evidence don’t lead to a single conclusion, on a particular matter, then to be reasonable we must continue to consider all those alternatives. There is no in principle (a priori) reason why life should be simple. When life is complex we must allow for, just live with, ambiguity and uncertainty. When we need to take action, and the reasoning and evidence do not provide clear guidelines, we can only make what seems to be the best decision possible, within the time available and what we know at the time. |
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Despite ● the inherent uncertainty (the dilemma of truth), ● our personal limitations (no-one can know everything), and ● our ignorance as a species (even scientists don’t know everything), these global beliefs, based on reason and evidence, can be shared by all. It is better to find meaning and purpose, and values to guide our choices, on what we can know, than to base these on irrational or unreasonable beliefs. It is just as bad to base our lives and our values on something incomprehensible or something that we can only accept with a huge leap of faith – in spite of the evidence and our common sense. We all need to struggle to identify, understand, clarify and live by (submit to) reasonable beliefs: ● that are not restricted to a particular ethnic group or geographical area, ● that are not limited to narrow specialist areas, ● that can be justified as reasonable to all people, ● that can cover all the fundamentally important “strategic” areas of our lives. We need to find meaning and purpose, and values to guide our choices. We need global beliefs: we need a natural, rational religion. |