Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Some of the effects of being exposed to the “truth” of atheism/materialism/ positivism (pick your poison) are negative, in that they make our minds less functional. These ideas are like a virus; once they get inside your head they may change your perspective in negative ways. But once you’ve begun to consider them and believe them you can’t simply decide to stop. When doubt creeps in, the only cure is to discard rationality for faith.
What are some of these negative effects? For starters, indecisiveness, detachment, navel-gazing, and uncertainty. Even some of the “positive” effects of questioning dogmatism can make you less happy. Questioning received wisdom for a more objective viewpoint can lead to seeing both sides of issues, which leads to problems making decisions, or trusting them when you do make them.
It seems to me that most atheist materialists deal with this problem by not thinking about it. Becoming an atheist does not mean immediately questioning everything you have been taught and every assumption you have. I tend to think that it should, but I recognize that such a viewpoint makes life difficult. Even when we recognize the illusions and short-cuts we use to understand reality we cannot help but use them to navigate the world. We can’t function without them, and we can’t magically change the structures of our brain to excise beliefs, feelings, attachments, etc., even those we don’t like.
Take the example of the combination of inborn structures and instilled values that serve the function of social control. Our brains are structured biologically and programmed through interpersonal interaction to allow us to cooperate with each other, and to live in families, groups, and societies with shared values. There’s nothing we can do about that, and we probably shouldn’t do much about it if we want to leave easy and happy lives. I can play with the idea that, objectively, my duties to my wife are an illusion–objectively, nobody owes anyone anything. Debt, gratitude, responsibility, et. al. are things that only exist in individual brains. But if I tried to live and make decisions based on that reality I would quickly make myself miserable.
We cannot help thinking in the old categories in our day to day (even minute to minute and second to second) lives. The “truth” (which cannot possibly be Truth since that is incommensurable with human thought/reason) can only inform and influence our thoughts and actions, only shift our brain structure, not rewrite it or transform it. These words may have power, or they may not, but they can never have total power. They can only bend our thought, not reposition it.
Still, I think the rationalist should at least be aware of the consequences of materialism. It feels to me like there is something wrong with adopting such a position but then ignoring its logical consequences.
Black Hole Radiation 