Why Atheism and Secular Humanism are Failed Philosophies

[Epimethean]

Not to mention the Jewborgs and Islamaborgs!

[AthiestAtheist]

Okay, I've had enough of this.



Let's talk about what I originally thought this thread would have been about (a.k.a. a sincere thread with genuine insight). Why is it that atheism and Secular Humanism are so unpopular despite the fact that they are based on evidence, logic, reason, and compassion? Not to mention the freedom and positive self image of humanity that they promote. I thought more than 15% of people would be atheist by now, given the massive increase in scientific development and availability of information since not too long ago.

[Faith No More]

Meh...let's talk more about jewborgs.

[The Grand Nudger]

Okay, I've had enough of this.



Let's talk about what I originally thought this thread would have been about (a.k.a. a sincere thread with genuine insight). Why is it that atheism and Secular Humanism are so unpopular despite the fact that they are based on evidence, logic, reason, and compassion? Not to mention the freedom and positive self image of humanity that they promote. I thought more than 15% of people would be atheist by now, given the massive increase in scientific development and availability of information since not too long ago.

Really? Why? Atheism has been around (on the record ffs, who knows how long before that) since 600bc-ish. It's nothing new. If religion were such a simple thing as a lack of knowledge or understanding I'd wonder too, I suppose. Thing is, that's not what religion is. It plays to the best and worst of us, has been refined over thousands of years to be very difficult to rid oneself of, and in both of these regards it's very impressive in composition and effect.

[Epimethean]

So it is as I suspected, a virus.

[AthiestAtheist]

If religion were such a simple thing as a lack of knowledge or understanding I'd wonder too, I suppose. Thing is, that's not what religion is.

It is based on it, though. Back then, people didn't know as many things as we do now. Today, it is still true for some people. As for it not being just that, well why does the freedom of atheism/humanism as well as science not counteract faith?

[Epimethean]

Because religious faith comes from god's anus.

[The Grand Nudger]

Those that created and refined these narratives may not have known much about the world around them, but collectively they have shown a great amount of knowledge as to how to get into a persons head, eh? Do you need to be scared into conformity? Coddled, loved, ignored, gently shoved, forced, manipulated? Maybe confomity isn't what you're after, maybe you wan't money. Religion can bring that to your doorstep as well. Common ground with otherwise dissimilar people, social lubricant? Fanciful stories of gods? How about no gods, there's a religion for that too. A way to make sense of the world, or the senseless? Proof positive that you really are better than the person standing next to you, or metrics for self improvement? They've got you covered from every angle. You have to remember that the whole "religion and the supernatural" bit didn't just pop onto the scene in one day. There is far more to this story that was tossed aside than what survives. The narratives we have now, the sorts of religions we have now, are still here because they work. They're effective. Took ten's of thousands of years of trial and error. We've come a long way from covering graves in red ochre.

[Epimethean]

One of the better treatments on this is Sloan Wilson's Darwin's Cathedral.

[Angrboda]

I apologize for the scary visuals.

Well...don't apologize.

I mean - I lived through it.

Let's not go overboard here.

If going overboard on thesummerqueen is in the offing, well sign me the fuck up.

---

Just watch this film and then you will be fine, Heather.

http://transcendentman.com/

Whoa, I'm also gonna live forever? This day just keeps getting better and better.

When I was in the fifth grade, in one of those typical "feel good" moves, they asked us what our main goal in life was, or some such. Being up-to-date on gerontology and the conjectures of the time about life extension, I figured that by the time I was old, they might extend my life a span of years, and during that span some more, and so on. So I answered that I wanted to live forever. I think I got a "D" on it.

---

I want my happy chip!!!

Exactly! Note the pessimism involved. If they can implant such a chip, maybe they can implant one which amplifies our desire to do the right thing, so we're more likely to act morally. Or a chip, which, when our thinking displays the characteristics of cognitive bias or illusion draws our attention to the fact and diagrams our error for us? And imagine the potential for remedying mental illnesses and just plain neurosis. Such a chip could provide us access to any amount of factual data at the mere wanting of it — banish ignorance forever — what's the potential there? Or a chip which mutes our awareness when pain or distress exceeds a certain threshold? As the Arizona Atheist remarked about Vox Day's thought's on science's responsibility for global warming, yes, science creates the potential for harm, but it also offers the potential for solutions, too — and you better believe mumbling Latin liturgies each Sunday is not going to do so.