Exploring the fundamental flaws of fundamentalist thought
Brian’s Philosophical Ramblings
What is my purpose in life?
Jan 24th
We humans are a fascinating lot. Over the course of several million years, we’ve managed to evolve brains that are capable of some amazing feats of cognition. We are able to envision something beyond ourselves, an ability which seems to be quite unique to our species.
This ability has made all of our greatest accomplishments possible. After all, one cannot invent something without first envisioning it, or envisioning the need for it in the first place. This small leap in cognitive ability has made it possible for us to create a society that other creatures could not even begin to comprehend.
This amazing trait can also lead to great missteps when manifested unskillfully. The ability to envision something beyond ourselves can’t simply be turned off at will. We are driven by a nearly insatiable desire to understand all that which we cannot see or readily explain. Because of this desire, we constantly attempt to see beyond the veil of our understanding. This is a good thing when tempered with logic and filtered through reason, but it can too often tempt us to create or accept answers for no rational reason.
There are questions I often hear that simply make me cringe… “What is my purpose in life?”… “Why am I here?”… “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Richard Dawkins once wrote that not every English sentence that begins with the word “why” is a valid question, citing the example “Why are unicorns hollow?”. This is a rather comical and extreme example, but the point it makes it sound.
There is no “why” for our existence.
So what is the reality of our human condition? What is the truth about our place in the universe? Sadly, most people become quite distressed upon contemplating the truth behind these questions.
The reality of our condition is quite clear. We are essentially a group of somewhat clever but ultimately arrogant organisms clinging to a small rock which is orbiting a rather unremarkable star. This star is out in the boondocks of its own galaxy, and the galaxy itself is rather unremarkable among its billions of cousins. If we were to envision the universe as something sentient, then it would no more notice us than we would notice a microorganism clinging to our small toe.
In fact, when considering the vast timescales of the cosmic clock, we haven’t even been around long enough to even make a small ripple. It’s doubtful that our race will exist long enough to do so, either. And if we consider the rather absurd brevity of an individual life, we can truly start to see exactly how self-important and arrogant we truly are.
That’s right… as distressing as you might find this… In the grand scheme of the universe, you simply don’t matter.
I have often been branded a nihilist for expressing such views, and I suppose it’s true to an extent. Our lives are inherently meaningless insofar as they do not come with any intrinsic purpose, but that does not mean that our lives need be meaningless.
Here is our reality. There are a few billion of us on our comfy little rock at any given time. Each of us will be here for a period of one second to possibly a hundred years or so. The question we should be asking is not why we are here, but rather what we are going to do with the time we have been given.
For the foreseeable future, we have nowhere else to go. It’s quite possible that someday we will move outward from our cradle and colonize other worlds, but one cannot even begin to realistically speculate when this will be a viable option. We must accept the fact that we are all stranded on our tiny little island for generations to come.
So what have we chosen to do with the time we have? Too often, we spend our brief existence imagining something that comes next. While such fantasies may be satisfying or comforting on some level, we must take care not to base our lives on such dreams.
There is only one thing of which we can be certain… We have the here and now. We have the lives which we have been born into during the time into which we were born. We entered the world with no divine purpose. We do not come with a preordained agenda. We enter the world as blank slates, each striving to find our own meaning and purpose.
How much time have we wasted attempting to find some elusive truth behind our lives? How much blood have we shed over our conflicting views of these imagined truths? How much longer can we afford to cling to these delusions rather than accept the reality of our condition and move forward accordingly?
You are here. That is all. That is the only inherent truth behind your existence. Where many find this reality to be depressing, I choose to see it as quite the opposite.
We each have the ability to guide our own destiny. We have the power to choose what our purpose in life will be, as well as the option to assign whatever meaning we can find.
You might choose a path of greatness. You might choose to merely exist. Of course, most of us will choose a path which lies somewhere in between.
It’s vitally important for us to remember that we’re all in this together. We have to share our tiny little rock, so we must understand that each and every one of our paths are intertwined. The words and actions you choose to live by in some way touch the lives of all.
You are here. I am here. He is here, and she is here. Circumstance has led us all to share this minuscule window in space and time. It is all we have, so we need to make the best of it.
Is there a next world? If we are honest with ourselves, none of us can say for sure. Perhaps you will choose to spend your here and now devoted to a tenuous belief in an ultimately unprovable and intangible afterlife. If this is your choice, then I bear you no ill will. But please, do not destroy our here and now in some sort of blind devotion to it.
This is our world, folks. This is the life we have. Let’s make the most of it, and try to make things a little more bearable for one another.
If this makes me a nihilist, so be it.
If you’re straight, then why do you care?
Dec 3rd
“If you’re straight, then why do you care so much about gay marriage rights?”
This is a question I am asked far too often. Honestly, I find it somewhat unsettling that so many people find this concept so difficult to grasp.
The answer is quite simple. I care about gay marriage rights because I care about human rights. In our modern society, no one should have to struggle for the right to be treated with kindness, fairness, and respect. No one should have to suffer the indignity of having their rights denied or stripped away because of people’s stubborn adherence to ridiculously outdated dogma. The fact that this happens to anyone infuriates me.
Same-sex marriage isn’t a “gay issue”, because there’s simply no such thing as a gay or straight issue. When the most basic rights are denied to any group of people, we all bear the burden as a society. Whether or not you condone homosexuality is not the issue, as I don’t think anyone is asking for your approval. They are simply asking that you grant them the same basic rights that you take for granted.
Of course, many people who ask this question do so as a form of attack. They attempt to silence straight advocates of gay rights by calling their sexuality into question. Sadly, this tactic works far too often. Personally, I don’t care. If you want to “accuse” me of being gay, then be my guest. You’re free to think whatever you want. Despite what you may think, it’s not offensive to me in any way.
So I just want to implore all of you in-the-closet straight supporters of gay rights out there… Don’t be silenced by a bunch of ignorant fools. Don’t tell yourself that it doesn’t affect you so it’s not your problem. Take a stand for your family, friends, and coworkers who are forced to fight for their most basic rights. Only by standing up for one another can we hope to ever achieve a better future.
I should add one more point… I know I said that I don’t care if people think I’m gay. There is, however, one exception. If you happen to be a thoughtful, intelligent woman who is into opinionated atheist bloggers in their mid thirties… I AM STRAIGHT!!!!! 
Did the Devil Make You Do It?
Nov 16th
There are probably few topics which have been more contentious in religious discussions than that of the nature of evil. Are we essentially good beings that are led astray by a malevolent influence, or are we naturally evil creatures who require divine guidance to become good? This question has plagued humanity since we first became cognizant enough to ponder the true nature of good and evil. If we examine the mythologies of various cultures throughout human history, it becomes quite apparent that this philosophical quandary has been personified through any number of deities, spirits, demons, heroes, and villains.
In our modern western culture, this conflict has perhaps been simplified to its purest form through our depictions of a benevolent god and malevolent devil locked in some sort of endless conflict for our immortal souls. Although this allegorical concept may be satisfying on a dramatic and poetic level, I believe it to be inherently dangerous to society.
In order to explain this point, it is necessary to briefly discuss the question of the origins of religious belief.
This is by no means an easy question to answer, as religion seems to have always been a part of humanity. We can attempt to trace the evolution of belief back through our history, but its origins become obscured in the fog of antiquity. In many ways, it seems almost counterproductive. In evolutionary terms, it is quite expensive and yields no obvious benefits to our survival as a species. However, the fact that it seems to be an intrinsic aspect of human nature implies that its origins must have somehow been beneficial to our species at some point in our development.
Anthropologist Pascal Boyer provided an excellent theory on this subject. In an effort to understand the evolutionary origins of religion, he distilled the mythology, dogma, and philosophies of all religions down to their most basic components. He payed particularly close attention to the beliefs of preliterate cultures, as their beliefs were less likely to have been cross-contaminated with those of others. After a great deal of work, he was able to find only one unifying theme that permeated all known religious beliefs, both past and present.
What Boyer found was that all religions contain a belief in “the presence of unseen agents in the environment”. These agents were often used to explain the causation of certain natural phenomenon. However, the most prevalent beliefs seemed to imply that these spirits were malevolent entities that wished to bring some sort of harm to their unsuspecting victims… much like the devils and demons of our modern mythologies.
It is this simple fact that shines a light on the evolutionary origins of belief. Like all primates, sight is our primary sense. We do not have the heightened sense of smell or hearing that so many of our mammalian cousins enjoy. Since our species evolved in the canopies of African rain forests, sight proved to be the most effective sense to use from our high vantage points. As such, our ability to survive was entirely dependent on our ability to see potential dangers. If we could not see predators in time to take the necessary evasive actions, we would not survive to pass on our genes to the next generation.
This obviously put our ancestors at a distinct disadvantage in situations in which they were not able to see potential dangers. In darkness or in the dense foliage of the ground, they were little more than an easy meal for any of the larger, faster, carnivorous creatures that preyed upon them. Essentially, that which they could not see could easily cause their gruesome demise.
The connection to Boyer’s “unseen agents” now becomes quite clear. The primates who had an innate fear of the invisible did not venture into situations where their sight would be limited, whereas those who had no such fear didn’t survive for very long. In this instance, natural selection favored a primal form of superstition. Millions of years of selection hard-wired it into our ever growing hominid minds.
From an evolutionary point of view, old habits die hard. We’ve been bipedal for a few million years now, yet we still suffer from many of the problems caused by our transition from our ancient quadrupedal forms. In much the same way, our giant sentient brains still fall prey to one of our most basic primal fears… unseen malevolent entities.
Our modern understanding of psychology has shed a great deal of light onto what we have traditionally categorized as good and evil. The human brain has an unparalleled ability to experience empathy, an intellectual understanding of the feelings of others. It is our ability to feel empathy that has formed the very foundation of human society. By understanding the wants and needs of others, we are able to peacefully function in larger communities. This leads to the sort of individual specialization that allows us to function as a greater whole and achieve far more than any individual member of our species ever could alone. By utilizing our advanced sense of empathy, we commit acts of altruism which often benefit others more than ourselves. This is, in essence, what most would define as “good”.
In contrast, we still possess our primal instincts (the aspect of our psyche that is often referred to as “the lizard brain”). This is an even more ancient form of hard-wiring. It represents the most basic needs an organism has to survive and pass on its genes. The lizard brain gladly kills, steals, and rapes to serve its own self-interest, as it does not concern itself with the needs of others. In modern humanity, we define these characteristics as “evil”. While they served our very ancient ancestors, they are detrimental to a species that is dependent on its need to function as a society.
When we examine good and evil in this light, it becomes quite easy to see why the belief that evil is caused by the influence of an external, malevolent entity is fundamentally dangerous. By personifying evil as something which exists outside of ourselves, we provide ourselves with the false comfort of believing that it is not an intrinsic part of our psyche.
Given the right set of circumstances, any one of us is quite capable of abandoning our sense of empathy and reverting to our most primal instincts. It is essential for us to realize this and understand that we alone bear the responsibilities for our own actions. When we cling to our archaic notions of demons and devils, we create a sort of loophole. We tell ourselves that the evil that we do is no fault of our own… that we are somehow little more than the hapless puppets of some imagined demonic entity. Once we become convinced that anything else bears the responsibility for our actions, there is no limit to the atrocities we could allow ourselves to commit.
Many of the faithful will surely argue that they will never commit any such atrocities, as their faith in an all-powerful benevolent entity shields them from the influences of evil beings. This sort of thinking is even more dangerous, as the believer has engaged in a sort of magical thinking. The belief that our attachment to a good being protects us from the influence of evil is an incredibly dangerous rationalization… “Because I have faith, I am righteous. Because I am righteous, I am good. Because I am good, my actions are not evil.” This is the twisted logic that has led to countless atrocities committed throughout human history in the name of any number of gods.
We have reached a stage in our evolution in which we have the cognitive ability to understand the true nature of evil. It is not something that is forced upon us by malevolent entities, but rather the result of any number of factors which damage our psyche to an extent to which we abandon our empathy and revert to our more primal nature. It is time for us to cast aside the imagined ghosts of our primitive ancestors and embrace a rational view of what makes us good or evil. Only by doing this can we hope to overcome the demons of our minds and strive to create a world in which we truly embrace that which is good for all humanity.
A Tiny Plastic Key Chain
Nov 6th
Few would argue with the assertion that many Americans are facing uncertainty in their lives. We are living through a rather complicated period in our nation’s history. Economic difficulties have plagued countless families, and millions of people are desperate to find even the slightest glimmer of hope.
This degree of desperation tends to cloud people’s minds to an extent that they are willing to accept anything that sounds as if it will provide some sort of relief to their economic difficulties. It should come as no surprise that politicians are far too willing to capitalize on this fact by providing quick and easy answers to a frantic public. Sadly, this seems to work all too well.
On Tuesday, voters in New Jersey chose to unseat their incumbent governor and replace him with a man who offered quick and easy solutions to the economic difficulties facing their state. I am making no personal judgment as to which candidate was better qualified to hold the office. However, I am deeply concerned that a climate has been created in which quick and easy answers have triumphed over long term thinking and basic human compassion.
The governor elect has been quite vocal about his opposition to programs that have been created to strengthen the very basis of modern society… the education of our children. Specifically, he has expressed the opinion that the incredibly successful early childhood education programs implemented in the inner cities are wasteful, going so far as to suggest that it was somehow little more than state subsidized “babysitting”.
Perhaps he has never had the good fortune to look into the eyes of a teacher holding a tiny plastic key chain.
I had the opportunity to speak with a woman who has devoted her entire life to providing a quality education to inner city children. She was obviously quite distraught over the potential damage that could be done to early childhood education in New Jersey. For several years, she has been part of the programs which have provided educational equality and opportunity to the children of Camden. She now faces the very real possibility that everything she has worked so hard for will soon be ground to dust.
She spoke with intelligence and passion. I stood and watched as her eyes conveyed a veritable roller coaster of emotion… one minute joy, then fear, then anger, then pride, and even an occasional tear. As I listened, I couldn’t help but notice that she clutched her keys tightly in her hands as if her very life depended on it. Soon I discovered that this wasn’t just a quirk or figment of my imagination. It wasn’t the keys she was was clutching after all…
It was a tiny plastic key chain.
It wasn’t much to look at, really. It was only about three cents worth of little plastic beads bound together by a three inch length of string. It was the sort of thing you would probably kick aside if you saw it lying in the street.
Then she opened her hand and lifted it to show me. She showed me why she held it so dearly. She showed me why it was a talisman from which she drew her strength.
The little beads spelled out her name. This seemingly insignificant chain of shiny plastic beads was a gift given to her by one of her students. The fact that the letters spelled her name was a demonstration of the fact that this student had taken the cognitive leap of truly understanding that letters and numbers had meaning. It was a validation of everything to which she had chosen to devote her entire life.
And it was a symbol of everything shortsighted politicians seek to destroy.
People of New Jersey, please don’t let this happen. Please understand that cuts to public education do irreparable damage to our children and society as a whole. Please… please… contact your elected officials and let that know that any short range benefits you might gain are simply not worth the long term damage they will cause. We can not stand by and let them destroy our schools, condemn our children to a life of ignorance, and rip away everything for which our educators have worked so hard.
If one tiny plastic key chain can mean so much, then just imagine what thousands could do.
The Divine Mystery of Substance XJ-237
Nov 4th
Most of you are probably well aware that I treat most matters dealing with religion and the paranormal with a great deal of skepticism. However, I have recently become aware of something that has radically changed my perspective. If you would be so kind as to indulge me for a few minutes, I would very much like to share my new found knowledge with you all.
It all began with a dream… actually, more of a vision. In this vision, I was visited by an otherworldly being who simply referred to herself as “^”. She told me that I had to purchase a yellow spiral-bound notebook with at least 128 pages and a purple ballpoint pen (preferably one with the soft rubber comfort-grip handle). At exactly 2:43 am (Eastern Standard Time), I was to climb the tallest tree in the park, burn an incense composed of barley and oregano, close my eyes, and write down the truth that was revealed to me.
What follows is a summary of the One Great Truth.
Thousands of years ago there was a long forgotten race of malevolent beings who created a truly diabolical substance. This substance goes by many names throughout the universe. The insectoids of Alpha Beta 9 call it “Dark Mana”. The Avian Lords of Sigma 13 call it “Dire Milk”. The denizens of Omega Perseus 5 call it “Irving” (It is generally accepted by most sentient races that the denizens of Omega Perseus 5 “ain’t quite right in the head“, but I digress). K instructed me that we Earthlings shall know it as “Substance XJ-237″.
The purpose of this insidious substance is to mutate those who are exposed to it in horrific ways… to cause them to deviate from the Grand Design of the High Council of Krebulan (the all-knowing, all-powerful benevolent race who intelligently designed all life in the universe). These perversions against nature have taken various forms specific to the races who have fallen victim to its evil contamination. Fortunately, K informed me of the effect it has on humans.
Before Substance XJ-237 (which has no color, odor, mass, or energy signature of any kind), all human adults were designed to fall within a sacred height range. No one was shorter than 5’6″, nor were they taller than 6’3″. The reasons why the High Council of Krebulan chose this range are beyond our understanding, so suffice it to say that it represents all that is beautiful, sacred, happy, fluffy, and good. For many years humans happily adhered to these guidelines. Our race was perfect, living a life of bliss and joy in perfect harmony with our divine overlords of the High Council Krebulan (our most blessed praises unto them!). That all changed after “The Fall”.
The Fall was indeed humanity’s darkest hour (although some theologians within the reform movement now believe it to have only taken about 37 minutes). Upon seeing our perfect and happy union with the High Council of Krebulan, the jealous and malevolent race that shall not be named unleashed Substance XJ-237 upon our planet. It rained down upon the unsuspecting people of Earth, warping their minds in ways that would forever threaten their sacred bond with the High Council of Krebulan.
It brought great wickedness into their minds. All across the planet, people began to forsake the teachings of the High Council of Krebulan (hallowed be their sacred name!). Hidden in the shadows, humans began to question the very goodness of their intended design. The heresy was unthinkable… “Why CAN’T we be shorter than 5’6″? And wouldn’t it be kind of FUN to be 6’4″ tall? We could finally clean the top of the refrigerator!”
And so, great wickedness filled the Earth. Humans began to engage in unimaginable sins. In defiance of their sacred nature, millions chose to be shorter than 5’6″, while millions more chose to grow taller than 6’3″.
We have been cursed with this unthinkable sin, but all is not lost. Most of us are still righteous. Most of us have chosen to abide by the sacred rules of our nature. Most of us have chosen to be 5’6″ to 6’3″ tall.
Can we still save those who have strayed? Perhaps we can. We have seen great promise. Our missionaries have had a great deal of success bringing young children back into the light by convincing them to grow beyond 5’6″ (although we have had far less success converting those who chose to grow beyond 6’3″).
One thing we can… or should I say MUST… do is stop these deviants who have chosen to stray from the light from indoctrinating our children or forcing their way of life upon us. Across our great nation, the vile Shorties and Tallies have convinced our elected officials and activist judges to let them get married. As if that’s not bad enough, many of them actually want the right to legally adopt children.
We cannot allow this to happen. After all, they have chosen to succumb to the evil effects of Substance XJ-237. They have chosen to forsake the most blessed and sacred height guidelines set forth by our benevolent creators of the High Council of Krebulan. They have chosen to reject their reward in the afterlife (an eternity of bliss on the sacred pleasure planet Paradise 5, with its award winning all-you-can-eat buffet featuring the famous Triple Chocolate Orgasm… and that’s NOT just a figure of speech!).
Of course, some will argue that what I propose is wrong. There will be those wicked enablers of the Shorties and Tallies who claim that everything I’ve told you is complete and utter nonsense. They will point out that their is no proof that anything I’ve said is true, and that it’s perfectly natural for humans to be shorter than 5’6″ or taller than 6’3″. They will even say that it is wrong for me to deny basic legal rights and equality to my fellow human beings based on a ridiculous belief that no rational person in the twenty-first century should embrace.
Seriously, folks… is what I say really that difficult to believe? It’s not like a claimed that a pillar of fire burned laws into stone, or that people who die for their faith will be rewarded with 72 virgins, or that a carpenter was born to a virgin, died for your sins, and rose from the dead. It’s not like I am suggesting that anyone be persecuted for anything as natural as their sexual orientation. That would be completely absurd!
Can I get a “Yam-nar*”?!
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*From the Krebulan. Its closest English translation is “Amen”.
The wisdom of children
Jul 12th
Today was a beautiful day in Philadelphia. Like all beautiful Sundays in the summer, I went down to the farmer’s market on Second Street. After walking through the market, I like to sit by the fountain and enjoy a cup of coffee.
It’s always fun to see the pure unadulterated joy children experience while at play. I defy anyone to not smile while watching them shout with glee as they twirl through a plume of water on a sunny day. Kids wear their emotions on their sleeves. They have yet to develop a barrier between their conscious and subconscious.
This led me to ponder the inquisitive nature of children. They are natural scientists, always observing and questioning the world around them. In fact, I have heard that children ask an average of half a million questions by the age of five. It seems that this type of critical inquiry is an inherent aspect of human nature.
Why, then, is this tendency so often suppressed as we get older? At what point do we begin to simply accept easy answers and stifle our need to ask more questions?
I suppose it might have something to do with the regimented, institutionalized fashion in which children are educated in our society.
I know I’m not making an argument that hasn’t been made by thousands of others before. There are many people in our society who are fighting to change the way our educational system works. However, I think there are far more people who simply accept the way our schools have worked for decades (if not centuries).
The inquisitive nature of children is a clear indication that education is an incredibly organic process. Children want to learn. They want to understand the world around them. Why do we not simply encourage this and guide them when necessary?
Instead, our traditional methods of schooling have a strict curriculum that dogmatically clings to a very specific list of things that we have decided children are supposed to learn at a specific age. Instead of nurturing their natural thirst for knowledge and guiding them towards these things, we line them up in rows, subdivide them by our perception of their intellect, and force feed them facts. Is it any wonder that so many children begin to despise school at such an early age?
Of course, schools that take a non traditional approach to education do exist, but they are unfortunately usually reserved for the privileged few who can afford them. The children of the poor and working class are usually just filed through a generic, sterile, rubber-stamp school system. It’s little wonder that these students rarely excel, often failing to even complete their schooling. This is an incredible tragedy that repeats itself on a daily basis in our society.
Nothing will ever change until we, as a society, decide that the system must change. Sadly, we often seem to be too self centered or apathetic to take an interest in such things. We rarely foster a sense of responsibility for others in our society.
There is, of course, another killer of a child’s natural inquisitiveness… the dogmatic juggernaut we call “religion”. In my humble opinion, it’s almost criminal to answer a child’s questions about our universe with “God did it”, “It’s all part of God’s plan”, and “Don’t question the will of God”. Essentially, religion is the natural enemy logic, reason, and progress… the very qualities we should be fostering in children.
There’s a saying that’s quite popular among atheists: “Philosophy is questions that cannot be answered… Religion is answers that cannot be questioned.” A truer statement has never been uttered.
In reality, every answer we find creates more questions. This is a good thing, as we must always strive toward a greater understanding of our world. However, people are often far too happy to avoid the ongoing quest for knowledge by forcing themselves to accept easy answers. Personally, I have never understood this. The universe is far too amazing to dismiss as the creation of an omnipotent being.
Children know this. They have the drive to understand everything. They know that every answer creates more questions, and they fearlessly ask these questions.
Why would we want to program them to stop this quest? Why would we want to crush them with dogma of religion and the drudgery of institutionalized education?
Maybe it’s simply easier for us. However, the fact that it is easy doesn’t make it right.
Goodbye, Steven Wells (1960-2009)
Jul 2nd
Death has seemed to permeate the news over the last few weeks. We’ve certainly lost our fair share of prominent figures. Among the overwhelming media coverage of the passing of aged sex symbols, pop superstars, and TV pitchmen, another death passed under the radar of most of us.
Philadelphia was lucky enough to have a rather interesting character in our midst over the last several years… a curious Brit by the name of Steven Wells. Last Wednesday, intestinal cancer took Steven away from us.
I must admit that I was completely unaware of the totality of his career. I never knew that before coming to the United States, he was one of the UK’s most notorious music critics who earned the disdain, fear, and respect of many of Britain’s most famous recording artists.
I only knew Steven Wells as the guy who wrote the humorous little op-ed pieces for Philadelphia Weekly. I knew him as the guy who fearlessly and hilariously skewered politics, culture, hipsters, the media, and religion. I knew him as the guy who was always going to bring laughter to my Wednesday morning bus ride as I read his latest articles.
If I had to sum up if style, I suppose I would say he was the George Carlin of the Philly media. He was a world class bullshit detector. Not only did he detect said bullshit, but he dragged it into the light, mocked it, set it on fire, and pissed on the flames. Nothing was taboo to Steven. He was a sarcastic, acerbic, opinionated son of a bitch… and you loved him for it.
He was also a humanitarian and all around great guy. He always took the time to respond to the emails I sent him about his articles. I also had the pleasure of meeting him when he came to our Philly Atheist Meetup to do a PW cover story about us (for the Christmas issue, nonetheless). For all of his seething commentaries and venomous rants, he was actually just a smart, friendly, and unassuming fellow.
Many of those who knew him wrote tributes to him in this week’s issue of PW, but I have to say that my favorite was written by Jonathan Valania:
Most Public battles with cancer are cast as heroic. Wells would have none of that bullocks, He was scared shitless, and he said as much because it’s the only reasonable human response. He was mad as hell at the unfairness of it all, because, again, it is the only reasonable response. And by the end he was sick of it all – the pain, the indignity, and the boredom of dying. What made Steven heroic was his willingness to say as much for publication, in lieu of some phony brave face. If nothing else, he innovated the lost art of dying honestly. If there is anything to be learned from Wells’ cruelly premature passing it’s this: Life is not fair, and it’s later than you think. So enjoy yourself and plan accordingly.
Some might view this as a depressing and nihilistic view of life and death. I see it as quite the opposite. Reality isn’t always pretty. Life isn’t always fair. These are truths that we have to accept. We have to accept it and get the fuck over it. Stop lying to yourself and pretending that there’s some deeper meaning hidden behind the scenes. Stop pretending that everything happens for a reason. Stop viewing life as an audition for some delusional view of eternity.
If you want your life to have meaning, then get off your ass and give your life some meaning. Make someone smile. Make someone laugh. Reach out and help someone who is in need. And most importantly, don’t ever forget to let the people you are fortunate enough to have in your life know how happy you are to share your all-too-brief existence with them.
We have what is here. We have what is now. Get the hell out there and make the here and now count, and try to leave this crazy and beautiful world a little bit nicer than it was when you got here.
Steven Wells was one of those clever little primates who did just that. Like all of us, he could only carry the torch so far. The best way for us to honor him is to pick it up and carry it for however long we can, and hope that someone else is there to grab it when we’ve reached the end of our brief journey.
Steven, thanks for making us laugh. Thanks for making us think. Thanks for the time you spent in our mad, mad world…
Although it wasn’t long enough.
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Please check out the full tribute to Steven Wells at the Philadelphia Weekly site…
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/steven-wells/
Gay marriage vs. nuclear physics
Jun 10th
I am going to start out this post by assuming that you are scratching your head in some futile attempt to figure out how there could be any possible correlation between gay marriage and nuclear physics. I don’t blame you. Until today, I had absolutely no idea that the two subjects were related. It seems that I was, in fact, quite wrong.
I was enlightened by a brilliant analogy put forth in an op-ed piece written by Timothy Dalrymple, an evangelical contributor to Patheos.com. He so eloquently expressed why gay marriage is not only wrong, but apparently violates the laws of physics…
We can no more revise the basis of marriage than we can revise the laws governing atoms. Societies may shape marriage differently, but the intrinsic need of male and female for each other is written into the created order.
Did that statement just make your brain hurt? Don’t worry if it did, as that is only an indication that you have a healthy, rational mind. Apart from being little more than typical theological drivel, it contains one of the most egregiously false analogies of all time.
First, let’s examine exactly what marriage is. It is not an intrinsic aspect of nature. It is not governed by any natural laws. It is a societal construct. In essence, it is not a thing that actually exists by itself. It only exists because we, as a society, accept that it exists. Therefor, marriage is what any given group, be it a community, a church, or a government, defines it to be.
If we want to bring natural laws into this debate, then we should be clear about one thing. Natural laws do not govern marriage… they govern sexual attraction. It is true that the most common form of sexual attraction is between a male and female. If this were not the case, our species would have died out long ago. However, male/female sexual attraction is by no means the only form. Attraction between two individuals of the same sex is quite common throughout the natural world. While it does not serve the vital role of perpetuating the species, it is not harmful to the species as long as a sufficient breeding population is maintained.
I understand that this is by no means a flowery or romantic description, but we have to make one thing perfectly clear… we are talking about natural law here, so we have to reduce the concept to its most basic components.
Now let’s move on to the other half of the analogy… “the laws governing atoms”. What exactly are the laws governing atoms?
The answer is quite simple: THERE ARE NO LAWS “GOVERNING” ATOMS.
There is always a great deal of confusion when we talk about scientific laws. These laws are not some sort of codes imposed by an invisible nether-world government which instruct atoms how to behave. They are the result of our attempts to observe, understand, predict, and explain how atoms behave. The actual behavior of the atoms is, in fact, intrinsic to their nature. They do not think, and therefor do not care, about what these laws are.
So let’s put all of this together and look at exactly why this analogy is ridiculous. Since marriage is a societal construct, its nature is completely dependent on the society defining it. Although many religious fundamentalists may argue that the common “one man and one woman” configuration is the result of natural laws, it is not. It is the result of cultural influence and personal beliefs, and is therefor simply one possible subjective view. As a result, any laws we make defining it are attempts at imposing a single point of view on our society as a whole.
Atoms, on the other hand, simply don’t care what our point of view is. They pay no mind to our religious belief. They don’t sidestep our cultural taboos. If we were to pass a constitutional amendment banning protons from the nucleus, the protons would still be in the nucleus. These “laws” are constant and immutable. Atoms are what they are.
So why did one silly little analogy bother me so much? The answer is simple. In our society, there is far too many examples of theology being presented as something more than it actually is. In this one statement, Mr. Dalrymple has attempted to blur the lines between politics, science, and religious belief, stating his personal theological views as immutable fact.
While I don’t agree with his personal beliefs, I can at least respect his right to hold them. I cannot, however, respect his attempts to present theology as anything more than it is… mythology and dogma.
To paraphrase a popular t-shirt slogan, “Don’t bring your faith into our science, and we won’t think in your church.”
Gay marriage showdown in PA?
May 28th
There are a few constants in my morning routine… the bus ride to work, my 24 oz. black coffee, chocolate chip muffin, and the daily edition of “Metro” (a newspaper which fits comfortably in my price range). Although the paper is generally 20 some odd pages of ads and celebrity gossip, they usually manage to squeeze in a few good articles.
This morning, the dedicated a section of the front page to discuss the looming same-sex marriage battle coming to Pennsylvania.
Living in Philadelphia, I am confronted with a sort of political paradox. Philly is one of the most progressive cities in the country, and is generally regarded to be what is called a “gay-friendly” city. Most of the businesses gladly cater to gay clientele (apparently realizing that gay money is also green), and the overwhelming majority of us straight folks support gay rights.
However, large portions of central Pennsylvania are very much part of what can be considered the “Bible Belt”, a rural fundamentalist Christian stronghold.
Because of this contrast, the laws of our commonwealth do not always reflect the attitudes of our fair city. This had caused a great deal of frustration for Philly’s sizable gay community. While they have never actually passed, there have been attempts by our state legislature to define what many consider to be “traditional” marriage.
The latest attempt is a proposal by Senator John Eichelberger (R-Hollidaysburg) to amend our state constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one women. Metro printed the following quote:
“The government recognized many years ago this is the best model for society. People live longer, they raise children better so they should use that model. …It’s a proven model that our forefathers recognized”
I think it should be pointed out that what he is describing are the benefits of marriage, although not necessarily straight marriage. As far as the comments about our forefathers, I would be quite curious to find out exactly what George Washington or Thomas Jefferson said about the subject of marriage equality. I don’t think the issue ever came up, as they were far too busy contemplating that fact that their slaves counted as three fifiths of a human being. But I digress.
In contrast to this proposal, another has been made by Senator Daylin Leach (D-King of Prussia) to recognize all marriages as valid and grant same sex married couples the same rights and responsibilities as their straight counterparts. I very much enjoyed his quote on the subject:
“It’s inevitable. We’ll think of it as we think of interracial marriage. … I want to … at least have Pennsylvania in the middle of the pack instead of hanging out toward the back with Alabama and Mississippi.”
I certainly hope none of my freethinking friends from the south are offended by this remark (I doubt they are, as they are usually the first to mock the fundamentalism within their own states). I think Sen. Leach has made a very important point with this statement.
Despite what our fundamentalist friends would have us believe, gay rights are moving forward and will continue to do so. Ultimately, any society which professes to uphold the principles of equality must abolish any vestiges of the old “separate but equal” philosophies of the past. Our generation will eventually be judged by those who follow many years down the road. Will we be seen as people who stood for fairness and equality, or will we be seen as a paradoxical generation who regarded individuals as three fifths of a human being?
Personally, I see a great deal of hope. Homophobia seems far less common among young Americans today. In addition, the ranks of atheists, agnostics, humanists, and progressive believers are growing every day. People are becoming far less inclined to allow antiquated dogmas to define their opinions on sexaul morality, adopting a “to each his own” or “live and let live” philosophy.
This is, of course, just a personal observation. However, I do strongly feel that we are seeing old fashioned religious fundamentalism in its death throws. We might not live to see the end of it, but I’m certain our children and grandchildren will.
And what will happen when they do? Will they thank us for the work we’ve done to move human rights forward, or will they see us as a group of apathetic individuals who said nothing while our brothers and sisters drowned in a sea of ancient dogma and intolerance?
As I said, to each his own. It is entirely up to you to determine how you will be remembered. Personally, I hope to be remembered as someone who stood up for the rights of all and rejected the mythologies of the past… and I hope that you will be remembered right there beside me.