SECULAR HUMANISM PHILIP KITCHER

DEWEY AND JAMES REVISITED JAMES’ CENTRAL PROBLEM: RECONCILING SCIENCE AND RELIGION FOR DEWEY THIS IS ONE PROBLEM. ONE TASK ARISING WITHIN THE PROJECT OF DEVELOPING A LIBERAL, DEMOCRATIC WORLD-VIEW

A SHARED ASSUMPTION BOTH JAMES AND DEWEY TAKE THE PROBLEM TO ARISE BECAUSE BELIEF IN TRANSCENDENT (SUPERNATURAL) BEINGS HAS BECOME IMPOSSIBLE. THAT IS NOT OUR PREDICAMENT. RELIGIONS JAMES AND DEWEY THOUGHT DISCREDITED FLOURISH TODAY.

THE ARGUMENT FROM SYMMETRY BELIEF IN THE EXISTENCE OF TRANSCENDENT BEINGS RESTS ON THE SAME GROUNDS IN ALL CASES. THOSE GROUNDS ESSENTIALLY INVOLVE TRANSMISSION FROM EPISODES OF REVELATION IN THE DISTANT PAST. BUT THE CHARACTER OF THE BEINGS REVEALED IS RADICALLY DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT CASES.

FURTHER … THE PROCESSES THROUGH WHICH RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES EVOLVE ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE DELIVERY OF TRUTH. THE PROCESSES THROUGH WHICH PEOPLE COME TO BELIEVE ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO THE DELIVERY OF TRUTH. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCES ARE FRAMED IN THE CATEGORIES MADE AVAILABLE BY RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS.

“AGNOSTO-ATHEISM” ALL THE VIEWS OF THE TRANSCENDENT PROPOSED IN THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS ARE ALMOST CERTAINLY FALSE. APPLICATION OF ANY CONCEPT – EVEN PERSON, OR MIND, OR CREATOR – IS UNWARRANTED. WE CANNOT TELL IF FUTURE DISCOVERIES WILL RECOGNIZE SOMETHING PLAUSIBLY VIEWED AS “TRANSCENDENT”.

THE VARIETIES OF RELIGION NOT ALL RELIGIONS INVOKE TRANSCENDENT ENTITIES. NOT ALL RELIGIONS INVOKE “THE TRANSCENDENT”. BUT TYPES OF LITERALISM ARE COMMON.

EXTREME LITERALISM THE CREATION STORY IS LITERALLY TRUE. HENCE ALL THE MAJOR TYPES OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS CAME INTO BEING AT THE SAME TIME. HENCE THE VIEWS OF COSMOLOGISTS, GEOLOGISTS AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGISTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE ARE ALL WRONG.

LESS EXTREME LITERALISM “JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD” IS LITERALLY TRUE. THAT IS: THERE WAS A TIME AT WHICH THE BEING WE KNOW AS JESUS WAS LITERALLY DEAD, AND A LATER TIME AT WHICH HE WAS FULLY ALIVE.

NON-LITERALISM “JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD” IS NOT LITERALLY TRUE; THE SENTENCE EXPRESSES AN IMPORTANT TRUTH ABOUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEEDS AND CHARACTER OF JESUS FOR HUMAN LIFE. DEFINITE INTERPRETATION INDEFINITE INSPIRATION

FAITH DOCTRINAL – BELIEF IN THE TRUTH OF DOCTRINAL STATEMENTS. (BEYOND THE EVIDENCE???) ORIENTATIONAL – COMMITMENT TO VALUES EXPRESSED (NON-LITERALLY) IN RELIGIOUS TEXTS. DOCTRINES PLAY A ROLE IN REINFORCING THESE VALUES AND IN INSPIRING CONDUCT.

DEWEY’S “COMMON FAITH” ABANDONS THE TRANSCENDENT. ABANDONS LITERALISM. COMMITTED TO RELIGIONS AS ORIENTATIONS TOWARDS WHAT IS VALUABLE. RECOGNIZES THE NEED FOR WAYS OF SUSTAINING AND PROMOTING THESE ORIENTATIONS AND VALUES.

A NATURAL REACTION WHAT DEWEY PRESERVES IS TOO THIN TO DISCHARGE THE PURPOSES RELIGION HAS TRADITIONALLY SERVED. THIS IS “RELIGION” ONLY FOR A COMFORTABLE ELITE. IT CANNOT HOPE TO MAKE HEADWAY IN A WORLD THAT HAS RETURNED TO LITERALISM.

YET … ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT RELIGIONS COMMITTED TO THE TRANSCENDENT IS THEIR DIVISIVENESS. SO IT IS WORTH EXPLORING WHETHER DEWEY’S HOPE CAN BE FULFILLED. OPENLY – BY GIVING UP DEWEY’S PRESERVATION OF RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE IN FAVOR OF FORTHRIGHT SECULAR HUMANISM.

CONTEMPORARY ATHEISM SECULAR HUMANISM IS NOT MILITANT MODERN ATHEISM. IT RECOGNIZES (AS DEWEY DID) THE ENDURING CONTRIBUTIONS OF RELIGIONS TO HUMAN LIFE.

I SHOULD LIKE TO TURN THE STATEMENT AROUND AND SAY THAT WHEREVER THIS CHANGE TAKES PLACE THERE IS A DEFINITELY RELIGIOUS ATTITUDE. IT IS NOT A RELIGION THAT BRINGS IT ABOUT, BUT, WHENEVER IT OCCURS, FROM WHATEVER CAUSE AND BY WHATEVER MEANS, THERE IS A RELIGIOUS OUTLOOK AND FUNCTION.

WHY RELIGION? SOCIAL ROLES IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE ETHICAL PROJECT. FROM COOPERATION TO SUSTAINING REFLECTIONS ON HUMAN LIFE (THE “LARGE QUESTIONS”) INSTITUTIONALIZED IN SOCIETIES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

RESIDUAL NEEDS DEWEY WAS RIGHT TO SEE THAT THE FUNCTIONS STILL NEED TO BE FULFILLED. SECULAR HUMANISM APPROACHES THEM MORE OPENLY. DISCHARGING THEM IS CRUCIAL TO REACHING THE SITUATION FROM WHICH DEWEY THOUGHT HE COULD BEGIN.

FUNCTIONS COMMUNITY MEANING DEATH THE DARKNESS OF THE HUMAN CONDITION

THE PROBLEM OF THE PUBLIC (AGAIN) IN COMPLEX DEMOCRACIES (AND IN OTHER SOCIETIES, TOO) THERE ARE NO GOOD SURROGATES FOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 1.SERIOUS DISCUSSION 2.JOINT PROJECTS IMITATIONS ARE TYPICALLY FEEBLE.

SOCIAL JUSTICE THE PROBLEM IS AMELIORATED IN THE SOCIETIES WHERE THERE IS MORE SOCIAL JUSTICE. THIS IS EXPECTED, GIVEN THE CORRELATION BETWEEN RELIGIOSITY AND VULNERABILITY.

MEANING THERE IS NO GENERAL PROBLEM OF RESTORING MEANINGFULNESS IN A SECULAR FRAMEWORK. THERE ARE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS IN PROVIDING PEOPLE WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEANINGFUL LIVES. THESE ARISE FROM LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES AND LACK OF COMMUNITY.

DEATH WHAT IS THE LURE OF IMMORTALITY? CAN WE ENVISAGE LIFE WITHOUT PROJECTS AND ACTIVE STRIVING? RATIONAL FEARS  PREMATURE CESSATION  THE LOSS OF OTHERS.

DILUTED LIBERALISM THIS IS A SATISFACTORY PICTURE FOR COMFORTABLY INTELLECTUALS. IT IGNORES THE DARK SIDE OF HUMAN NATURE. BUT THERE ARE KARAMAZOVS.

CONCLUSIONS THE SERIOUS CHARGES DON’T SHOW THAT A SATISFACTORY SECULAR HUMANISM IS IMPOSSIBLE. THEY MIGHT BE ADDRESSED BY A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS (DEWEY WOULD APPROVE). BUT WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT IT TAKES TIME FOR EXPERIMENTS TO WORK.