My country (the United States) is just going through a weird / awful / bizarre time. Even if I keep the politics out of the discussion, the anti-science movement in my country is truly insane. It always has been a problem in American churches, especially since the 1900s. Christian fundamentalism has hurt science, hurt religion, and hurt society. Fundamentalist movements in other religions have done likewise. The anti-science aspect of Christian fundamentalism now has spread into secular society. Other countries are experiencing this problematic issue as well, but Americans tend to be large and loud when we decide to act like idiots. For example, up to 700,000 Americans died during the U.S. Civil War over the issue of slavery. We killed almost one million people over a moral issue with only one correct answer — slavery is wrong.
So, yes, I am very depressed about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. being nominated as head of U.S. Health and Human Services. I am a physician and specifically a pediatric gastroenterologist. I have seen the deleterious effects of lack of medical care, inability to access medical care, and refusal to access medical care. I have seen the devastation caused by children who do not get vaccinated. I am super hopeful that RFK Jr. backs off on his anti-vaccine views. Perhaps he will just work on improving the food industry. Who knows?
Even in my home state of Utah, I recently have corresponded with the Utah House Chair of Health & Human Services about a state bill giving parents more freedom in denying their children access to the newborn screen. Unreal. The newborn screen is a simple blood test that can diagnose very severe diseases early in an infant’s life in order to 1) begin medical therapy, 2) extend a child’s life, and 3) give the child a healthy life. I can’t imagine why a parent would deny their child a chance to get screened early (with subsequent treatment) for phenylketonuria early, cystic fibrosis as well as myriad of terrible, preventable diseases.
I will say that the Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes is probably one of the most powerful yet least read books in the canon. It presents a dark picture of humanity. When I see our species making terrible decisions, this book’s verses come to me.
2:11 “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”
2: 18-21 “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.”
5: 8-10 “If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”
Depressing? Yes, but pretty darn accurate when one considers how our species treats the weak and oppressed. We not only can be cruel to others but also to other species and to our planet. Perhaps there are genetic or epigenetic aspects or our cruelty. Our human obsession with crazy conspiracy theories? This problem is likely due to evolutionary pressure. You can go down a dark metaphysical hole here when you read or see the news.
I have no answer for such problems. Human awfulness is not solvable. Theodicy cannot be explained.
I do have one thought, however. Perhaps during our limited time on this planet, we are given the possiblity of helping the “other.” Yes, it is always great to donate money to good causes. It is great to explain to your friends about the real problems of the world. However, can you give water to a single homeless person? Can you help a lone elderly person across the street? Can you be kind to your nextdoor neighbor even if they disagree with you politically? Such simple things are hard…very hard.
Jay McDaniel’s essay on butterflies provides an excellent metaphor here. The life of the butterfly is so very short, but in that time period of its life, the butterfly is integral to the ecosystem of the whole world (including humans). We humans often don’t realize that such insects are working in the background. The simple pollination of one plant has downstream creative effects in time which benefit the plant, the plants around it, the soil, the city where the plant resides, and Earth. In many ways, this is panexperientialism — all reality experiencing the good act of that one butterfly.
We, as humans, can mimic the butterfy. A simple act of doing the right thing has huge implications for our world. The “right thing” isn’t necessarily a moral call. It is a call for creativity. It is a call between our species and the divine for the universal experience of producing ever more creativity in time and and in space. I made the figure below (I know it is kind of poorly made) to explain my idea.
This is not a Christian call to creativity. I may be Christian, but this call for creativity encompasses all religions and encompasses the lack of religion. It is the simple human decency of caring for the other. It may have the natural, evolutionary roots of altruism. It may be a supernatural desire calling each of us to be good to the “least of these.” I think it is the combination of the both as God is in the world. It calls for a Hegelian dialectic encompassing both the objective and subjective aspects of reality and of creativity. We can do more.
We can be kind. We can be like a butterfly and influence the world.
Odds and Ends:
- I was interviewed for the podcast, “(Re)Thinking Faith with Josh Patterson.” He is a liberal Christian like me, so we talked quite a bit about metaphysics and kindness. I cussed a bit and probably was too opinionated. It should be out soon.
- I’m a big fan of the liberal arts. I am currently reading, “The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs”. It is a good book. Consider reading it. Here is the link.
image generated by Meta AI
Phi-The-Sci: Equilateral Musings 