Humanist Thought of the Week

Respect My Authoritay!

Got an email from an extreme individualist the other day. All I could think was that extreme individualism is just as stupid as extreme authoritarianism. While Humanism does emphasize individual autonomy, That doesn’t make us anti-authority. What is needed is a balance between the two. Admittedly, finding the right balance is hard But it is much better then blinding choosing an extreme to avoid thinking about the nuances. In this matter I refer to the authority of John Stuart Mill “In the conduct of human beings towards one another, it is necessary that general rules should for the most part be observed, in order that people know what to expect; but in each person’s own concerns, his spontaneity is entitled to free exercise.” “All errors which he is likely to commit against advice and warning are far outweighed by the evil of allowing others to constrain him to what they deem his good.” When balancing authoritarianism and individualism, Humanists prefer to err on the side of individualism.

Blasphemy

I’m a Humanist. The concept of blasphemy is basically foreign to me. Especially in this day and age! I mean, what do we expect is going to happen if we offend a god?  That our crops are going to fail? That being said there is one thing I think is blasphemous. When people of faith reject the use of their God given brain in favor of superstition because they think God wants them to be stupid. I consider that blasphemous. If God created us, then he clearly intended us to be able to think and reason. To not exercise those God given skills is to reject God’s gift to you. And that’s just rude. He gave you a brain - use it!

What If ...

My son is in the stage where he is asking a lot of “what if” questions. Questions like “what if I had a brother?” Or, “what if I could fly?” Or, “what if I was elected Emperor of the United States of America?” I have finally figured out that I am not meant to answer these questions. Instead my role is to encourage him to figure out his own answers. The great thing about “what if” questions are that they excite the imagination. And imagining the way things might be is essential if we are to think productively about our future. Which is why I think “What if” is the most important question we can ever ask. Because unless we ask “what if?” we will be stuck with what is. And that would drive me crazy because I can’t help but wonder “what if we can do better?”

Being Stupid is Stupid

In case you weren’t aware of this, we Humanists love being educated! We are lifelong learners and we can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t be as excited as we are about education. After all, the more you know, the more you understand. And the more you understand, the easier it is to, you know, solve your problems! Unfortunately, there are lots of stupid people in the world. And what’s worse, most are too stupid to know they are stupid. I wouldn’t really care, except that stupid people tend to do stupid things that cause all sorts of stupid avoidable problems for the rest of us. So, don’t be stupid. The next time someone tells you that you that you don’t know what you’re talking about, Even if you think that person is stupid, Find out why they think you are wrong. The worst that could happen is that you may learn something. And that’s a good thing!

Courage

A friend of mine received a death threat a few days ago. It’s a sad state of affairs that pretty much everyone in the Freethought community views such a threat as a bit of a rite of passage. Which brings me to today’s topic.  Courage. It takes a lot of courage to openly acknowledge the fact that you are a freethinker. I mean, who in their right mind would intentionally risk angering people to the point they respond in violence? It’s not like we Freethinkers set out to piss people off. It’s just that by it’s very nature; thinking freely challenges the status quo. And, obviously a lot of people don’t like that. I mean, look at what they did to Socrates! I personally think that every single person who engages in Freethought is incredibly courageous. Just for the mere fact that they are willing to take on the risks that comes with thinking for yourself.