E. O. Wilson: I'm not an atheist but religion should be eliminated

[Warren Stupidity]

Last edited Wed Jan 28, 2015, 02:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Renowned biologist E. O. Wilson has said we should eliminate religions for the sake of human progress, as they are "dragging us down".

In an interview with New Scientist, Wilson was speaking about his latest book The Meaning of Human Existence, in which he questions religion, how humanity looks for common cause, our behaviour and our impact on the environment.

He said his next book, in which he plans to deal with where we are going as a species, looks at how we have been destroying Earth in a way that people have not fully realised "like the death of a thousand cuts".

Wilson said we ignore cues from science about the damage we are doing because of our "tribal structure".

"All the ideologies and religions have their own answers for the big questions, but these are usually bound as a dogma to some kind of tribe. Religions in particular feature supernatural elements that other tribes – other faiths – cannot accept ... And every tribe, no matter how generous, benign, loving and charitable, nonetheless looks down on all other tribes. What's dragging us down is religious faith."

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/e-o-wilson-im-not-atheist-religion-should-be-eliminated-1485543

Good thing Dr. Wilson didn't post that on DU. He would, professed atheist or not, be lumped into the !Bad Atheist Bad! club stat.

[NeoGreen]

1. We shouldn't do it...

...due to a hatred of religion, we should do it for the love of humanity.

[NeoGreen]

2. Note to hypotheical jury...

...I was referring to sex...



(sarcasm off)

[trotsky]

3. He makes very good points.

This is key:

Religions in particular feature supernatural elements that other tribes – other faiths – cannot accept

But the religious insist that you accept how valid they are anyway. My reality is just as real as yours. Obama's a Muslim. The Illuminati run everything.

[AlbertCat]

4. He said that he is not an atheist or agnostic, instead explains "I'm a scientist".

Deflect.....zig...boing....wham!


So what "scientifically" shows there might be a god?

He sounds like an atheist but seems afraid to be labeled as such. Or does he, as a scientist, believe in the supernatural? Does he think we have souls?


And how can one "have" a god and no religion? I mean the notion of "A" god is specific to certain religions, many gods to other religions. I say just acknowledging there might be something like a god is a tribal religious thing.


Anyway.... the other stuff he says seems pretty interesting.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. That part was gibberish.

He seems to think it is really important to ponder if magical beings are watching over us and other nonsense:

"Humans everywhere have a strong tendency to wonder about whether they're being looked over by a god or not. Practically every person ponders whether they're going to have another life. These are the things that unite humanity.

So Dr. Wilson, one of the exact problems you are wailing about regarding religion stems from this whole "other life" bullshit. Humanity has been putting off the Great Project of making a sustainable world for all in part because stupid ass religions keep telling people "never mind god's already done that in heaven".

[AlbertCat]

7. These are the things that unite humanity.

I know... Pondering whether we're being watched over? (that takes less than 2 seconds to perceive "No".)

Doesn't having the same genetic code and being the same species unite us even more?

How about that we all eat, sleep, have sex and poo (not necessarily in that order).



I know I know...it's not all warm and fuzzy like being looked after by a magical being.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. Well those things also unite dogs.

So there might be a bit more in our share-bucket.

[AlbertCat]

13. Well those things also unite dogs.

Well, he didn't say anything about the characteristics having to be unique.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. I got that same feeling...

that he is afraid to come out and say "I am an atheist". I get it. I know the stigma attached to professing that to the world. And I know that he would be dismissed immediately if he were to come out and just say it.

But the problem is that when people are afraid to speak out, it makes it more difficult for the rest of us. The more atheists who admit that they do not believe in any god, the more acceptance we will have. When people start to see how large our numbers really are, and that they know good people who have no belief in god, it will be an easier road for all of us.

I also do not believe that this man is not an atheist, or, at the least, an agnostic.

[bvf]

10. Wilson shouldn't worry. I'm amazed that he seems to.

"But the problem is that when people are afraid to speak out, it makes it more difficult for the rest of us."

And the more they (we) speak out, the more inventive and strident becomes the vocabulary and tone of believers; e.g., "new atheism," "apatheism," etc.

In a way, I miss the days of "godless heathen bastards" and the like.

[roguevalley]

17. I peraonally have a god and follow no religion. Its doable. What the

problem is, fundamentalism.

I expect to be cut to ribbons.

Remember to tip your waitress.

[locks]

8. E O Wilson is a treasure,

one of the world's greatest naturalists and biologists. Always a scientist he has helped us to look at nature and the "grand unifying lesson of nature: all of us earthlings, all of life's astonishing creations, thrive or fail together." He wants us to look at creation, knowledge, and the future of life with understanding and compassion for those, believers and non-believers, who think differently because we all have been born and raised as part of a tribal structure and dragged down by territoriality, family bonds, and selfishness. He believes it is possible for humanity to rise above dogma and survive as part of the great web of life.

[Binkie The Clown]

9. Obviously...

...we would be better off if we could stop letting instincts and emotions override reason. Discarding childish superstitions like religion and astrology (to name but two from a very long inventory of silliness) is a good place to start.

As for the "desire" to have a benign god looking over us, we are biological beings subject to injury, old age, illness and death. Facing that fact head on scares the shit out of most people, so they invent an imaginary friend they can turn to when they feel desperate and alone. It's hard to look in the mirror and confront the fact that we are finite, fragile, insecure and frightened of things that go bump in the night. But that's the way it is. We could feel so much better about ourselves and our world if we could just accept that about our biological nature.

If I wake up in the middle of the night feeling scared and lonely, I sit up, tell myself "this is what it's like to be a human being", and then put a Marx Brothers movie in the DVD and laugh myself back to sleep. Somehow I think that's a better solution than "praying" to some imaginary sky daddy. At least I'm not lying to myself about the fundamental nature of life, the universe and everything.

[bvf]

12. Very well put, beginning to end.

Not much to add, except to say that, for my money, the stateroom scene in "A Night at the Opera" beats all the prayer in the world.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. Welcome to DU, Binkie The Clown, and to the A&A group.

I agree with everything you said. It does seem to be a fear of our mortality that drives the religious fanaticism. None of us want to feel helpless about our fate, even if it is a fact.

[Binkie The Clown]

15. Thanks for the welcome (back)

I used to hang out a little in DU when Dean was still in the running. (Yes, I was a Deaniac.) After "the scream" and all the fallout, I got discouraged and drifted away and forgot my user and password. Now I'm back (The place looks quite different!)

[Lordquinton]

16. I miss dr. Howard "my strategy actually worked" Dean

And wish Edwards had kept it in his pants. I too left for a while after all that. Welcome bqck.

[Act_of_Reparation]

18. I had the opportunity to meet Howard Dean when he was head of the DNC.

I'm not one easily taken in by public figures, but goddamn that man is charismatic.

[truebrit71]

19. He's right of course....