Join the Neopoet online poetry workshop and community to improve as a writer, meet fellow poets, and showcase your work. Sign up, submit your poetry, and get started.
Applying Occam’s Razor To Religion
Applying Occam's Razor To Religion
Occams Razor can be summed up as “The principle [that] states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory.”1
What are human religious needs? To what extant have the human sciences provided viable alternatives for meeting human religious needs? This work proposes to argue that through elimination of un-necessary assumptions about relious faith, experience and membership, religion can be shown to be irrelevant in the modern world. The scope will not cover the disadvantages or even wrongnesss of religious belief, for that the works of Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens are recommended.
This work does not cover human basic needs such as water, food and shelter. It proposes to suggest some human needs that have traditionally been met by religious belief may, or may not, be met by modern changes in society, science and the social sciences, without the assumptions demanded by a religious belief. For the purposes of this work these needs will be defined as spiritual, morals/ethics and a sense of cultural and historical continuity. Where references to religion are made they will, unless otherwise stated, be to Christianity as the breadth of this work will not allow for a full comparision and a sufficently large part of the readership will be familiar with the principles and practices of most Chrisitian denominations.
Spiritual needs will be the major focus, being far the most problematic through the subjectivity of the experience. Spiritual needs include a desire for experience transcending the mundane; being given knowledge of, currently, unknowable matters such as meaning of life, life after death and existence of soul; experiencing direct divine intervention. What is spiritual experience?
Perhaps the most universal human experience attributed to spirituality is experiencing beauty and awe in nature. From a glister of dew in the morning sun to being subjected to the most violent extremes of storms and other natural disasters, humans have widely reported physical, mental and emotional sensations such as a lightness of the body, a sense of unusual mental clarity, indescribable joy, a sense of insignificance that is not always unpleasant but rather implies the presence of a higher power. Now while this kind of experience requires no basis in faith or assumption of the existence of any deity and seems to be common to all societies, it does not provide any proof for the existence or non-existence of any deity, however that is not the subject under discussion- not the existence of a deity or deities, but the necessity of an assumption of one/them. Clearly since this form of experience is available to the most devout atheist the belief in or practice of any form of religion is an un-necessary assumption. If one wants it more often, take up bushwalking. Razor that one.
Another form of direct spiritual experience I shall refer to as the ecstatic, undergoing a profound and intimate sense of the numinous. In the context of believers this is most uncommon, usually related in the form of the stories of saints and famous religious figures such as the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus 2 and the conversion of Constantine3. In sects where the experience is common, such as the Pentecostals talking in tongues, it usually occurs in a context conducive to mass hysteria, suggestion or altered states of conciousness. Practices that can induce an altered state of consciousness either individually or in a group situation include chanting, drumming, dancing especially swirling, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation or overload, meditation and drugs. While these practices are often associated with a quest for spiritual experience or enlightenment, the effects can be witnessed at any trance rave or even rock festival. If these experiences are desired, no religious affiliation or faith is required. Razor that.
The need for answers to presently unanswerable questions such as creation, the meaning of life, the existence of god(s) and life after death is a common, but not universal, one. Every religion provides its own answers, which vary considerably (even to the existence of god) and many conflicting views claim to be the only true one. Using an admittedly somewhat spurious logic it does seem reasonable to conclude that where beliefs claiming to be the one true one conflict, none of them are likely to be the one true one. Science never claims truth without proof and many of these questions seem unprovable, at this stage. However science can provide theories suppported by a body of evidence which have yet to be disproved. The Big Bang Theory4 and Darwin's Theory of Evolution5 satisfactorally answer the questions of creation. Science has found no evidence for, nor has been able to disprove, the existence of god(s), the soul or any sort of existence of life after death. The evidence continues to mount though that no verifiable trace suggests no need for an assumption of their existence. Divine intervention, or miracles, similarly have either scientific explanations or can not be attributed to faith in any particular religion. This area can reasonably be razored.
The meaning of life is often considered to be the realm of philosophy, which the average person regards to be outside their ken, but can be summed up in an existential sense by the question “how to live well?”. Here we also address the religious need for ethics/morality. Answers to this can be provided to some extent by most religions, with less conflict between them. The Christian ideal of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”6 Is a good start, although Christianity, as derived specifically from the Bible, does not address Green issues. A comparative view of different world religion's approach can be found in “Set Your Heart On Goodness” by Arnold A. Hunt7. Sociology, anthropology and psychology provide answers not much more coherently or consensually than Christianity. This aspect of religious need, from a sociological perspective, can not be decisively razored although “goodness” does not seem to be a result of faith in any religion any more than atheism.
Very briefly, people do often feel a need for a cultural and historical perspective, which can be well provided by Christianity and other religions. A particularly good example of this is to be found in “Why I Am A Jew” by Edmond Fleg8. This is probably the single aspect of religion that still has the strongest need and usefulness in a world that moves so quickly, geographically and informationally, that people find themselves alienated and disenfranchised.
The question can not be answered absolutely, however it is clearly a cultural and historical context for the indvidual, and not any other aspect, that provides the need for the continuing existence of religion in a world that belies the fundamental texts and practices of those religions.
Occams Razor can be summed up as “The principle [that] states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory.”1
What are human religious needs? To what extant have the human sciences provided viable alternatives for meeting human religious needs? This work proposes to argue that through elimination of un-necessary assumptions about relious faith, experience and membership, religion can be shown to be irrelevant in the modern world. The scope will not cover the disadvantages or even wrongnesss of religious belief, for that the works of Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens are recommended.
This work does not cover human basic needs such as water, food and shelter. It proposes to suggest some human needs that have traditionally been met by religious belief may, or may not, be met by modern changes in society, science and the social sciences, without the assumptions demanded by a religious belief. For the purposes of this work these needs will be defined as spiritual, morals/ethics and a sense of cultural and historical continuity. Where references to religion are made they will, unless otherwise stated, be to Christianity as the breadth of this work will not allow for a full comparision and a sufficently large part of the readership will be familiar with the principles and practices of most Chrisitian denominations.
Spiritual needs will be the major focus, being far the most problematic through the subjectivity of the experience. Spiritual needs include a desire for experience transcending the mundane; being given knowledge of, currently, unknowable matters such as meaning of life, life after death and existence of soul; experiencing direct divine intervention. What is spiritual experience?
Perhaps the most universal human experience attributed to spirituality is experiencing beauty and awe in nature. From a glister of dew in the morning sun to being subjected to the most violent extremes of storms and other natural disasters, humans have widely reported physical, mental and emotional sensations such as a lightness of the body, a sense of unusual mental clarity, indescribable joy, a sense of insignificance that is not always unpleasant but rather implies the presence of a higher power. Now while this kind of experience requires no basis in faith or assumption of the existence of any deity and seems to be common to all societies, it does not provide any proof for the existence or non-existence of any deity, however that is not the subject under discussion- not the existence of a deity or deities, but the necessity of an assumption of one/them. Clearly since this form of experience is available to the most devout atheist the belief in or practice of any form of religion is an un-necessary assumption. If one wants it more often, take up bushwalking. Razor that one.
Another form of direct spiritual experience I shall refer to as the ecstatic, undergoing a profound and intimate sense of the numinous. In the context of believers this is most uncommon, usually related in the form of the stories of saints and famous religious figures such as the conversion of Paul on the road to Damascus 2 and the conversion of Constantine3. In sects where the experience is common, such as the Pentecostals talking in tongues, it usually occurs in a context conducive to mass hysteria, suggestion or altered states of conciousness. Practices that can induce an altered state of consciousness either individually or in a group situation include chanting, drumming, dancing especially swirling, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation or overload, meditation and drugs. While these practices are often associated with a quest for spiritual experience or enlightenment, the effects can be witnessed at any trance rave or even rock festival. If these experiences are desired, no religious affiliation or faith is required. Razor that.
The need for answers to presently unanswerable questions such as creation, the meaning of life, the existence of god(s) and life after death is a common, but not universal, one. Every religion provides its own answers, which vary considerably (even to the existence of god) and many conflicting views claim to be the only true one. Using an admittedly somewhat spurious logic it does seem reasonable to conclude that where beliefs claiming to be the one true one conflict, none of them are likely to be the one true one. Science never claims truth without proof and many of these questions seem unprovable, at this stage. However science can provide theories suppported by a body of evidence which have yet to be disproved. The Big Bang Theory4 and Darwin's Theory of Evolution5 satisfactorally answer the questions of creation. Science has found no evidence for, nor has been able to disprove, the existence of god(s), the soul or any sort of existence of life after death. The evidence continues to mount though that no verifiable trace suggests no need for an assumption of their existence. Divine intervention, or miracles, similarly have either scientific explanations or can not be attributed to faith in any particular religion. This area can reasonably be razored.
The meaning of life is often considered to be the realm of philosophy, which the average person regards to be outside their ken, but can be summed up in an existential sense by the question “how to live well?”. Here we also address the religious need for ethics/morality. Answers to this can be provided to some extent by most religions, with less conflict between them. The Christian ideal of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”6 Is a good start, although Christianity, as derived specifically from the Bible, does not address Green issues. A comparative view of different world religion's approach can be found in “Set Your Heart On Goodness” by Arnold A. Hunt7. Sociology, anthropology and psychology provide answers not much more coherently or consensually than Christianity. This aspect of religious need, from a sociological perspective, can not be decisively razored although “goodness” does not seem to be a result of faith in any religion any more than atheism.
Very briefly, people do often feel a need for a cultural and historical perspective, which can be well provided by Christianity and other religions. A particularly good example of this is to be found in “Why I Am A Jew” by Edmond Fleg8. This is probably the single aspect of religion that still has the strongest need and usefulness in a world that moves so quickly, geographically and informationally, that people find themselves alienated and disenfranchised.
The question can not be answered absolutely, however it is clearly a cultural and historical context for the indvidual, and not any other aspect, that provides the need for the continuing existence of religion in a world that belies the fundamental texts and practices of those religions.