Philosophical musings on Quanta & Qualia; Materialism & Spiritualism; Science & Religion; Pragmatism & Idealism, etc.
Atheism & Deism are secular worldviews
Post 83. May 11, 2019
Deism as Alternative to Atheism
Salvation or Stoicism?
In a Quora forum exchange on the topic of Deism, one poster replied with a pertinent question : “But anyway what is the difference between Deism and Atheism. In effect the end product is exactly the same. So why be a Deist?” Both world-views1 reject tribal myths of divine intervention in the real world and deny that magical powers are available to humans. Con-sequently, Theists might classify Deists as Atheists who are hedging their bets. However, Deists typically believe in an intentional creation event, but are divided on the question of salvation. Some still expect to survive death, whether as merely Reincarnation in the physical world, or as Spirit beings in a parallel world or heaven. Others see no reason to anticipate a reward or a do-over in an afterlife, and merely adopt a Stoic attitude toward the only life we know for sure. These latter I call “Neo-Deists”2, who are characterized more by an attitude of Pragmatism than of Romanticism. So the Deist worldview can combine the best of both worlds : one of reliable reality (cause & effect), and one of intentional ideality (teleology).
Since Neo-Deists are few & far-between, the only one I can confidently report on is myself. And my deity concept is philosophical rather than religious. It’s based on observations of how the real world works, not on myths of supernatural doings. Nevertheless, even pragmatic empirical science has concluded that there are invisible intangible aspects of the world that have important effects on the forms & functions of reality. Explan-ations for those mysterious influences range from accidental “laws” of Physics to intentional “ways” of Nature. A Quora Forum response to the oriental notion of Tao (natural order, path, or plan) labelled it as “nonsense”; which it is, literally.
Metaphysics does sound like BS to those who "sense" only reductive classical physics. But Newton's gravity was accepted by those who did the math, even though his "spooky action at a distance" sounded like magic. Einstein's metaphorical description of gravity, as the warped fabric of empty space, sounded like metaphysical BS to classical physicists, until they did the math. The hypothetical deity of Deism can't be proven by crunching numbers though, because S/he can’t be enumerated, except as infinity, and can’t be defined, except as Spinoza's essential singular spiritual substance. We can only infer the necessity for such a puzzling primordial principle from circumstantial evidence. Yet, little by little, we are climbing out of the cul-de-sac of Materialism, epitomized long ago as Atomism, but now diluted into the nothingness of the Quantum Field. Virtual particles are literally non-sense3.
Neo-Deists are neither Materialists nor Spiritualists, but somewhere in between. From that middle-of-the-road stand-point, most Religions are right about the Big Picture (super-nature), but wrong about the Details, such as humanoid gods & pesky ghosts. Likewise, Science is right about the Parts (physics), but wrong about the Whole (metaphysics). My hope is to synthesize those either/or worldviews ─ reductive-rational-analytical and holistic-intuitive-synthetical ─ into a stereo BothAnd perspective4. Balancing the conflicting Yin-versus-Yang into a harmonious Yin/Yang is a formidable task, but necessary for personal integrity5.
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1. Worldviews : Like Atheism, Deism is not a religion or a dogmatic doctrine. It is, instead, a general open-minded, yet skeptical attitude toward the world. In the spectrum of worldviews, Atheism is closely related to scientific Materialism & Atomism (reductionism), for which classical Physics is the bible. Deism tends to be closer to the philosophical standpoint of Mentalism & Holism, of which Spiritualism is a special case. If Deism had a bible, it would be something like Quantum Metaphysics. From that perspective, the world is essentially field-like, and only secondarily particle-like. Mind is prior to Matter.
3. Subatomic Realism : “Quantum phenomena show that subatomic reality does not have a classical structure. The world is not made up of particles in the sense of the traditional mereological and causal particle concept.” https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-33732-4_8
4. Synthesis : Deism can accept the practical wisdom of all cultures & traditions, including those of modern science, while rejecting the out-dated, parochial, and prejudiced doctrines.
5. Integrity : Religion is for children, who need to be told what to do & think & believe. Philosophy is for adults, who have the maturity and the character to make their own decisions. Religions tend to be rigid, while Philosophies are subject to change in order to accommodate new information.
Deism is in the happy middle
Deism was over-looked in Richard Dawkin’s scale of belief, but it’s right in the middle.
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