Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Vale das Videiras
Daughter on Deism - She Wrote
Luisa Carneiro
Deism
Several world philosophies and religions alike have consistently evolved throughout our time in an attempt to answer the questions and resolve the issues that were produced by a previous viewpoint. Deism first came about in the 16th and 17th centuries due to society’s urge to quench its thirst for universal reason and unity. During this time many theist views were being strongly debated causing religious chaos across a vast part of the world. In the following essay I will discuss Deism and all of the major viewpoints that stem from this philosophy. The seven topics that will be overviewed consist of Deist views on prime reality, the nature of its external reality, the Deist concept of the human being and its place in the cosmos, the meaning of death, the foundation of knowledge and our capability to attain it, the basis of ethics, and the importance or meaning of human history. Throughout my explanation of these seven topics both criticisms and (ironically) revelations will arise on the subject of Deism. However, one specific criticism led to the dissolving of Deism as a recognized or stable worldview, and I will attempt to discuss both my personal view on this criticism as well as the overall take on its contents.
The apple of prime reality for Deism didn’t fall far from the tree of Christian theism in a sense. Deists hold that God is our prime reality and the first cause. However, the major distinction becomes clear when one ventures deeper into God’s role as our prime reality. They acknowledged God as an intellectual source who created this cosmos and proceeded to have no further connection with it after its creation. He is not personal, nor is “he” present around us. As James W. Sire simply puts it, “he had left man in charge of his own destiny”, referring to his as not human’s destiny, but to the destiny created by God himself. Deism also goes further to explain that although, “God” is wondrous in his ability to create the cosmos, he is not sovereign over human affairs. After creation, there was no need for guidance due to the fact that everything was set into a certain motion and expected to remain along that axel for all of eternity (essentially). This leads me to the next point of the Deist view on the nature of its external reality.
Our external world is explained heavily through the metaphor of the cosmos acting as clockwork and God being the clockmaker. “He” created the physical world to act according to a series of causes and effects. Hence, the first cause created a determined and stable cosmos. This specific category completely ruled out any possibility for miracles as well as any event that would disregard the predetermined order of our world. We, along with all other physical objects, are solely the products of prior physical causes that were bound to happen since the beginning of time. Not only did this completely undermine the existence of anything divine or spiritual, but it also dissolved any human capability of free will and choice, as we understood it before. Deism concludes that we hold no control and therefore we hold no meaning. To further touch on the human role in the cosmos, I continue to my next topic.
Human beings are no different than any other physical object within the cosmos. We simply exist and act as we were created to. Preceding viewpoints during the Middle Ages on emotions, actions, and desires were completely turned around. If Deism remains consistent with its view of the external world, humans can be categorized as complex “machines” that have no say in what comes next and in no way can we become capable of “reversing the order”. Sire explains this concept in saying, “Human beings are what they are, they have little hope of becoming anything different or anything more.” However, Deists do acknowledge that we have self-consciousness and at least the illusion of self-determinism. They also believe that we are somewhat intelligent because they place a heavy emphasis on human reason, along with their regard for ethics, which proves their regard for a human sense of morality as well. Some Deists go as far to acknowledge a local purpose. Basically, the universe contains no grand meaning however, smaller relationships between humans are up for grabs in terms of explaining human interaction.
As far as death is concerned, it’s easy to say that death isn’t much of a concern at all. It is simply the end of our life, as we know it. Our physical state simply takes on another molecular arrangement as it rots or burns. We have no soul to continue on to another plane or a different life. In our clock-like cosmos, Death is simply the point in which our component that resides in the clock simply stops working. This viewpoint also blew the Christian Theist concept of death out of the water. Before this theory, life was considered to be the short journey that leads to the inevitable outcome of a more significant afterlife. Yet, the Deist world has no room for silly illusions of existence outside of the practical and stable world as they interpreted it. In fact, Daniel Webster could loosely be thought of as Deist in his forward definition of death as being nothing more than, “a permanent cessation of all vital functions.”
Following the ongoing theme of simplicity that lies within Deism, our ability to attain knowledge is, well…simple. Since Deism is based on the importance of human reason, knowledge is attained through simply that. The more we spend our time on getting to know the universe around us (reason), the more we get to know and understand our prime reality and our external world. There is no call for humans to understand or get to know anything besides the universe that was created for all physical things to take part in. Since the cosmos is said to be a direct product of God, then the more knowledge we absorb of our surroundings, the more knowledge we have of our “clockmaker”.
Deists, to their own detriment, place a somewhat hefty emphasis on the importance of ethics and morality. As I discussed in the topic of humans and their role in the cosmos, Deism harbors that we are able to possess a sense of morality. In alignment with the importance of reason, we must use this reason to discern what is “right” or “wrong”. Since our world possesses no abnormality or secrets per say, through reason we should be able to discern morals on our own. In other words, our world will reveal the morals that result from the rational nature of our external reality. Unlike Christian Theists, our comprehension of what is good or evil is not attained through our prime reality. Basic ethics are molded into our external reality.
In regards to the meaning and importance of history, it is safe to say that there basically is no meaning or importance of history. Sire describes history as being linear. Metaphorically, history is solely the ongoing railroad that the cosmos train chugs along, with the prime reality conductor having already laid out the tracks.
I reiterate my statement in the preceding paragraph, in saying that Deism’s emphasis on morality was detrimental to its validity and constancy. A major criticism raised against Deism surfaces with the problem of ethics. This problem served as one of the main reasons for a lack of unity in Deist views. Deists argue that we can all reason toward worldwide values however, one can argue that our modern-day world upholds several morals that are not considered universal. Therefore, a Deist outline of ethics is just that- an outline, as opposed to a thorough research paper. Morals and ethics are limited to each person’s revelation on the matter, whereas the morals and ethics that we practice day to day are anything but limited. They vary according to culture, generation, personal religion etc. In my opinion this criticism proved to be a strong one. The interpretation of what is right and wrong has an infinite amount of possibilities and outcomes based on an infinite amount of variables. It is no wonder that Deism was so short-lived and easily overturned. The Deist attempt to paint over the white space that Christian Theism had trouble covering only made the overall picture more fuzzy.
To sum things up, the seven viewpoints that form Deism combine to describe a meaningless universe that runs on a predetermined schedule. As the prime reality of God acts as an absent father, external reality, the human role, death, knowledge, ethics, and history can all be understood through our own reason. Although revolutionary, Deism was quick to be dissolved due to the criticism of its incomplete explanation of ethics. I finish with a few lyrics from the song Imitosis by Andrew Bird. “Despite what all his studies had shown, That what's mistaken for closeness, Is just a case of mitosis…We were all basically alone.
(Full Song lyrics attached to back)
Imitosis (Andrew Bird)
He's keeping busier
He's bitten stones
His imaginations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we're all basically alone
Poor Professor Pension had only good intentions
When he put his Bunsen burners all away and turned
Into a playground a petri dish of single cells that would swing
Their fists at anything that looks like easy prey
Nature show that rages every day it was bound, a part his intuition
Say
We were all basically alone
And despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a case for mitosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others train for the show
Tell me doctor can you pull my file
‘Cause he just wants to know the reason why
Why do they congregate in groups of four
Scatter like a billion spores
And let the wind just carry them away?
How can gametes be so mean
Our famous doctor tried to gleam
As he went home at the end of the day
In this Nature show that rages every day it was bound apart of his intuition
Say
Despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a taste of mitosis
She fatal doses, malcontent to osmosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others will pay for the show
Well doctor can you pull my file
The reason why
Deism
Several world philosophies and religions alike have consistently evolved throughout our time in an attempt to answer the questions and resolve the issues that were produced by a previous viewpoint. Deism first came about in the 16th and 17th centuries due to society’s urge to quench its thirst for universal reason and unity. During this time many theist views were being strongly debated causing religious chaos across a vast part of the world. In the following essay I will discuss Deism and all of the major viewpoints that stem from this philosophy. The seven topics that will be overviewed consist of Deist views on prime reality, the nature of its external reality, the Deist concept of the human being and its place in the cosmos, the meaning of death, the foundation of knowledge and our capability to attain it, the basis of ethics, and the importance or meaning of human history. Throughout my explanation of these seven topics both criticisms and (ironically) revelations will arise on the subject of Deism. However, one specific criticism led to the dissolving of Deism as a recognized or stable worldview, and I will attempt to discuss both my personal view on this criticism as well as the overall take on its contents.
The apple of prime reality for Deism didn’t fall far from the tree of Christian theism in a sense. Deists hold that God is our prime reality and the first cause. However, the major distinction becomes clear when one ventures deeper into God’s role as our prime reality. They acknowledged God as an intellectual source who created this cosmos and proceeded to have no further connection with it after its creation. He is not personal, nor is “he” present around us. As James W. Sire simply puts it, “he had left man in charge of his own destiny”, referring to his as not human’s destiny, but to the destiny created by God himself. Deism also goes further to explain that although, “God” is wondrous in his ability to create the cosmos, he is not sovereign over human affairs. After creation, there was no need for guidance due to the fact that everything was set into a certain motion and expected to remain along that axel for all of eternity (essentially). This leads me to the next point of the Deist view on the nature of its external reality.
Our external world is explained heavily through the metaphor of the cosmos acting as clockwork and God being the clockmaker. “He” created the physical world to act according to a series of causes and effects. Hence, the first cause created a determined and stable cosmos. This specific category completely ruled out any possibility for miracles as well as any event that would disregard the predetermined order of our world. We, along with all other physical objects, are solely the products of prior physical causes that were bound to happen since the beginning of time. Not only did this completely undermine the existence of anything divine or spiritual, but it also dissolved any human capability of free will and choice, as we understood it before. Deism concludes that we hold no control and therefore we hold no meaning. To further touch on the human role in the cosmos, I continue to my next topic.
Human beings are no different than any other physical object within the cosmos. We simply exist and act as we were created to. Preceding viewpoints during the Middle Ages on emotions, actions, and desires were completely turned around. If Deism remains consistent with its view of the external world, humans can be categorized as complex “machines” that have no say in what comes next and in no way can we become capable of “reversing the order”. Sire explains this concept in saying, “Human beings are what they are, they have little hope of becoming anything different or anything more.” However, Deists do acknowledge that we have self-consciousness and at least the illusion of self-determinism. They also believe that we are somewhat intelligent because they place a heavy emphasis on human reason, along with their regard for ethics, which proves their regard for a human sense of morality as well. Some Deists go as far to acknowledge a local purpose. Basically, the universe contains no grand meaning however, smaller relationships between humans are up for grabs in terms of explaining human interaction.
As far as death is concerned, it’s easy to say that death isn’t much of a concern at all. It is simply the end of our life, as we know it. Our physical state simply takes on another molecular arrangement as it rots or burns. We have no soul to continue on to another plane or a different life. In our clock-like cosmos, Death is simply the point in which our component that resides in the clock simply stops working. This viewpoint also blew the Christian Theist concept of death out of the water. Before this theory, life was considered to be the short journey that leads to the inevitable outcome of a more significant afterlife. Yet, the Deist world has no room for silly illusions of existence outside of the practical and stable world as they interpreted it. In fact, Daniel Webster could loosely be thought of as Deist in his forward definition of death as being nothing more than, “a permanent cessation of all vital functions.”
Following the ongoing theme of simplicity that lies within Deism, our ability to attain knowledge is, well…simple. Since Deism is based on the importance of human reason, knowledge is attained through simply that. The more we spend our time on getting to know the universe around us (reason), the more we get to know and understand our prime reality and our external world. There is no call for humans to understand or get to know anything besides the universe that was created for all physical things to take part in. Since the cosmos is said to be a direct product of God, then the more knowledge we absorb of our surroundings, the more knowledge we have of our “clockmaker”.
Deists, to their own detriment, place a somewhat hefty emphasis on the importance of ethics and morality. As I discussed in the topic of humans and their role in the cosmos, Deism harbors that we are able to possess a sense of morality. In alignment with the importance of reason, we must use this reason to discern what is “right” or “wrong”. Since our world possesses no abnormality or secrets per say, through reason we should be able to discern morals on our own. In other words, our world will reveal the morals that result from the rational nature of our external reality. Unlike Christian Theists, our comprehension of what is good or evil is not attained through our prime reality. Basic ethics are molded into our external reality.
In regards to the meaning and importance of history, it is safe to say that there basically is no meaning or importance of history. Sire describes history as being linear. Metaphorically, history is solely the ongoing railroad that the cosmos train chugs along, with the prime reality conductor having already laid out the tracks.
I reiterate my statement in the preceding paragraph, in saying that Deism’s emphasis on morality was detrimental to its validity and constancy. A major criticism raised against Deism surfaces with the problem of ethics. This problem served as one of the main reasons for a lack of unity in Deist views. Deists argue that we can all reason toward worldwide values however, one can argue that our modern-day world upholds several morals that are not considered universal. Therefore, a Deist outline of ethics is just that- an outline, as opposed to a thorough research paper. Morals and ethics are limited to each person’s revelation on the matter, whereas the morals and ethics that we practice day to day are anything but limited. They vary according to culture, generation, personal religion etc. In my opinion this criticism proved to be a strong one. The interpretation of what is right and wrong has an infinite amount of possibilities and outcomes based on an infinite amount of variables. It is no wonder that Deism was so short-lived and easily overturned. The Deist attempt to paint over the white space that Christian Theism had trouble covering only made the overall picture more fuzzy.
To sum things up, the seven viewpoints that form Deism combine to describe a meaningless universe that runs on a predetermined schedule. As the prime reality of God acts as an absent father, external reality, the human role, death, knowledge, ethics, and history can all be understood through our own reason. Although revolutionary, Deism was quick to be dissolved due to the criticism of its incomplete explanation of ethics. I finish with a few lyrics from the song Imitosis by Andrew Bird. “Despite what all his studies had shown, That what's mistaken for closeness, Is just a case of mitosis…We were all basically alone.
(Full Song lyrics attached to back)
Imitosis (Andrew Bird)
He's keeping busier
He's bitten stones
His imaginations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we're all basically alone
Poor Professor Pension had only good intentions
When he put his Bunsen burners all away and turned
Into a playground a petri dish of single cells that would swing
Their fists at anything that looks like easy prey
Nature show that rages every day it was bound, a part his intuition
Say
We were all basically alone
And despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a case for mitosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others train for the show
Tell me doctor can you pull my file
‘Cause he just wants to know the reason why
Why do they congregate in groups of four
Scatter like a billion spores
And let the wind just carry them away?
How can gametes be so mean
Our famous doctor tried to gleam
As he went home at the end of the day
In this Nature show that rages every day it was bound apart of his intuition
Say
Despite what all your studies had shown
What was mistaken for closeness was just a taste of mitosis
She fatal doses, malcontent to osmosis
Weighed deception or mercy
Where others will pay for the show
Well doctor can you pull my file
The reason why
