Whatever we think or do base on what we think, is the product of our brain, the source of every motivation to act.
Homo sapiens is a social being. He loves to live in groups. In the beginning, he lived in tribes and nowadays we live in complex societies.
The complexity of his (tribal) society may have increased, but that doesn't mean that homo sapiens has fundamentally changed.
What I always find the most telling is that the songs he sings still are about love and relations for millennia. The stories he tells are about love, emotions, fights, and conflicts.
This all has to do with the structure of the brain which we extensively studied in previous projects.
So, now let's focus on religious behavior. Where does it come from?
In the previous lecture, I already concluded that from a tribal perspective, having to deal with one god is much better for the group than dealing with a whole collection of gods.
When all noses point in the same direction the tribe is much easier to control than when every nose smells another god.
But this belief in a god, where does that come from? Only a few people ask that question. Most people take it for granted or find it obvious.....
Let me tell you, even when you aren't religious, you still carry that "religious" attitude inside of you. I'll explain.
Have you ever yelled at your computer or car for not functioning or something like that? When I pick up a bunch of grapes to eat and one falls off and rolls away,
I always think "Ahhh fellow, you try to escape....you'll be the first one I'll eat" and so I do. What kind of weird behavior is this with regard to inanimate objects?
When you're walking down the street, don't you sometimes have the urge not to step on the seams between the tiles or that idea of before that car gets here I have to have passed this or that point?
What I am referring to here is our tendency to ascribe life to inanimate objects and to shape our behavior as rituals.
If you look at the development of the brain, and along with that the development of thinking then there is a plausible explanation for all these little behavioral thingies which are still in us.
To understand this typical human behavior we have to turn to Jean Piaget, the Swiss psychologist (1896 - 1980). He is famous for his Theory of Cognitive Development.
I won't bother you with the details of his theory. You can google that yourself. In relation to our inclination to have religious feelings, I just want to bring to your attention one of his observations.
The human brain goes through four stages according to his empirical theory, Here I want to focus on stage two: 2 - 7 years.
What happens there in the developing brain? Around the age of 4 children go through a period of animism:
they believe inanimate objects have consciousness. So they can have a serious conversation with their teddy.
At that age I said to my son....don't kick against that stone. You're hurting it....so he stopped and I thus saved his new shoes from premature demolition.
My main point is, that this inclination to animism doesn't vaporize at a later age. Sure, it becomes overshadowed by rationality and so on.
But why do you think that so many religions create pictures and statues for their believers to worship? It is just simply in the human brain.
So, from a materialist point of view, what about that nonsense of atheism. Our inclination to believe in fairytales is a default part of the brain.
It is just that we have to recognize our behavior as believing in fairytales and correct is by real emotions and rationality regarding the world we live in.
Thank you for your attention again...
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
The Discussion
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i still believe in Sinterklaas :)))
[13:21] herman Bergson: That is what I mean Beertje
[13:21] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): :)))
[13:22] oola Neruda: make rules for what is good behavior and bad behavior... so you can judge events as they occur
[13:22] herman Bergson: This a animism is simply a part of how our brain works
[13:22] herman Bergson: a child has no control over it and takes it seriously....the older we become the more rationality takes over
[13:23] oola Neruda: hold a punishment over the heads of people's behavior....... vs. reward
[13:23] herman Bergson: but we stay sensitive to "fairytales", believing in what does not exist
[13:24] herman Bergson: And the fairytales have to offer so much...
[13:24] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): I think we need fairytales, for the world is hard enough
[13:25] herman Bergson: an afterlife, a protective god, a fate etc
[13:25] herman Bergson: we can't put our heads in the sand Beertje
[13:26] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): true
[13:26] oola Neruda: but we do
[13:26] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): but belonging to a religion club is too much
[13:26] herman Bergson: indeed oola
[13:26] herman Bergson: That is a pile of sand indeed :-)
[13:27] herman Bergson: free to use ^_^
[13:27] bergfrau Apfelbaum: trump is a fairy tale I'd rather not believe
[13:27] oola Neruda: and use it as a bludgeon
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed, same here bergie
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well fairytale, it's more a horror story
[13:27] herman Bergson: what means "bludgeon", oola? :-)
[13:28] oola Neruda: something that you use as a weapon... a bludgeon is something heavy that you hit people with
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): (drops a Toffifee on the floor and yells GAAAH)
[13:28] Lukkie Sands: a baseball bat
[13:28] oola Neruda: you could use that....
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): a blunt weapon
[13:29] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): een knots:)
[13:29] oola Neruda: some are even more dangerous
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): familiar with lots of them since when I played Baldurs gate a lot
[13:30] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): but a fairytale we know it isn't real.
[13:31] Lukkie Sands: Well...we dealt with explaining the reason of monotheism and today we demonstrated that religious thinking is produced by the brain
[13:31] oola Neruda: bludgeons are only too real
[13:31] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): religion clubs say they have the truth
[13:31] Lukkie Sands: that is the function of religion, Beertje...to offer answers and security...
[13:31] oola Neruda: i like to think of the Bible as a guide to be kind to others
[13:32] herman Bergson: for whatever it is worth
[13:32] oola Neruda: to get along with people... don't just think like trump that you are owed their devotion
[13:32] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): in the bible is lots of cruelty
[13:33] oola Neruda: instead, be an example of empathy for others
[13:33] oola Neruda: you are right, Beertje
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yep
[13:33] oola Neruda: but put it in context... who is doing what to whom
[13:33] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i don't read it
[13:33] herman Bergson: Beertje, google it and you'll discover that the Christian god has at least killed 2 million people without any mercy
[13:34] oola Neruda: good samaritan is an example... as is the woman at the well...
[13:34] oola Neruda: the example of helping others in need without judging them for what many would reject them for
[13:34] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): it's more than 2000 years ago, so why not write about good people that live now?
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:34] herman Bergson: you have the Old testament god and the New Testament god, Beertje
[13:35] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i never have read it
[13:35] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): don't know about it
[13:35] oola Neruda: if you have never sinned then you go ahead and fire the first shot... otherwise, think things over
[13:35] herman Bergson: Well the OT one is the Killer, the NT one is the Jesus person...
[13:36] herman Bergson: the problem is that religion is not just a brain error but a general part of our culture
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:37] herman Bergson: it seems that we need these stories to organize our society
[13:37] herman Bergson: or to establish tribal borders
[13:37] oola Neruda: and many of the "preachers"... interpret according to their own interpretation... not necessarily what was meant
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Well i read the bible also but only cause the stories are great for some of my games
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:38] herman Bergson: That is a typical statement, you make oola....
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i make fairytales with other fairytales
[13:38] oola Neruda: widespread ...
[13:38] herman Bergson: you imply that there is in that text some meaning that was REALLY meant......
[13:39] oola Neruda: and i have met a number of those in my moves from one state to another to another to another....
[13:39] herman Bergson: nice....but who decides what this "REAL MEANING" is?
[13:39] oola Neruda: they are everywhere
[13:39] oola Neruda: that is the problem
[13:39] oola Neruda: who decides
[13:39] herman Bergson: when you look at the US.....
[13:40] oola Neruda: and many of them are not well read even in the scriptures
[13:40] herman Bergson: just those with the biggest mouth
[13:40] oola Neruda: that they expound upon
[13:40] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hmm
[13:40] herman Bergson: It is about money making for them oola....
[13:40] oola Neruda: not always....
[13:40] herman Bergson: they want their private planes etc
[13:40] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i guess that's why Trump succeeded. BLAAAH BLAAA BS TALK WAAA WAHHH MORE BS TALK BLAAA BLAAA
[13:40] oola Neruda: ego seems bigger in my experience
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ssss
[13:41] herman Bergson: I have seen examples of that....
[13:41] herman Bergson: total idiots, but the (TV) crowds adore them and donate lots of money
[13:41] bergfrau Apfelbaum: When we're too old for fairy tales, we have to believe in something else.... Politics?
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): sigh
[13:41] herman Bergson: typical American phenomenon
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:42] oola Neruda: the one that took me sailing out of the church..never to return ... is that all women MUST OBEY THEIR HUSBAND NO MATTER WHAT
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): guh
[13:42] oola Neruda: those jerks did not know what certain husbands do in their spare time
[13:42] oola Neruda: sweep it all under the rug
[13:42] oola Neruda: polish the halo
[13:42] herman Bergson: probably what they did themselves oola :-)
[13:43] oola Neruda: and more in many cases
[13:43] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): obey your husband????? lol
[13:44] oola Neruda: that is one reason I like police
[13:44] herman Bergson: anyway...religion is a cultural phenomenon we can not ignore, but to me..it is a waste of time
[13:44] herman Bergson: we only have to deal with it in politics....
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): there are better cultural phenomenons, religion leads mostly to war death and oppression
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): not pretty
[13:45] oola Neruda: does not need to be a waste of time.... and frankly, I think women are both the targets.... but also the ones who understand
[13:45] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): without religion middle east would be pretty and peaceful i bet for ex
[13:45] herman Bergson: In the US christian religion is a highly valued political asset....
[13:46] oola Neruda: they are behind the no abortion thing
[13:46] herman Bergson: just listen to Trump on his rallies.smearing honey on the mouths of these 'christians'
[13:46] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Paradise is a Persian word and Iran could indeed have become a true paradise if not for these islam fundameltalists
[13:46] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): its a beautiful place in general, i have a friend from there and he has showed me some really nice places
[13:47] herman Bergson: Sorry Bejiita, I am not a tourist agency ^_^
[13:47] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): Well id love to go there in person but as said
[13:47] oola Neruda: don't forget... in many cultures the Preacher (or whatever) is considered to be right and important...
[13:47] herman Bergson: so I guess we are enough off track to dismiss class :-)
[13:47] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and now they are murdering kids
[13:48] herman Bergson: Thank you all again....:-)
[13:48] herman Bergson: Class dismissed...
[13:48] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hmm we can just hope all will go the right way in the end
[13:48] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
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