Category Archives: Religion

Agnostic, Saving the World, Science, Technology

The World Doesn’t need Saving?

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A famous visionary Buckminster (Bucky) Fuller , as he neared the end of his life, suggested that perhaps the world had seen a turning point. He saw the event of man-powered flight across the English channel in 1979 as an inspirational example of “Doing more with Less” and that if, as a global people, we can continue to follow this principle in every thing we do the world is on a path of recovery.

Since his death in 1983 have we continued on that path? Perhaps we have. Have we bottomed out as far as negatively impacting on our planet and humanity? Perhaps the natural momentum of doing more with less will carry us to a peaceful, prosperous world where poverty has been eliminated. I don’t know. We certainly seem to have the technology, the tools, one would suspect the individual will to continue on the recovery path. Perhaps there is nothing to worry about.

Just in case this isn’t so, I feel it is my responsibility to create an action plan to ensure a path Bucky saw as having started, continues yielding the results he envisioned.

The following is an amusing Talk by Robert Wright doing his best to convince us that we are indeed on the right track. His brand of Optimism is best listened to with distance between you and razorblades. 🙂

If you are running short of time, skip to 14:40 minutes into the talk the last 3 or so minutes, and listen to what he has to say about “Launching a Moral Revolution”. Personally I am more optimistic than he is on this process. I guess that’s because I think I have invented a mechanism to make it happen. Pay special attention to what he has to say about the Intelligent pursuit of self-interest as this is somewhat related to how I intend to “save the world”.

Agnostic, Religion, Saving the World

My Religion?

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It seems to me that Religion, from a practical perspective, is a set of guidelines to live ones life by. (Brand loyalty gives rise to a multitude of flavours; Judaism, Budism, Christianity etc)

I guess I have one of those.

I like to think I have derived them from first principles.  “If I was on the receiving end of the action I am taking, what would I think or feel about that action and the person taking it?” Karen Armstrong is doing her best to get us back to those first principles by advocating reviving the golden rule.

Being agnostic there is one overriding rule I feel compelled to live by “Don’t Recruit Followers to My Religion” , or in other words,  “Thou shalt not promote one’s Brand”. I have my own reasons for this rule.

  • There is Power in Numbers.
  • Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
  • “He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy!” – quote Brian’s Mother, Life of Brian (1979)

Even more compelling a reason is that someone I can assume carries a great degree of credibility, forbid conversion of Jews and Christians (people of the book) to Islam. Who am I to argue with the Prophet Muhammad ? Not until the 10th Century did it become legal to convert Jews and Christians. Obviously 400 years or so is sufficient enough time to corrupt a religion.

Someone else that holds a bit of sway in the Jewish community, Rabbi Hillel, stated that, “The Book” so to speak could be summed up by “The Golden Rule”. This guy died when Jesus was 10. Not sure how well teachings got around in those days, but I can assume that Jesus was pretty taken with the Golden Rule as well.

  • Taking the advice of a the pretty switched on historic figures above as, likely to be “good”.
  • That my religion (my system by which I make my moral decisions) is based on the golden rule.
  • Q.E.D. No Recruiting Rule.

I can show you a man made plan but I can’t show you a miracle.

Agnostic, Love, Saving the World, Science

Not Knowing

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Being an Agnostic is a bad thing.

Humans don’t like uncertainty.

If you don’t know, that makes you inferior in some way doesn’t it?

You are wishy washy, you sit on the fence, you are indecisive.  Definitely not leadership material.

I decided a long time ago I was probably agnostic, I say probably because I don’t really know. I went to University and learned about Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and realised I was probably right to doubt what I knew and what I didn’t know.
I like the saying “A true scientist never says never”. Not that I profess to be a scientist. Far from it. I do however find living a life being open to possibilities is more fun than that of living with a closed mind.
I guess it all comes down to probabilities. What is most likely to be right? Once you get close enough to 100% proof, acceptance saves a bit of time.

So if I don’t “know” anything for certain, what sort of things would I like to be true.

A couple of things come to mind.

Humanity is basically “Good”

Individuals are “Good” because they have a capacity for “Love”

I will attempt to deal with “Good” and “Love” in future posts.

Of course I don’t know these to be fact but I do find them assumptions which make my life fun.

They are in fact essential assumptions in my Plan to “Save the World” and rest assured this won’t stop me from acting on my plan.

  • To justify my point that, not knowing is bad, have a look 2 minutes in to this video on what Tony Robbins has to say on “knowing”.
  • Good advice for getting ahead but in my view needs to be tempered by the fact that, the more you know the more you know you don’t know.
  • I hope this sets the stage for my future writings. Where I state things as I see it, you may well assume that I don’t really know.
  • Update:  Steve Schwartz takes this knowing and not knowing a bit further