Know Thyself
This is the most famous philosophical mandate, but how exactly do you know where to look for this knowledge? Well, one way is to simply follow the map below. What do you think? What else do you know about thyself? Do you have a different map? Click on the links below to find the appropriate blog to discuss them, or just contact me to share your thoughts.
This framework is an attempt to organise a mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive (MECE) examination of human existence. This is, of course, an impossible task to complete because of the infinite variety of experiences that can occur, but that does not mean we should not begin to set down many important elements of a belief system for guidance and consideration. Over the years, this will surely grow, change, and adapt based on new scientific findings and better logical analysis. In other words, this will evolve. Where science has the most to say, I will simplify my statement and merely point to the science where more information can be found. Where philosophy is required, I have tried harder to fill in the gaps.
This page hosts my original thoughts on these subjects when I began writing philosophy in 2012. More detailed explorations have been discussed in specific blog posts, which you can find by clicking on the specific pictures in the map or by following the links for "further reading" at the bottom of the page. Any published changes to my current thoughts get posted on the pages where my worldview is presented.
Contents:
This page hosts my original thoughts on these subjects when I began writing philosophy in 2012. More detailed explorations have been discussed in specific blog posts, which you can find by clicking on the specific pictures in the map or by following the links for "further reading" at the bottom of the page. Any published changes to my current thoughts get posted on the pages where my worldview is presented.
Contents:
Click here to jump straight to my original thoughts on any of these subjects:
Concerning Me
Where Did I Come From? (Past)
After the Big Bang, matter and empty space spread randomly throughout the universe. In denser regions, called interstellar clouds, matter coalesced under gravity until the extreme density caused nuclear fusion and stars were born. Stars are spread throughout the universe in gravitationally bound structures known as clusters and galaxies. Where matter did not get sufficiently dense to start nuclear fusion, it came together in other celestial bodies: space dust, asteroids, comets, and planets. When these bodies become gravitationally bound to a star, a solar system is created. We do not know what happened prior to the Big Bang, what caused it, or what exists outside of this universe. (Sciences of Cosmology, Physics, and Astronomy)
Complex chemicals are formed from atoms under gravitational and nuclear forces in stars. When stars run out of nuclear material, they collapse and explode, ejecting complex chemicals into the universe where they become minerals, rocks, liquids, and gasses. (Science of Chemistry)
On a planetary scale, minerals, rocks, liquids, and gasses form atmospheres, tectonic plates, oceans, continents, volcanoes, mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, aquifers, lightening, and wind. (Science of Geology)
On Earth, the complex chemical soups in bodies of water produced cells, which replicated and became life. (This is our best current guess at abiogenesis.) Life evolved: simple cells, photosynthesis, phagocytosis (absorption), complex cells, sexual reproduction, multi-cellular life, simple animals, arthropods, complex animals, fish, vertebra, teeth, land plants, insects, seeds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, flowers, dinosaur extinction, primates, humans. (Science of Biology)
After the Big Bang, matter and empty space spread randomly throughout the universe. In denser regions, called interstellar clouds, matter coalesced under gravity until the extreme density caused nuclear fusion and stars were born. Stars are spread throughout the universe in gravitationally bound structures known as clusters and galaxies. Where matter did not get sufficiently dense to start nuclear fusion, it came together in other celestial bodies: space dust, asteroids, comets, and planets. When these bodies become gravitationally bound to a star, a solar system is created. We do not know what happened prior to the Big Bang, what caused it, or what exists outside of this universe. (Sciences of Cosmology, Physics, and Astronomy)
Complex chemicals are formed from atoms under gravitational and nuclear forces in stars. When stars run out of nuclear material, they collapse and explode, ejecting complex chemicals into the universe where they become minerals, rocks, liquids, and gasses. (Science of Chemistry)
On a planetary scale, minerals, rocks, liquids, and gasses form atmospheres, tectonic plates, oceans, continents, volcanoes, mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, aquifers, lightening, and wind. (Science of Geology)
On Earth, the complex chemical soups in bodies of water produced cells, which replicated and became life. (This is our best current guess at abiogenesis.) Life evolved: simple cells, photosynthesis, phagocytosis (absorption), complex cells, sexual reproduction, multi-cellular life, simple animals, arthropods, complex animals, fish, vertebra, teeth, land plants, insects, seeds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, flowers, dinosaur extinction, primates, humans. (Science of Biology)
Where Am I? (Present)
On One Planet in Our Universe (Astrophysics)
The greatest existential threat to our species on a planetary level is from the impact of an asteroid. We must develop means to detect and prevent this from occurring. And since that may fail, we must also develop the means to get off our planet and survive elsewhere.
From what we know about Earth, life is abundant once it has begun. The enormous number of places in the universe indicates that life elsewhere is probable. The search for extra-terrestrial life is instructive to both know our own place better, and to find other places to live.
In One Sliver of Suitable Atmosphere on the Planet (Environmentalism)
We have evolved to live in only a relatively small environment on Earth. We must do what we can to preserve the air, water, and land of that environment. No profits can ever outweigh the cost of the long-term degradation of this impossibly precious commons. We need strong regulation and enforcement of industrial pollutants and a sustainable economy built upon renewable energy.
Enmeshed in One Ecosystem in the Atmosphere (Ecology, Zoology)
We have evolved to occupy a niche in a complex ecosystem of animals. Our survival is supported by microbes, insects, fish, birds, mammals, and plants to a degree not yet fully understood. We must tread cautiously on that life so as not to unwittingly step on our own throats. We must preserve wild spaces and wild species, both on land and in the sea.
Immersed in a Global Human Society (Sociology)
We have evolved into a tightly knit social species. The more we diversify, specialize, and trade, the happier our lives and the stronger our chances for survival. Society functions best when its individuals emphasize cooperation over competition. Life is not a zero-sum game and the “kill or be killed” mindset no longer applies to modern society. We need to educate citizens about this and help them find a productive place in society. We must recognize that individuals can contribute great talent and ideas, but the formation of society is what allows the production of enormous wealth. We must allow access to information and the means of production to anyone who wants to learn and has a good idea. We must establish good governments whose purpose is to enable all this to occur.
On One Planet in Our Universe (Astrophysics)
The greatest existential threat to our species on a planetary level is from the impact of an asteroid. We must develop means to detect and prevent this from occurring. And since that may fail, we must also develop the means to get off our planet and survive elsewhere.
From what we know about Earth, life is abundant once it has begun. The enormous number of places in the universe indicates that life elsewhere is probable. The search for extra-terrestrial life is instructive to both know our own place better, and to find other places to live.
In One Sliver of Suitable Atmosphere on the Planet (Environmentalism)
We have evolved to live in only a relatively small environment on Earth. We must do what we can to preserve the air, water, and land of that environment. No profits can ever outweigh the cost of the long-term degradation of this impossibly precious commons. We need strong regulation and enforcement of industrial pollutants and a sustainable economy built upon renewable energy.
Enmeshed in One Ecosystem in the Atmosphere (Ecology, Zoology)
We have evolved to occupy a niche in a complex ecosystem of animals. Our survival is supported by microbes, insects, fish, birds, mammals, and plants to a degree not yet fully understood. We must tread cautiously on that life so as not to unwittingly step on our own throats. We must preserve wild spaces and wild species, both on land and in the sea.
Immersed in a Global Human Society (Sociology)
We have evolved into a tightly knit social species. The more we diversify, specialize, and trade, the happier our lives and the stronger our chances for survival. Society functions best when its individuals emphasize cooperation over competition. Life is not a zero-sum game and the “kill or be killed” mindset no longer applies to modern society. We need to educate citizens about this and help them find a productive place in society. We must recognize that individuals can contribute great talent and ideas, but the formation of society is what allows the production of enormous wealth. We must allow access to information and the means of production to anyone who wants to learn and has a good idea. We must establish good governments whose purpose is to enable all this to occur.
What Am I? (Present)
Body
Complex internal physical structures - cells, muscles, organs, blood, bones, nerves, neurons, DNA, genes - were evolved over millennia to allow individual organisms of life to move in the physical world and gain the resources it needs for survival. (Sciences of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology)
We are humans - animals composed of nine systems: skeletal, digestive, muscular, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive, and urinary. (Science of Biology)
In order to survive as long and as well as possible, we must act to maintain the health of our bodily systems. Eat balanced, properly sized meals free from harmful additives. Stay hydrated. Exercise vigorously and regularly. Protect the body from hazardous environments. Avoid ingesting substances that do more harm than good. Identify stress symptoms and manage using relaxation techniques and lifestyle choices. Sleep well. Socialize. Treat illnesses with evidence-based remedies. Address underlying causes, not merely surface symptoms.
Complex internal physical structures - cells, muscles, organs, blood, bones, nerves, neurons, DNA, genes - were evolved over millennia to allow individual organisms of life to move in the physical world and gain the resources it needs for survival. (Sciences of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology)
We are humans - animals composed of nine systems: skeletal, digestive, muscular, lymphatic, endocrine, nervous, cardiovascular, reproductive, and urinary. (Science of Biology)
In order to survive as long and as well as possible, we must act to maintain the health of our bodily systems. Eat balanced, properly sized meals free from harmful additives. Stay hydrated. Exercise vigorously and regularly. Protect the body from hazardous environments. Avoid ingesting substances that do more harm than good. Identify stress symptoms and manage using relaxation techniques and lifestyle choices. Sleep well. Socialize. Treat illnesses with evidence-based remedies. Address underlying causes, not merely surface symptoms.
Mind
Internal mental processes of thought, consciousness, perception, memory, language, imagination, logic, reason, judgment, ethics, and aesthetics have evolved that allow life to use a brain to understand the sensory perceptions that come from the body. These mental processes allow life to make decisions on how to act in the best possible manner to perpetuate the species. (Sciences of Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology)
The individual mind is developed through education. Strengthen the mind to help it make the best choices. Use it, expand it, do not let it atrophy. Be aware of its biases and susceptibility to illusion. Be open to the use of chemical remedies for severe chemical imbalances in the brain. Be open to the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, psychotherapy, and philosophical counseling to remedy faulty decision-making.
Internal mental processes of thought, consciousness, perception, memory, language, imagination, logic, reason, judgment, ethics, and aesthetics have evolved that allow life to use a brain to understand the sensory perceptions that come from the body. These mental processes allow life to make decisions on how to act in the best possible manner to perpetuate the species. (Sciences of Neuroscience, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology)
The individual mind is developed through education. Strengthen the mind to help it make the best choices. Use it, expand it, do not let it atrophy. Be aware of its biases and susceptibility to illusion. Be open to the use of chemical remedies for severe chemical imbalances in the brain. Be open to the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, psychotherapy, and philosophical counseling to remedy faulty decision-making.
Body x Mind
The body and the mind are inseparable. Minds arise from bodies, and bodies can be affected by the mind. This psychosomatic link introduces other concepts - emotion, needs and desires, and personality - that need to be mastered for life to thrive. As an organism with a mind-body connection, a sound mind builds a sound body and vice versa.
The body and the mind are inseparable. Minds arise from bodies, and bodies can be affected by the mind. This psychosomatic link introduces other concepts - emotion, needs and desires, and personality - that need to be mastered for life to thrive. As an organism with a mind-body connection, a sound mind builds a sound body and vice versa.
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience where an individual's state of mind interacts with biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. Emotions can be seen as mammalian elaborations of general vertebrate arousal patterns, in which neurochemicals (for example, dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin) step-up or step-down the brain's activity level, as visible in body movements, gestures, and postures.
An influential theory of emotion is that of Lazarus: emotion is a disturbance that occurs in the following order: 1) cognitive appraisal - the individual assesses the event cognitively, which cues the emotion; 2) physiological changes - the cognitive reaction starts biological changes such as increased heart rate or pituitary adrenal response; 3) action - the individual feels the emotion and chooses how to react. Lazarus stressed that the quality and intensity of emotions are controlled through cognitive processes.
No definitive emotion classification system exists, though numerous taxonomies have been proposed. I propose the following system. Given that emotions are responses to cognitive appraisals, they can be classified according to what we are appraising. In total, we can think about the past, present, or future, and we can judge events to be good or bad, or we can be unsure about them. We can also appraise our options for what to do about negative feelings (positive emotions need no immediate correction). Finally, our emotional responses can range from mild to extreme. A list of emotions might therefore be understood through the following table.
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience where an individual's state of mind interacts with biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. Emotions can be seen as mammalian elaborations of general vertebrate arousal patterns, in which neurochemicals (for example, dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin) step-up or step-down the brain's activity level, as visible in body movements, gestures, and postures.
An influential theory of emotion is that of Lazarus: emotion is a disturbance that occurs in the following order: 1) cognitive appraisal - the individual assesses the event cognitively, which cues the emotion; 2) physiological changes - the cognitive reaction starts biological changes such as increased heart rate or pituitary adrenal response; 3) action - the individual feels the emotion and chooses how to react. Lazarus stressed that the quality and intensity of emotions are controlled through cognitive processes.
No definitive emotion classification system exists, though numerous taxonomies have been proposed. I propose the following system. Given that emotions are responses to cognitive appraisals, they can be classified according to what we are appraising. In total, we can think about the past, present, or future, and we can judge events to be good or bad, or we can be unsure about them. We can also appraise our options for what to do about negative feelings (positive emotions need no immediate correction). Finally, our emotional responses can range from mild to extreme. A list of emotions might therefore be understood through the following table.
Due to a lack of understanding about them, some of these emotions are defined rather fuzzily and may apply to multiple places. If this classification of emotions proves valid, we may decide to define some emotional states more precisely.
Physical needs flow right to the cognitive appraisal “I need to do something”, which is why hunger, thirst, heat, cold, noise, etc., often lead to emotions full of irritability.
When the external environment is calm, the power of reason allows us to weave stories together focusing on different times and different appraisals to feel multiple emotions or jump from one to another. To control our emotions, improve our lives, and learn to act for the long-term survival of life, we can change our appraisals and our focus through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, neuro-linguistic programming, psychotherapy, and philosophic counseling. Except in cases where physical maladies dominate (brain tumors, chemical imbalances, genetic disabilities), emotional behavioral issues can be addressed through analysis of appraisals and focus.
We also have unconscious cognitive appraisals - cognitive appraisals without words. This is how all animals think. The rise of language and an inner voice provides a loud layer of consciousness that allows us to “talk over” our emotions, but that should not be used as an excuse to ignore them. It is easy to lose touch with our emotions when we do not listen to our bodies by noticing all the subtle sensations we feel. We can learn to focus our attention though and hold an internal (or external) dialogue to figure out our unspoken cognitive appraisals. We must do so if we want to regulate them and change them.
In “flow states,” we are focused on a task that is just within reach of our abilities. During flow states, we achieve emotionless states when we are not appraising anything. Some types of meditation also seek this blank state. It is restful for the mind. It also makes persistent negative states of mind easier to notice and change.
Studies of infants suggest we come into this world “pre-wired” with some emotional responses to situations. Studies of worldwide cultures suggest some cognitive appraisals are near universal. This does not mean they cannot be molded and adapted through further learning and understanding. We see countless examples of this as children grow into adulthood. We should feel confident that this process can continue with effort.
Appraising something means understanding whether it is good or bad. In a relativistic or nihilistic worldview, this judgment is difficult so many emotions are out of control. A philosophy is required to control our lives. Appraisals that align with the truth give us the best control. Evolutionary Philosophy seeks those truths.
Find balance between rational and romantic views of the world. Awe and wonder come from the intense cognition of "I like what I have (just) seen.” This is an enjoyable emotional state to feel. Romantics prefer to remain focused on this emotional state, rather than to ask “Why?” and descend into states of confusion that come from recognizing “I don't know what is going on here." This is especially true, and arguably a valid response, in realms where we have historically had no answers. But those realms are now few and still deserve exploration. Extreme romantics can lead happy lives full of appreciative moments, but they never invest the time to get to deeper feelings of satisfaction, happiness, and joy through knowledge and understanding. Bad teachers and ignorant parents are the greatest aid to the perpetuation of romantic attitudes. It is incumbent upon modern scientists and philosophers to help break this cycle through more helpful explanations. Extreme rationalists could also spend more time appreciating their world and gathering strength from that, rather than perpetually rushing off to solve their next puzzle.
Insanity is the inability of reason to control the emotions, either through brain chemistry that does not respond to cognitive appraisals or cognitive appraisals that refuse to respond to reality. This lack of control also ranges from mild (neurotic) to extreme (psychotic). Treatment for insanity must be based on the correct cause and severity of the affliction.
Were a drug available to give us positive emotions without cause, this would not be good for humanity. From this understanding of emotions, we see that such a drug would put us out of touch with the cognitive appraisals we need to make to properly motivate our behavior. In fact, such a yielding of control over our emotions would render us technically insane.
Needs and Desires
The body and mind together have requirements for them to function properly. Abraham Maslow in 1943 devised the currently definitive list and hierarchy of these needs.
Maslow later listed additional needs for those who live self-actualized lives. Truth, goodness, beauty, unity, aliveness, uniqueness, necessity, completeness, justice, order, simplicity, richness, effortlessness, playfulness, self-sufficiency, meaningfulness. Knowledge of these comes from philosophy. Once again, you must know philosophy to live life at its highest level. Know these needs and desires. Work to have them met. All of them. Higher order needs require the control of lower order needs. You must master them. Organize society to help individuals meet them.
The body and mind together have requirements for them to function properly. Abraham Maslow in 1943 devised the currently definitive list and hierarchy of these needs.
- Physiological: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion
- Safety: security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property
- Love / Belonging: friendship, family, sexual intimacy
- Esteem: self esteem, confidence, achievement, respect of others, respect by others
- Self-actualization: morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts
Maslow later listed additional needs for those who live self-actualized lives. Truth, goodness, beauty, unity, aliveness, uniqueness, necessity, completeness, justice, order, simplicity, richness, effortlessness, playfulness, self-sufficiency, meaningfulness. Knowledge of these comes from philosophy. Once again, you must know philosophy to live life at its highest level. Know these needs and desires. Work to have them met. All of them. Higher order needs require the control of lower order needs. You must master them. Organize society to help individuals meet them.
Personality
Our individual bodies and minds combine to give us personalities. Psychologists currently list three levels of personality.
While your genes and your upbringing play a large role in shaping the tendencies of your personality, they are in no way fixed at any time in your life. Actively seek to know and improve these personality traits - they are yours to build.
In the early 2000’s, positive psychologists created another way to look at your personality - as an inventory of character strengths. Sifting through 200 catalogs of virtue (Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, Augustine, Bible, Talmud, Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tze, Bushido, Koran, Upanishads, etc.) yields 24 strengths in 6 categories.
We are not born with these strengths, but we are born able to learn them and we feel happy when we do. Know your strengths. Build them.
Psychologists have devised many instruments to test personalities. Use them. Know thyself.
Our individual bodies and minds combine to give us personalities. Psychologists currently list three levels of personality.
- Basic Traits / The Big Five (OCEAN) - Openness to new experiences, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism
- Characteristic Adaptations - personal goals, defense mechanisms, values, beliefs, life stage concerns
- Life Story - past, present, and future woven into a vitalizing myth
While your genes and your upbringing play a large role in shaping the tendencies of your personality, they are in no way fixed at any time in your life. Actively seek to know and improve these personality traits - they are yours to build.
In the early 2000’s, positive psychologists created another way to look at your personality - as an inventory of character strengths. Sifting through 200 catalogs of virtue (Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, Augustine, Bible, Talmud, Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tze, Bushido, Koran, Upanishads, etc.) yields 24 strengths in 6 categories.
- Wisdom / Knowledge: 1) Curiosity; 2) Love of Learning; 3) Judgment; 4) Ingenuity; 5) Emotional Intelligence; 6) Perspective
- Courage: 7) Valor; 8) Perseverance; 9) Integrity
- Humanity: 10) Kindness; 11) Loving
- Justice: 12) Citizenship; 13) Fairness; 14) Leadership
- Temperance: 15) Self-Control; 16) Prudence; 17) Humility
- Transcendence: 18) Appreciation of Beauty / Excellence; 19) Gratitude; 20) Hope; 21) Spirituality / Philosophy; 22) Forgiveness; 23) Humor; 24) Zest
We are not born with these strengths, but we are born able to learn them and we feel happy when we do. Know your strengths. Build them.
Psychologists have devised many instruments to test personalities. Use them. Know thyself.
- The Big Five
- The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire
- Authentic Happiness Character Strengths
- strengthsfinder
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- DISC assessments
- IQ
- EQ
- Multiple Intelligences (Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Linguistic, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, Existential)
- Attachment styles
- Measures of Self-control (Marshmallow Test, Dual N-back)
- Bain gender
- Grit
Soul?
There is no basis to believe a soul exists as something separate from the body. Consciousness does not arise before birth, go on after death, or transfer between lives. It can be vastly affected by physical changes to the body. Out of body experiences have been found to originate in brain functions. Psychics and mediums are unproven scams. Do all animals down to the smallest bacteria have souls? If not, given that we have all evolved from single-celled organisms, when did souls first appear? Souls are a comforting concept, but have no basis in reality. It is better to savor the time we have, build the person we can be, feel deep satisfaction and happiness about the shared contributions we make to life’s struggle against death, and rejoice in the luck we have to be a part of it all.
There is no basis to believe a soul exists as something separate from the body. Consciousness does not arise before birth, go on after death, or transfer between lives. It can be vastly affected by physical changes to the body. Out of body experiences have been found to originate in brain functions. Psychics and mediums are unproven scams. Do all animals down to the smallest bacteria have souls? If not, given that we have all evolved from single-celled organisms, when did souls first appear? Souls are a comforting concept, but have no basis in reality. It is better to savor the time we have, build the person we can be, feel deep satisfaction and happiness about the shared contributions we make to life’s struggle against death, and rejoice in the luck we have to be a part of it all.
Where Am I Going? (Future)
Life
Life was hard throughout most of our evolutionary history. Beings that evolved feelings of enjoyment during hard work coped better with this difficulty. This is fortunate because living an examined life, finding happiness, and ensuring the survival of the species is hard work, but we must undertake it. It is good to know we will enjoy it.
Positive psychologists find four categories of life goals: 1) work and achievement; 2) relationships and intimacy; 3) spirituality and religion; 4) generativity / legacy leaving. Find the goals that you can best achieve. Find balance among them. Include philosophy in the list of goal number three and use it as a guide to do all of this. Happiness comes from coherence among the three levels of personality traits towards ones life goals. Explore the world. Explore yourself. Find the intersection between your interests, your strengths, and your opportunities to find a fulfilling purpose. Know thyself and strive for life-long happiness.
There are six time perspectives you can have on your life: 1) past - positive events; 2) past - negative events; 3) present - hedonism; 4) present - fatalism; 5) future - goal oriented; 6) future - worry oriented. Recognize the benefit of focusing predominantly on 1 and 5 with some 3 for energizing enjoyment. Learn from 2 when it happens. Do not believe in 4; it is irrational. When 6 arises, use 5 to make a plan, and 1 to believe you will achieve it.
Balancing safety vs. exploration is regulated by a “thermostat” of your genes x your environment. Stable and enduring feelings of safety come from stable and enduring attachment figures. Parents, then friends, then romantic partners play these roles of attachment figures throughout one's life. Three patterns emerge for finding safety (which leads to exploration): 1) avoidance - too reliant on self; 2) clinging - too reliant on others; 3) secure - just right. Work on your emotional behavior to become a stable and enduring attachment figure for others. Feel safe from your secure attachments. Explore the world to bring more to your life and the lives of others.
Happiness can also be understood as the absence of pain – pain of body, confusion, scorn, worry, unfulfilled desire. Avoid pain not by sitting still, but by actively seeking life. Remember the Buddhist mantra while seeking; pain in life is unavoidable, suffering over that pain is a choice. Choose your cognitive appraisals and your focus to stop wallowing in the emotion of suffering.
Nurtured childhoods train empathy, reciprocity, cooperation. Stressful childhoods train fending for yourself, watching your back, competition. Both skills are needed in a society where tit-for-tat behavior strategies must lead with cooperation but punish transgressions.
Cooperation, subsuming to groups, means not giving in to the instant gratification of the self. Self-control / delayed gratification correlates strongly with personal success. It can be improved with stable, predictable environments, building the mental capacity to control your attention and thoughts, and gaining wisdom about which actions balance the needs of self and society in the short term and the long term.
Adversity may be required for growth - it is certainly an opportunity. Do not try to cope with adversity by avoidance, by denying events, or blunting emotions through substance abuse or distraction - the adversity will only return in the long term. You must cope with crises by direct action to fix them, or reappraisal to get your thoughts right. You emerge from introspection when you develop internal consistency / reflective equilibrium. You triumph over adversity when you get your thoughts right.
Getting your thoughts right requires critical thinking. It requires rational data over intuition and emotion. It requires less dogma, less authoritarianism, more curiosity, more open-mindedness, more conscientiousness. It requires seeing past cognitive biases such as framing, priming, loss aversion, etc. It requires introspective ability, and being neither over- nor under-confident. Getting your thoughts right is hard work. This is why industriousness in childhood (jobs, chores, sports) is the best predictor of adult mental health. Getting your thoughts right leads to secure high self-esteem, confidence, success at meeting others needs, of bonding with groups, of wanting more cooperation. Coping by avoidance leads to insecurity, vulnerability to further crises, narcissistic facades, an inability to meet group needs, a fear of being left behind, less cooperation, more competition. Secure high self-esteem is bored by or detests low things. Secure high self-esteem admires other great things and studies them to become rich in cultural, social, moral, cognitive, and aspirational capital. It is driven by a desire to know, a love of wisdom, a philosophy. It is not driven by fear, by hope of evasion. In a life filled with secure high self-esteem, more and more becomes interesting and less and less becomes boring. In this world, life is worth living forever.
Life was hard throughout most of our evolutionary history. Beings that evolved feelings of enjoyment during hard work coped better with this difficulty. This is fortunate because living an examined life, finding happiness, and ensuring the survival of the species is hard work, but we must undertake it. It is good to know we will enjoy it.
Positive psychologists find four categories of life goals: 1) work and achievement; 2) relationships and intimacy; 3) spirituality and religion; 4) generativity / legacy leaving. Find the goals that you can best achieve. Find balance among them. Include philosophy in the list of goal number three and use it as a guide to do all of this. Happiness comes from coherence among the three levels of personality traits towards ones life goals. Explore the world. Explore yourself. Find the intersection between your interests, your strengths, and your opportunities to find a fulfilling purpose. Know thyself and strive for life-long happiness.
There are six time perspectives you can have on your life: 1) past - positive events; 2) past - negative events; 3) present - hedonism; 4) present - fatalism; 5) future - goal oriented; 6) future - worry oriented. Recognize the benefit of focusing predominantly on 1 and 5 with some 3 for energizing enjoyment. Learn from 2 when it happens. Do not believe in 4; it is irrational. When 6 arises, use 5 to make a plan, and 1 to believe you will achieve it.
Balancing safety vs. exploration is regulated by a “thermostat” of your genes x your environment. Stable and enduring feelings of safety come from stable and enduring attachment figures. Parents, then friends, then romantic partners play these roles of attachment figures throughout one's life. Three patterns emerge for finding safety (which leads to exploration): 1) avoidance - too reliant on self; 2) clinging - too reliant on others; 3) secure - just right. Work on your emotional behavior to become a stable and enduring attachment figure for others. Feel safe from your secure attachments. Explore the world to bring more to your life and the lives of others.
Happiness can also be understood as the absence of pain – pain of body, confusion, scorn, worry, unfulfilled desire. Avoid pain not by sitting still, but by actively seeking life. Remember the Buddhist mantra while seeking; pain in life is unavoidable, suffering over that pain is a choice. Choose your cognitive appraisals and your focus to stop wallowing in the emotion of suffering.
Nurtured childhoods train empathy, reciprocity, cooperation. Stressful childhoods train fending for yourself, watching your back, competition. Both skills are needed in a society where tit-for-tat behavior strategies must lead with cooperation but punish transgressions.
Cooperation, subsuming to groups, means not giving in to the instant gratification of the self. Self-control / delayed gratification correlates strongly with personal success. It can be improved with stable, predictable environments, building the mental capacity to control your attention and thoughts, and gaining wisdom about which actions balance the needs of self and society in the short term and the long term.
Adversity may be required for growth - it is certainly an opportunity. Do not try to cope with adversity by avoidance, by denying events, or blunting emotions through substance abuse or distraction - the adversity will only return in the long term. You must cope with crises by direct action to fix them, or reappraisal to get your thoughts right. You emerge from introspection when you develop internal consistency / reflective equilibrium. You triumph over adversity when you get your thoughts right.
Getting your thoughts right requires critical thinking. It requires rational data over intuition and emotion. It requires less dogma, less authoritarianism, more curiosity, more open-mindedness, more conscientiousness. It requires seeing past cognitive biases such as framing, priming, loss aversion, etc. It requires introspective ability, and being neither over- nor under-confident. Getting your thoughts right is hard work. This is why industriousness in childhood (jobs, chores, sports) is the best predictor of adult mental health. Getting your thoughts right leads to secure high self-esteem, confidence, success at meeting others needs, of bonding with groups, of wanting more cooperation. Coping by avoidance leads to insecurity, vulnerability to further crises, narcissistic facades, an inability to meet group needs, a fear of being left behind, less cooperation, more competition. Secure high self-esteem is bored by or detests low things. Secure high self-esteem admires other great things and studies them to become rich in cultural, social, moral, cognitive, and aspirational capital. It is driven by a desire to know, a love of wisdom, a philosophy. It is not driven by fear, by hope of evasion. In a life filled with secure high self-esteem, more and more becomes interesting and less and less becomes boring. In this world, life is worth living forever.
Death
So far, death comes to us all. Given that there is no afterlife, there is nothing to fear in death. Without a body, we can feel no physical pain. Without a body, there can be no mind struggling with the continual turmoil of the battle between life and death. Death marks an end to the possibility of pleasure or happiness though so it is to be avoided as long as these are available to us. When our time comes to die, we will want to look back on a life well lived and not be overwhelmed by regrets or doomed to an eternity of poor remembrance by society. Live well to die well.
So far, death comes to us all. Given that there is no afterlife, there is nothing to fear in death. Without a body, we can feel no physical pain. Without a body, there can be no mind struggling with the continual turmoil of the battle between life and death. Death marks an end to the possibility of pleasure or happiness though so it is to be avoided as long as these are available to us. When our time comes to die, we will want to look back on a life well lived and not be overwhelmed by regrets or doomed to an eternity of poor remembrance by society. Live well to die well.
Concerning Others
Other Individuals
Family
You are born into your family - you did not choose it. Families brought you into this world and should provide for your needs. Biological bonding increases the odds that this will happen, but parents that have not mastered their own needs will be less able to help you meet yours. If you are lucky enough to have a good family, cherish it and honor it by earning your place in it. If your family is kind but lacking, do your part to improve it. If your family is destructive, do not hesitate to minimize its influence on you.
You are born into your family - you did not choose it. Families brought you into this world and should provide for your needs. Biological bonding increases the odds that this will happen, but parents that have not mastered their own needs will be less able to help you meet yours. If you are lucky enough to have a good family, cherish it and honor it by earning your place in it. If your family is kind but lacking, do your part to improve it. If your family is destructive, do not hesitate to minimize its influence on you.
Friends
Friends help us meet our social needs. They are the fabric that weaves the social net that supports you and your life. Friends play different vital roles in your life. According to studies by positive psychologists, they can be: builders, champions, collaborators, companions, connectors, energizers, mind openers, and navigators. Find people to fill these roles for you. Don’t expect all things from all people. Find how you can fill these roles for others.
People with similar levels of personality development are much more likely to become and remain friends. If there are people in your life who are far behind you in development and they do not fill any of the vital roles in your life, they are not your friends. They are likely to be enemies you have mistakenly let in the gate. Expel them with no remorse.
Friends help us meet our social needs. They are the fabric that weaves the social net that supports you and your life. Friends play different vital roles in your life. According to studies by positive psychologists, they can be: builders, champions, collaborators, companions, connectors, energizers, mind openers, and navigators. Find people to fill these roles for you. Don’t expect all things from all people. Find how you can fill these roles for others.
People with similar levels of personality development are much more likely to become and remain friends. If there are people in your life who are far behind you in development and they do not fill any of the vital roles in your life, they are not your friends. They are likely to be enemies you have mistakenly let in the gate. Expel them with no remorse.
Spouses
Finding a romantic partner is natural and useful. A good one will provide the focus of your secure attachment needs in adulthood, thus providing much safety and comfort for exploration. Primal sexual urges lead some to believe that monogamy is not natural, but that is short term yielding to gratification at the expense of long-term happiness and satisfaction. A spouse can be your companion through life. Find one that can grow and develop with you over the long term. Find one whose life goals are compatible with yours. Find love - love being the admiration of a person’s life.
It takes time to know someone, to hear their stories, know their beliefs, see them in action, see them respond to stress. It takes time to find love. Do not mistake the short-term feelings of desire, lust, and curiosity, strong as they may be, for the long-term feeling of love. Do not believe in the myth of love at first sight - that denigrates the actual meaning of the word. Do not believe that there is only one soul mate out there for you. There are no souls, and there are many people worthy of love if you are worthy of it yourself.
Finding a romantic partner is natural and useful. A good one will provide the focus of your secure attachment needs in adulthood, thus providing much safety and comfort for exploration. Primal sexual urges lead some to believe that monogamy is not natural, but that is short term yielding to gratification at the expense of long-term happiness and satisfaction. A spouse can be your companion through life. Find one that can grow and develop with you over the long term. Find one whose life goals are compatible with yours. Find love - love being the admiration of a person’s life.
It takes time to know someone, to hear their stories, know their beliefs, see them in action, see them respond to stress. It takes time to find love. Do not mistake the short-term feelings of desire, lust, and curiosity, strong as they may be, for the long-term feeling of love. Do not believe in the myth of love at first sight - that denigrates the actual meaning of the word. Do not believe that there is only one soul mate out there for you. There are no souls, and there are many people worthy of love if you are worthy of it yourself.
Children
Children require an incredible amount of personal energy and resources to raise properly. In this day and age, increasing competition in a world of 7 billion people means that it is harder for each one to find a sustainable, happy, and productive niche for their lives. Decreasing levels of cooperation from your family and fellow citizens in raising children puts more and more of the burden on the mother’s and father’s shoulders. You should think seriously about your ability to provide for a child under these circumstances. Raising children should be one of your life goals and taken seriously if that is what you decide to do. Bringing children into the world that suffer through a stressful, anxious, ill-nourished childhood and become short-term-focused, overly competitive adults actually places the survival of the species at risk. Take the time and energy to help yourself if you are not yet capable of raising a child who will be healthy in body and mind.
The world does not need more and more children anymore. The vast numbers of people in the world mean that sexual selection for beneficial traits is no longer meaningful. Even the most prolific of men might sire only 100 children - an insignificant amount in the grand scheme of the development of the species. On the other hand, a contribution to humanity’s culture can have a much greater impact on the future. Gene-culture coevolution, or cumulative cultural evolution, allows humans to culturally evolve highly distinct adaptations to the local pressures and environments much quicker than with genetic evolution alone. Anyone can have a child. Society still contains an overwhelming bias of encouragement to have children. They may be wonderful. I am merely stating reminders of why everyone need not yield to the biological pressure to do so. Developing our civilization and culture is predicated on overcoming short-term biological urges. In fact, if the human population does truly bump up against earth’s resource limits, the morality of having more children would come more and more into question.
We can get great joy out of raising children. The personal bonds are deep, satisfying, and vitalizing. A parent can take great pride in protecting, nurturing, and adding a productive member of society who is able to live a happy life. Society should do what it can to make this job easier and not harder. Otherwise, the society will spin in place or even degrade as under-raised children simply and continually replace over-harried parents in the wheel of life.
Children require an incredible amount of personal energy and resources to raise properly. In this day and age, increasing competition in a world of 7 billion people means that it is harder for each one to find a sustainable, happy, and productive niche for their lives. Decreasing levels of cooperation from your family and fellow citizens in raising children puts more and more of the burden on the mother’s and father’s shoulders. You should think seriously about your ability to provide for a child under these circumstances. Raising children should be one of your life goals and taken seriously if that is what you decide to do. Bringing children into the world that suffer through a stressful, anxious, ill-nourished childhood and become short-term-focused, overly competitive adults actually places the survival of the species at risk. Take the time and energy to help yourself if you are not yet capable of raising a child who will be healthy in body and mind.
The world does not need more and more children anymore. The vast numbers of people in the world mean that sexual selection for beneficial traits is no longer meaningful. Even the most prolific of men might sire only 100 children - an insignificant amount in the grand scheme of the development of the species. On the other hand, a contribution to humanity’s culture can have a much greater impact on the future. Gene-culture coevolution, or cumulative cultural evolution, allows humans to culturally evolve highly distinct adaptations to the local pressures and environments much quicker than with genetic evolution alone. Anyone can have a child. Society still contains an overwhelming bias of encouragement to have children. They may be wonderful. I am merely stating reminders of why everyone need not yield to the biological pressure to do so. Developing our civilization and culture is predicated on overcoming short-term biological urges. In fact, if the human population does truly bump up against earth’s resource limits, the morality of having more children would come more and more into question.
We can get great joy out of raising children. The personal bonds are deep, satisfying, and vitalizing. A parent can take great pride in protecting, nurturing, and adding a productive member of society who is able to live a happy life. Society should do what it can to make this job easier and not harder. Otherwise, the society will spin in place or even degrade as under-raised children simply and continually replace over-harried parents in the wheel of life.
Acquaintances
The evolutionarily developed brains we have and the fixed amount of time in a day combine to set a limit for us of approximately 150 friends who we can really know. The rest of the people you come across are likely to remain acquaintances with only a fleeting awareness of their lives. In today’s dense society, you are easily able to meet thousands of people. Choose wisely which category these people fall into.
A wise man learns more from a fool than a fool from a wise man. Learn what you can from the fools you are acquainted with. If they have no possibility of rising to the level of friend, treat them with respect; there is no reason to create an enemy. If they are unlikely to be seen again, treat them with respect; you will have to look in the mirror and reputations spread far and wide and affect more people than just yourself.
The evolutionarily developed brains we have and the fixed amount of time in a day combine to set a limit for us of approximately 150 friends who we can really know. The rest of the people you come across are likely to remain acquaintances with only a fleeting awareness of their lives. In today’s dense society, you are easily able to meet thousands of people. Choose wisely which category these people fall into.
A wise man learns more from a fool than a fool from a wise man. Learn what you can from the fools you are acquainted with. If they have no possibility of rising to the level of friend, treat them with respect; there is no reason to create an enemy. If they are unlikely to be seen again, treat them with respect; you will have to look in the mirror and reputations spread far and wide and affect more people than just yourself.
Strangers
Human nature is universal. There has not been enough separation of the species on an evolutionary timescale to produce anything else. Trust that whomever you meet, wherever you go, they will share the same needs, desires, and personality categories as you. The culture they have lived in may change the probability of a stranger becoming a friend, but it does not change the possibility. Be open to the possibility of friendship. Assume the best in strangers. They will be more likely to live up to your expectations.
Be prepared to follow the tit for tat strategy. Lead with cooperation, but be prepared to punish transgressions. If you are only a dove, you will lose to any hawk. If you can be both dove and hawk, you can enjoy the company of the doves while warding off the hostile hawks.
Human nature is universal. There has not been enough separation of the species on an evolutionary timescale to produce anything else. Trust that whomever you meet, wherever you go, they will share the same needs, desires, and personality categories as you. The culture they have lived in may change the probability of a stranger becoming a friend, but it does not change the possibility. Be open to the possibility of friendship. Assume the best in strangers. They will be more likely to live up to your expectations.
Be prepared to follow the tit for tat strategy. Lead with cooperation, but be prepared to punish transgressions. If you are only a dove, you will lose to any hawk. If you can be both dove and hawk, you can enjoy the company of the doves while warding off the hostile hawks.
Society
Culture
As Diogenes of Sinope said in the fourth century BCE, we are citizens of the world. Yet we are ensconced in a variety of local subcultures. Understand your local influences. Visit and live in other cultures to see what elements are changeable. Adopt good practices no matter the source. Recognize systemic influences that underlie seemingly singular differences. Learn by looking at the world from multiple perspectives. Gain understanding from this learning and use it to further the happiness of you and those around you.
Cultures are in competition with each other. Cultures that produce robust progress over the long term are the cultures that succeed. This is what makes one culture “better” than another. Cultures that produce large short-term benefits though, may gain enough of an advantage to extinguish other better cultures. Without knowing what is truly best in the long term, it is unwise to judge harshly and attempt to develop a world monoculture. Species remain adaptable when they contain a mix of abilities and allow trial and error to lead to the future. Cosmopolitan advice is therefore wise: accept others as different but equal, until actually proven otherwise.
Societies rise and fall on the basis of their balance between competition and cooperation, their balance between the short-term and long-term. The dangerous trap that occurs is that as a society becomes wealthier and wealthier, its citizens' long-term safety seems surer and surer. This safety can easily lead to relaxation and giving in to the ease of short-term pleasures. Society must educate its citizens about the greater benefits of long-term happiness. Even if it seems like you don’t need to, work hard. You will be happier. Successful societies that do not encourage this slowly rot from the inside.
As Diogenes of Sinope said in the fourth century BCE, we are citizens of the world. Yet we are ensconced in a variety of local subcultures. Understand your local influences. Visit and live in other cultures to see what elements are changeable. Adopt good practices no matter the source. Recognize systemic influences that underlie seemingly singular differences. Learn by looking at the world from multiple perspectives. Gain understanding from this learning and use it to further the happiness of you and those around you.
Cultures are in competition with each other. Cultures that produce robust progress over the long term are the cultures that succeed. This is what makes one culture “better” than another. Cultures that produce large short-term benefits though, may gain enough of an advantage to extinguish other better cultures. Without knowing what is truly best in the long term, it is unwise to judge harshly and attempt to develop a world monoculture. Species remain adaptable when they contain a mix of abilities and allow trial and error to lead to the future. Cosmopolitan advice is therefore wise: accept others as different but equal, until actually proven otherwise.
Societies rise and fall on the basis of their balance between competition and cooperation, their balance between the short-term and long-term. The dangerous trap that occurs is that as a society becomes wealthier and wealthier, its citizens' long-term safety seems surer and surer. This safety can easily lead to relaxation and giving in to the ease of short-term pleasures. Society must educate its citizens about the greater benefits of long-term happiness. Even if it seems like you don’t need to, work hard. You will be happier. Successful societies that do not encourage this slowly rot from the inside.
Education
Gene-culture coevolution, the ability to learn and pass on our learning from person to person and generation to generation is the greatest strength of our species. Education is required for the further progress and survival of the species. Education is required for each individual to find his or her place in society where they can be happy and productive. This is the purpose of education - to ignite the spark of learning that lies within each human and make accessible the learning that they need.
The diversity of our species is what makes it so strong and adaptable. Education needs to account for this diversity in the population. Education needs to take into account different abilities and interests. No one should or needs to be left behind. Society requires many levels and different kinds of ability. Society works much better when everyone is in their own “flow states,” when they are functioning at levels that are just hard enough to challenge them out of boredom but not so hard as to induce frustration. A one-size-fits-all, production line mentality for education makes no sense with this view of humanity. The goal is not minimum of complication, it is maximum production. Different requirements should not be stigmatized, but celebrated, and met. Education in this manner costs less than a broken society filled with uneducated and unhappy citizens.
The ongoing development of our brain over the first 25 years of our lives implies the need for a long education. One of the defining characteristics of our brain development is the increasing capacity for long-term thinking as we age. While we are young, society must restrain our actions because that is when we are more likely to be short-term-focused and destructive to self or society. Education should have as one of its goals the inculcation of a long-term cooperative outlook on life.
Gene-culture coevolution, the ability to learn and pass on our learning from person to person and generation to generation is the greatest strength of our species. Education is required for the further progress and survival of the species. Education is required for each individual to find his or her place in society where they can be happy and productive. This is the purpose of education - to ignite the spark of learning that lies within each human and make accessible the learning that they need.
The diversity of our species is what makes it so strong and adaptable. Education needs to account for this diversity in the population. Education needs to take into account different abilities and interests. No one should or needs to be left behind. Society requires many levels and different kinds of ability. Society works much better when everyone is in their own “flow states,” when they are functioning at levels that are just hard enough to challenge them out of boredom but not so hard as to induce frustration. A one-size-fits-all, production line mentality for education makes no sense with this view of humanity. The goal is not minimum of complication, it is maximum production. Different requirements should not be stigmatized, but celebrated, and met. Education in this manner costs less than a broken society filled with uneducated and unhappy citizens.
The ongoing development of our brain over the first 25 years of our lives implies the need for a long education. One of the defining characteristics of our brain development is the increasing capacity for long-term thinking as we age. While we are young, society must restrain our actions because that is when we are more likely to be short-term-focused and destructive to self or society. Education should have as one of its goals the inculcation of a long-term cooperative outlook on life.
Economics
The goal of an economic system is to maximize the survival of the species. Its goal is not to maximize profits or consumer benefits.
Advocating free market capitalism for an economic system is advocating for extreme competition. But as competition gets fiercer and fiercer, the time horizon for survival becomes shorter and shorter as too many firms must sacrifice the long term just to stay alive in the short term. Sacrificing the long term threatens the survival of the species.
Advocating communism for an economic system is advocating for extreme cooperation. But without competition, there are no losers and no incentives for winners. Progress grinds to a halt and the species remains stagnant until it is overtaken by events or other species. This is also a threat over the long term.
The perfect economic system is somewhere between these extremes of competition and cooperation. No perfect balance can be known ahead of time and the economy is too complicated to forecast its design with great accuracy. We must set broad and balanced goals for outcomes and adjust market mechanisms by trial and error to reach these goals. Minimize market failures. Protect commons. Price in externalities. Create a long-term bias. Favor sustainability. Protect consumers. Ease the movement of and access to capital and labor. Provide employment or retraining opportunities. Invest in innovation. Keep exposure to debt default low. Favor robustness over fragility. To each according to his or her talent and effort; not according to his or her means or needs. Replace the extremes of capitalism and communism with these sustainable principles of evism.
Perfect equality is not possible, but extreme inequality is not sustainable in the long-term. Wealth is generated by talent and effort. Extreme wealth is generated by the economic system and the rules that society has evolved over the course of its history. A large portion of extreme wealth is therefore owed to society. Citizens will need to come to an agreement over what are acceptable ratios of wealth inequality. Ten to one? Thirty to one? Two hundred to one? Three thousand to one? Over the vast history of evolution, the ratios of wealth within tribes were significantly less than they are today.
Labor is not the primary means of producing value - the use of technology and knowledge as the means of production are the primary creators of value. Surplus value comes about from capitalist owners having access to technology and knowledge that laborers do not have access to and cannot bargain for. Exploitation comes from this access, which arises after small differences in the rate of material accumulation become amplified through continued investment and inheritance of that material towards ever more expensive means of production. This does not lead to a collapse of profits as Marx forecasted; this leads to a concentration of profits, which can be used to fortify the owners’ access to the means of production, thus entrenching capitalism. What undermines capitalism is not the falling rate of profits, but the rising levels of inequality that foment revolution. This is a threat to the stability of society and the survival of the species. This is why access to the means of production must be shared. This is why employee-owned cooperatives are a more just and sustainable means of organizing corporations and the economy. These cooperatives must compete with one another, thus ensuring their continued investment in progress, but no few individuals capture an unfair portion of the profits to be used for exploitative means. The same principles of checks and balances of power that make government cooperative and tenable must be applied to corporations as well.
The goal of an economic system is to maximize the survival of the species. Its goal is not to maximize profits or consumer benefits.
Advocating free market capitalism for an economic system is advocating for extreme competition. But as competition gets fiercer and fiercer, the time horizon for survival becomes shorter and shorter as too many firms must sacrifice the long term just to stay alive in the short term. Sacrificing the long term threatens the survival of the species.
Advocating communism for an economic system is advocating for extreme cooperation. But without competition, there are no losers and no incentives for winners. Progress grinds to a halt and the species remains stagnant until it is overtaken by events or other species. This is also a threat over the long term.
The perfect economic system is somewhere between these extremes of competition and cooperation. No perfect balance can be known ahead of time and the economy is too complicated to forecast its design with great accuracy. We must set broad and balanced goals for outcomes and adjust market mechanisms by trial and error to reach these goals. Minimize market failures. Protect commons. Price in externalities. Create a long-term bias. Favor sustainability. Protect consumers. Ease the movement of and access to capital and labor. Provide employment or retraining opportunities. Invest in innovation. Keep exposure to debt default low. Favor robustness over fragility. To each according to his or her talent and effort; not according to his or her means or needs. Replace the extremes of capitalism and communism with these sustainable principles of evism.
Perfect equality is not possible, but extreme inequality is not sustainable in the long-term. Wealth is generated by talent and effort. Extreme wealth is generated by the economic system and the rules that society has evolved over the course of its history. A large portion of extreme wealth is therefore owed to society. Citizens will need to come to an agreement over what are acceptable ratios of wealth inequality. Ten to one? Thirty to one? Two hundred to one? Three thousand to one? Over the vast history of evolution, the ratios of wealth within tribes were significantly less than they are today.
Labor is not the primary means of producing value - the use of technology and knowledge as the means of production are the primary creators of value. Surplus value comes about from capitalist owners having access to technology and knowledge that laborers do not have access to and cannot bargain for. Exploitation comes from this access, which arises after small differences in the rate of material accumulation become amplified through continued investment and inheritance of that material towards ever more expensive means of production. This does not lead to a collapse of profits as Marx forecasted; this leads to a concentration of profits, which can be used to fortify the owners’ access to the means of production, thus entrenching capitalism. What undermines capitalism is not the falling rate of profits, but the rising levels of inequality that foment revolution. This is a threat to the stability of society and the survival of the species. This is why access to the means of production must be shared. This is why employee-owned cooperatives are a more just and sustainable means of organizing corporations and the economy. These cooperatives must compete with one another, thus ensuring their continued investment in progress, but no few individuals capture an unfair portion of the profits to be used for exploitative means. The same principles of checks and balances of power that make government cooperative and tenable must be applied to corporations as well.
Government / Politics
The purpose of government is to regulate the economic system by correcting market failures in order to best ensure the long-term survival of the species. Different strategies are required for the markets of different types of goods. Public goods (non-excludable, non-rivalrous) such as national defense, justice, and public utilities must be highly regulated or provided by government. Common goods (non-excludable, rivalrous) such as air, water, fish stocks, and timber must be protected for long-term sustainability. Club goods and private goods (both excludable) should be regulated towards perfect competition, which ensures maximum benefits for consumers. The six characteristics of perfect competition are: 1) many suppliers with an insignificant share of the market; 2) identical output produced by each firm; 3) consumers with perfect information about goods and prices; 4) all firms have equal access to resources and technologies; 5) there are no barriers to entry or exit in the long term; 6) there are no externalities in production or consumption of the goods.
The regulation of the economic system is an extraordinarily powerful position to occupy so there is great possibility and temptation to succumb to corruption by the money in the economic system. Corruption can occur anywhere singular people have hidden control over a decision. This is why checks and balances and transparency within the political system are of the utmost importance. It is also why only people of the highest character development should be chosen to work in this field.
Authoritarian or monarchical rule is plagued by the tyranny of the individual. A true democracy (all decisions made by majority vote) is plagued by the tyranny of the majority. The proper construction of a government is somewhere in the middle - a republic with representatives empowered to speak for the majority and the minority.
Among life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, life is paramount. This does not mean the life of an individual though; it means all life. Survival of the species is paramount. Individual freedom must therefore be constrained. Individual freedom must be subsumed to the cooperative goal of creating a lasting society. This is not a heavy burden as true happiness can only be found in a society that is safe for life. The appropriate sacrifices of the individual for the sake of society are merely the wise sacrifices of the short term for the sake of the long term.
Countries that recognize the evolutionarily philosophical goals of humanity, economics, and government will naturally desire to form coalitions of cooperation. Countries that do not recognize these goals may try to compete with these coalitions. They cannot be allowed to win. Cheaters within evolutionarily stable systems must not be allowed to win. Sovereignty is not a valid shield to hide behind when actions go beyond borders. Diplomacy, aid, ostracism, and force are the escalating options to deal with countries (corrupt leaders, really) that do not cooperate.
There are some commons that are common to the world. These must be regulated by an international system of protection and enforcement.
The purpose of government is to regulate the economic system by correcting market failures in order to best ensure the long-term survival of the species. Different strategies are required for the markets of different types of goods. Public goods (non-excludable, non-rivalrous) such as national defense, justice, and public utilities must be highly regulated or provided by government. Common goods (non-excludable, rivalrous) such as air, water, fish stocks, and timber must be protected for long-term sustainability. Club goods and private goods (both excludable) should be regulated towards perfect competition, which ensures maximum benefits for consumers. The six characteristics of perfect competition are: 1) many suppliers with an insignificant share of the market; 2) identical output produced by each firm; 3) consumers with perfect information about goods and prices; 4) all firms have equal access to resources and technologies; 5) there are no barriers to entry or exit in the long term; 6) there are no externalities in production or consumption of the goods.
The regulation of the economic system is an extraordinarily powerful position to occupy so there is great possibility and temptation to succumb to corruption by the money in the economic system. Corruption can occur anywhere singular people have hidden control over a decision. This is why checks and balances and transparency within the political system are of the utmost importance. It is also why only people of the highest character development should be chosen to work in this field.
Authoritarian or monarchical rule is plagued by the tyranny of the individual. A true democracy (all decisions made by majority vote) is plagued by the tyranny of the majority. The proper construction of a government is somewhere in the middle - a republic with representatives empowered to speak for the majority and the minority.
Among life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, life is paramount. This does not mean the life of an individual though; it means all life. Survival of the species is paramount. Individual freedom must therefore be constrained. Individual freedom must be subsumed to the cooperative goal of creating a lasting society. This is not a heavy burden as true happiness can only be found in a society that is safe for life. The appropriate sacrifices of the individual for the sake of society are merely the wise sacrifices of the short term for the sake of the long term.
Countries that recognize the evolutionarily philosophical goals of humanity, economics, and government will naturally desire to form coalitions of cooperation. Countries that do not recognize these goals may try to compete with these coalitions. They cannot be allowed to win. Cheaters within evolutionarily stable systems must not be allowed to win. Sovereignty is not a valid shield to hide behind when actions go beyond borders. Diplomacy, aid, ostracism, and force are the escalating options to deal with countries (corrupt leaders, really) that do not cooperate.
There are some commons that are common to the world. These must be regulated by an international system of protection and enforcement.
Justice
Since justice is a public good, its provider - the government - must have a monopoly on force. Progress is maximized in the long-term when there is freedom from oppression and maximum participation (i.e. a minimization of criminals who in essence defect from society). In a cooperative society concerned with the long-term survival of the species, which understands the workings of evolution and therefore insists on tit for tat justice and never allowing cheaters to win, the various means of punishment should be doled out as necessary and appropriate in an escalating order of: restoration, rehabilitation, and finally incapacitation as a last resort. The focus of these punishments is the education of the criminal and the deterrence of future offenses by the populace. Seeking retribution gives way to short-term emotions of vengeance that were useful in nature before the public good of justice was provided for by the state. Now, the emotions of the victim of a crime must not be allowed to override the use of reason to create justice and stability for the long term.
Intention and causation are not necessary for an action to be judged good or evil. Those judgments are based on objective reality and whether or not the actions promote or hinder the long-term survival of life. Praise or blame for these actions is tied to intention or neglect of intention. The magnitude of reward or punishment doled out from society should be proportional to the intention or the neglect.
Since justice is a public good, its provider - the government - must have a monopoly on force. Progress is maximized in the long-term when there is freedom from oppression and maximum participation (i.e. a minimization of criminals who in essence defect from society). In a cooperative society concerned with the long-term survival of the species, which understands the workings of evolution and therefore insists on tit for tat justice and never allowing cheaters to win, the various means of punishment should be doled out as necessary and appropriate in an escalating order of: restoration, rehabilitation, and finally incapacitation as a last resort. The focus of these punishments is the education of the criminal and the deterrence of future offenses by the populace. Seeking retribution gives way to short-term emotions of vengeance that were useful in nature before the public good of justice was provided for by the state. Now, the emotions of the victim of a crime must not be allowed to override the use of reason to create justice and stability for the long term.
Intention and causation are not necessary for an action to be judged good or evil. Those judgments are based on objective reality and whether or not the actions promote or hinder the long-term survival of life. Praise or blame for these actions is tied to intention or neglect of intention. The magnitude of reward or punishment doled out from society should be proportional to the intention or the neglect.
Concerning Things
Things have use and meaning. Buy or use things that are useful, especially if they are useful for furthering your personality and life happiness. Things that signal status are useful only in a competitive society. The emotional rush we receive from buying things of status is a short-term benefit left over from the need to win in a competitive primitive environment. Actions focused on feeling these short-term rushes (retail therapy, indulgence in luxury goods, piling up of debt to keep up appearances, etc.), must be recognized for what they are, considered wasteful, and mastered. In a cooperative civilized society focused on the long-term, status and hierarchy have no meaning. Attempting to maintain high status and create a hierarchy among 7 billion individuals in a finite world leads to runaway competition and unstable societies.
Things have use and meaning. Buy or use things that are useful, especially if they are useful for furthering your personality and life happiness. Things that signal status are useful only in a competitive society. The emotional rush we receive from buying things of status is a short-term benefit left over from the need to win in a competitive primitive environment. Actions focused on feeling these short-term rushes (retail therapy, indulgence in luxury goods, piling up of debt to keep up appearances, etc.), must be recognized for what they are, considered wasteful, and mastered. In a cooperative civilized society focused on the long-term, status and hierarchy have no meaning. Attempting to maintain high status and create a hierarchy among 7 billion individuals in a finite world leads to runaway competition and unstable societies.
Concerning Places
Where You Live
Given that your personality is an expression of your genes and your environment, the place you live will have a profound effect on who you are. Be aware of the influence of your place. Be unafraid to move if you have to improve. Wherever you do live, you are a social animal in need of social relations. Sink in roots. Get to know and help your community. Invest for the long-term.
When ecosystems are stable, species remaining in the same place learn to thrive. When resource availability or threat presences change, a species must adapt. If such a change takes place faster than adaptation can occur, the species must be able to move. This is why all species evolve a spectrum of personalities that range from wanting to stay put or preferring to roam. The species needs both personalities. Respect this. Play your part. Encourage others to play their part. The need to “burrow in” builds resources. The need to “see over the next hill” extends from your neighborhood to the entire universe.
Analysis is dependent on comparison. Without dark there is no light, without hot there is no cold, etc. To properly know yourself and your environment, you need to understand other places. Living somewhere provides more information than merely traveling through does.
Where You Travel
Travel bombards your mind with opportunities for learning. Culture, customs, food, architecture, fashion, geography, zoology, weather, history, art - everything that humans touch or are touched by can be different when you travel. Stretch your mind when you travel. Gather ideas for your own environment. Gain understanding and love for all the world and its history. If you want to turn your mind off, stay at home and learn stillness. If you want hedonistic short-term pleasure, keep it short.
Where You Live
Given that your personality is an expression of your genes and your environment, the place you live will have a profound effect on who you are. Be aware of the influence of your place. Be unafraid to move if you have to improve. Wherever you do live, you are a social animal in need of social relations. Sink in roots. Get to know and help your community. Invest for the long-term.
When ecosystems are stable, species remaining in the same place learn to thrive. When resource availability or threat presences change, a species must adapt. If such a change takes place faster than adaptation can occur, the species must be able to move. This is why all species evolve a spectrum of personalities that range from wanting to stay put or preferring to roam. The species needs both personalities. Respect this. Play your part. Encourage others to play their part. The need to “burrow in” builds resources. The need to “see over the next hill” extends from your neighborhood to the entire universe.
Analysis is dependent on comparison. Without dark there is no light, without hot there is no cold, etc. To properly know yourself and your environment, you need to understand other places. Living somewhere provides more information than merely traveling through does.
Where You Travel
Travel bombards your mind with opportunities for learning. Culture, customs, food, architecture, fashion, geography, zoology, weather, history, art - everything that humans touch or are touched by can be different when you travel. Stretch your mind when you travel. Gather ideas for your own environment. Gain understanding and love for all the world and its history. If you want to turn your mind off, stay at home and learn stillness. If you want hedonistic short-term pleasure, keep it short.
Concerning Ideas
God and Religion
There is no conclusive evidence that a god exists. An examination of the evolution of religion clearly shows its origin and development by man. The first gods were invented and worshiped for their power to explain natural phenomena - primarily the sun, the moon, day and night, the seasons, and fertility. As science has explained more and more natural phenomena, the gods have grown less and less powerful.
There once were many European and Middle Eastern fertility goddesses and savior gods born of virgin births. (Roman pagan god Attis born of the virgin Nana, Greek pagan god Dionysus, Egyptian pagan god Osiris, Persian pagan god Mithra, Saxon mother goddess Eostre, Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus, Ashtoreth from ancient Israel, Astarte from ancient Greece, Demeter from Mycenae, Hathor from ancient Egypt, Ishtar from Assyria, Kali from India, Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility. See here and here.) These beliefs are a natural reaction to ignorance about the flowering of life season after season and generation after generation. They were consolidated by Rome into Christianity under the worship of Jesus and Mary. Ancient polytheistic mythologies evolved to monotheism because of the human quest for power and solidarity. The need to control one’s flock in order to get money and membership for survival means that other gods and priests cannot also be right. This is why early Christianity survived while the Gnostics went extinct. Christianity evolved into Islamism by Mohammed when he did not accept the word of Jesus as final, and splintered into other orthodox or protestant factions based on the strength of empires and fervor of heretics. Remaining pockets of paganism were swept up by Christianity and its descendants as Rome conquered Europe and Europe conquered the globe. Religion may have supported empires, but empires stamped religion for their purpose as well.
Eastern philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism are separate from this evolution but have become non-theistic explorations into the best way to live. Unfortunately, “the way” that Eastern philosophies recommend leans too heavily towards detachment from desire, pain, suffering, and the world. Followed unerringly, this leads to stagnation for the person and the human race. Modern science and psychology teach us a better way. Flexible detachment, mature defense mechanisms, balanced goals, motivation, and progress; these are what make for the better way.
Religion has no basis for proof, but the god idea fills a gaping existential void in humanity. It is hard to accept that there is no reason or purpose in the universe. Due to this “will to believe,” religion has endured for centuries. Nothing concrete has been able to fill this amorphous void as well as the amorphous beliefs of religions. Theologians have desperately sought ideas to strengthen the arguments of their flock, but throughout history these arguments for the existence of god have all been knocked down by logic and reasoning. For further details, see the 36 chief arguments for the existence of god as collected by novelist and philosopher Rebecca Goldstein: 1) cosmological argument, 2) ontological argument, 3) argument from design, 4) argument from the big bang, 5) argument from the fine tuning of physical constants, 6) argument from the beauty of physical laws, 7) argument from cosmic coincidences, 8) argument from personal coincidences, 9) argument from answered prayers, 10) argument from a wonderful life, 11) argument from miracles, 12) argument from the hard problem of consciousness, 13) argument from the improbable self, 14) argument from survival after death, 15) argument from the inconceivability of personal annihilation, 16) argument from moral truth, 17) argument from altruism, 18) argument from free will, 19) argument from personal purpose, 20) argument from intolerability of insignificance, 21) argument from the consensus of humanity, 22) argument from the consensus of mystics, 23) argument from holy books, 24) argument from perfect justice, 25) argument from suffering, 26) argument from survival of the Jews, 27) argument from the upward curve of history, 28) argument from prodigious genius, 29) argument from human knowledge of infinity, 30) argument from mathematical reality, 31) argument from decision theory, 32) argument from pragmatism, 33) argument from the unreasonableness of reason, 34) argument from sublimity, 35) argument from the intelligibility of the universe, 36) argument of the abundance of arguments. Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Pascal, William James, Spinoza. Many have tried. All have failed. Turning the 36th argument on its head, the abundance of arguments proves merely the need for humanity to have an explanation. The fact that a religious one cannot be found explains the proliferation of attempts. If there were a valid argument to be made for a god, evolution would have produced it by now.
No evidence for supernatural intervention has ever been found so it is right to dismiss this with great certainty. As we have little understanding for how the universe came to be - why there is something rather than nothing - a belief in a supreme architect is hard to suppress. Now that much of the history of the universe is understood though, the blindness and cruelty of extinction would imply either a blind god or a cruel god. If such a god did exist, it would be better to ignore it and plot against it.
Religious people are afraid that with atheism, Dostoyevsky's phrase will describe our world: "without God, everything is permitted." This is not a valid fear. In fact, an examination of our violent history already shows that everything IS permitted. It is up to society alone to punish transgressions. No god has ever testified at a criminal trial or actually smitten evildoers. Atheists have the valid fear: with gods, anything is believable.
Another way to examine the issue of atheism vs. religion is through the idea that rational thought is a societal system for decision-making. Irrational thought cheats this system. Faith, by definition, is irrational, and as soon as one irrational belief is permitted, all irrational beliefs are allowed. If irrational thought is allowed to win arguments, then the system of rational thought is no longer evolutionarily stable. But clearly, we cannot allow irrational thought to become the norm - that leads to ignorance and the destruction of the species. Irrational thought must not be allowed to win. And yet, irrational thought does win, because it isn't playing the same game. By its own declaration, irrational thought cannot rationally lose an argument. In this way, irrational thought can never be entirely defeated through reason. Perhaps the best we can do in the short term is to stop societal decisions based on irrational beliefs. In the long term, the teaching of rational thought and the benefits of rational thought must be shown to be more attractive to individuals. The tangible, emotional benefits to shedding irrational beliefs must be improved and made better known. Control over one’s emotions, membership in beneficial social groups, better job opportunities, cooperative grants, happiness with life, lasting love - these are all areas where rational thinkers can and must outcompete irrational believers.
Religion played a part in keeping groups together and making them stronger while the world remained small and unknowable to a pre-scientific society. Religion had its place in the development of successful social groups who believed in something larger and longer lasting than the individual. Religion helped create groups of believers; it created groups of “us.” Unfortunately, the unspoken word behind “us,” is “them.” Religion has been used at times to promote indifference, intolerance, and conquest of “them.” Now that man knows better and needs to come together to solve worldwide problems, religion is a barrier to the unification of the species because of its insistence on the correctness and infallibility of its individual dogmas. Calls for faith in supernatural explanations are harmful to the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. Hope for a god is a lifelong frustration when the wishes for the future never come. The positives of religion - building a nurturing community and providing the reason for morality - can best be created elsewhere in a way that is more universal.
Religious believers cherish the feelings of awe, wonder, and love they get from their shared gratitude for the bounty they believe god has given them. They do not want to live without these feelings. Rational arguments against ancient myths do not make these feelings of awe, wonder, and love go away - nor should they! It is simply better to explain these feelings as coming from an immense universe where life has struggled to produce a cooperative species trying to out-compete death itself. That is a truly awesome past, present, and future we can all believe in.
There is no conclusive evidence that a god exists. An examination of the evolution of religion clearly shows its origin and development by man. The first gods were invented and worshiped for their power to explain natural phenomena - primarily the sun, the moon, day and night, the seasons, and fertility. As science has explained more and more natural phenomena, the gods have grown less and less powerful.
There once were many European and Middle Eastern fertility goddesses and savior gods born of virgin births. (Roman pagan god Attis born of the virgin Nana, Greek pagan god Dionysus, Egyptian pagan god Osiris, Persian pagan god Mithra, Saxon mother goddess Eostre, Aphrodite from ancient Cyprus, Ashtoreth from ancient Israel, Astarte from ancient Greece, Demeter from Mycenae, Hathor from ancient Egypt, Ishtar from Assyria, Kali from India, Ostara a Norse Goddess of fertility. See here and here.) These beliefs are a natural reaction to ignorance about the flowering of life season after season and generation after generation. They were consolidated by Rome into Christianity under the worship of Jesus and Mary. Ancient polytheistic mythologies evolved to monotheism because of the human quest for power and solidarity. The need to control one’s flock in order to get money and membership for survival means that other gods and priests cannot also be right. This is why early Christianity survived while the Gnostics went extinct. Christianity evolved into Islamism by Mohammed when he did not accept the word of Jesus as final, and splintered into other orthodox or protestant factions based on the strength of empires and fervor of heretics. Remaining pockets of paganism were swept up by Christianity and its descendants as Rome conquered Europe and Europe conquered the globe. Religion may have supported empires, but empires stamped religion for their purpose as well.
Eastern philosophies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shintoism are separate from this evolution but have become non-theistic explorations into the best way to live. Unfortunately, “the way” that Eastern philosophies recommend leans too heavily towards detachment from desire, pain, suffering, and the world. Followed unerringly, this leads to stagnation for the person and the human race. Modern science and psychology teach us a better way. Flexible detachment, mature defense mechanisms, balanced goals, motivation, and progress; these are what make for the better way.
Religion has no basis for proof, but the god idea fills a gaping existential void in humanity. It is hard to accept that there is no reason or purpose in the universe. Due to this “will to believe,” religion has endured for centuries. Nothing concrete has been able to fill this amorphous void as well as the amorphous beliefs of religions. Theologians have desperately sought ideas to strengthen the arguments of their flock, but throughout history these arguments for the existence of god have all been knocked down by logic and reasoning. For further details, see the 36 chief arguments for the existence of god as collected by novelist and philosopher Rebecca Goldstein: 1) cosmological argument, 2) ontological argument, 3) argument from design, 4) argument from the big bang, 5) argument from the fine tuning of physical constants, 6) argument from the beauty of physical laws, 7) argument from cosmic coincidences, 8) argument from personal coincidences, 9) argument from answered prayers, 10) argument from a wonderful life, 11) argument from miracles, 12) argument from the hard problem of consciousness, 13) argument from the improbable self, 14) argument from survival after death, 15) argument from the inconceivability of personal annihilation, 16) argument from moral truth, 17) argument from altruism, 18) argument from free will, 19) argument from personal purpose, 20) argument from intolerability of insignificance, 21) argument from the consensus of humanity, 22) argument from the consensus of mystics, 23) argument from holy books, 24) argument from perfect justice, 25) argument from suffering, 26) argument from survival of the Jews, 27) argument from the upward curve of history, 28) argument from prodigious genius, 29) argument from human knowledge of infinity, 30) argument from mathematical reality, 31) argument from decision theory, 32) argument from pragmatism, 33) argument from the unreasonableness of reason, 34) argument from sublimity, 35) argument from the intelligibility of the universe, 36) argument of the abundance of arguments. Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Pascal, William James, Spinoza. Many have tried. All have failed. Turning the 36th argument on its head, the abundance of arguments proves merely the need for humanity to have an explanation. The fact that a religious one cannot be found explains the proliferation of attempts. If there were a valid argument to be made for a god, evolution would have produced it by now.
No evidence for supernatural intervention has ever been found so it is right to dismiss this with great certainty. As we have little understanding for how the universe came to be - why there is something rather than nothing - a belief in a supreme architect is hard to suppress. Now that much of the history of the universe is understood though, the blindness and cruelty of extinction would imply either a blind god or a cruel god. If such a god did exist, it would be better to ignore it and plot against it.
Religious people are afraid that with atheism, Dostoyevsky's phrase will describe our world: "without God, everything is permitted." This is not a valid fear. In fact, an examination of our violent history already shows that everything IS permitted. It is up to society alone to punish transgressions. No god has ever testified at a criminal trial or actually smitten evildoers. Atheists have the valid fear: with gods, anything is believable.
Another way to examine the issue of atheism vs. religion is through the idea that rational thought is a societal system for decision-making. Irrational thought cheats this system. Faith, by definition, is irrational, and as soon as one irrational belief is permitted, all irrational beliefs are allowed. If irrational thought is allowed to win arguments, then the system of rational thought is no longer evolutionarily stable. But clearly, we cannot allow irrational thought to become the norm - that leads to ignorance and the destruction of the species. Irrational thought must not be allowed to win. And yet, irrational thought does win, because it isn't playing the same game. By its own declaration, irrational thought cannot rationally lose an argument. In this way, irrational thought can never be entirely defeated through reason. Perhaps the best we can do in the short term is to stop societal decisions based on irrational beliefs. In the long term, the teaching of rational thought and the benefits of rational thought must be shown to be more attractive to individuals. The tangible, emotional benefits to shedding irrational beliefs must be improved and made better known. Control over one’s emotions, membership in beneficial social groups, better job opportunities, cooperative grants, happiness with life, lasting love - these are all areas where rational thinkers can and must outcompete irrational believers.
Religion played a part in keeping groups together and making them stronger while the world remained small and unknowable to a pre-scientific society. Religion had its place in the development of successful social groups who believed in something larger and longer lasting than the individual. Religion helped create groups of believers; it created groups of “us.” Unfortunately, the unspoken word behind “us,” is “them.” Religion has been used at times to promote indifference, intolerance, and conquest of “them.” Now that man knows better and needs to come together to solve worldwide problems, religion is a barrier to the unification of the species because of its insistence on the correctness and infallibility of its individual dogmas. Calls for faith in supernatural explanations are harmful to the pursuit of knowledge and self-improvement. Hope for a god is a lifelong frustration when the wishes for the future never come. The positives of religion - building a nurturing community and providing the reason for morality - can best be created elsewhere in a way that is more universal.
Religious believers cherish the feelings of awe, wonder, and love they get from their shared gratitude for the bounty they believe god has given them. They do not want to live without these feelings. Rational arguments against ancient myths do not make these feelings of awe, wonder, and love go away - nor should they! It is simply better to explain these feelings as coming from an immense universe where life has struggled to produce a cooperative species trying to out-compete death itself. That is a truly awesome past, present, and future we can all believe in.
Ethics / Morality
Morality is a system of ideas about right and wrong conduct. A traditional view of social scientists has been that morality is a construct, and thus culturally relative, but cross-cultural studies of ethical beliefs find six foundations for morality: 1) harm/care; 2) fairness/reciprocity; 3) liberty; 4) ingroup/loyalty; 5) authority/respect; 6) purity/sanctity. These are merely rules to promote survival. How else would these rules survive? In essence, it is immoral to do something that is harmful to the long-term survival of life. Morality is relative simply when different cultures have different beliefs about which actions are right for the long term. Some beliefs are based on traditions and myths, others are based on scientifically discovered knowledge, and others are still being formed as the evidence comes in. We must use rational knowledge to inform our morals; otherwise we risk actions that imperil the species.
Field studies show the natural emergence in the animal kingdom of ethics and morality. Animals live in groups because the opportunities for survival and reproduction are much better in groups than alone. All social animals have to modify or restrain their behaviors for group living. Highly social mammals such as primates and elephants have been known to exhibit traits that were once thought to be uniquely human, like empathy and altruism. While other primates may not possess free will over their morality in the human sense, they do possess some traits that would have been necessary for the early stages of the evolution of morality. Anthropologist Barbara King notes that these traits include high intelligence, a capacity for symbolic communication, a sense of social norms, realization of "self," and a concept of continuity. Where these basic personality traits are held in common, the basics of sociobiological morality are also shared. As listed by science historian Michael Shermer, these include: attachment and bonding, cooperation and mutual aid, sympathy and empathy, direct and indirect reciprocity, altruism and reciprocal altruism, conflict resolution and peacemaking, deception and deception detection, community concern and caring about what others think about you, and awareness of and response to the social rules of the group. These pre-moral sentiments evolved in primate societies as a method of restraining individual selfishness and building more cooperative groups. Humans evolved to enforce their society’s moral codes much more rigorously with rewards, punishments, and reputation building. We are more successful at cooperation because of this.
According to the magnitude of time and space adopted for analysis, the basic divisions of biology from bottom to top are as follows: biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, organismic biology, sociobiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. I believe that morals can also be understood on the same timeline as these biological scales. For example, no real moral judgments are made at the bottom of these timelines at biochemical, molecular, and cellular levels because our bodies just react to stimulus the way they do and there's not much we can do to control or judge reactions such as metabolism, blinking, and neuronal firing. At the scale of the organism though, we have not only instantaneous reactions, but also actions separated by a lifetime, and everything in between. With free will over this time horizon, organisms can act in ways that are dangerous or harmful to themselves. To compensate, we have also developed emotional responses and morals to guide our actions along healthier paths. Some of those responses are immediate and innate - fear of heights, the thrill of the chase, disgust over rotten food, the sadness of loss, the joy of gain. These are understood by simply studying morals at the biological level of the survival of the organism. Some emotional responses take time to develop though and guide actions focused on the longer term, such as empathy, altruism, and justice. These longer-term morals can be seen to come into play over the time horizon of sociobiology. Social species have learned the power of group cooperation to beat out even the best individuals, and how creation of a society requires its own set of emotions - some innate, some taught through culture - and the enforcement of short-term individual sacrifices for the long-term benefit of the group. Animals have developed emotions, morals, hierarchies, and institutions to help reinforce these long-term focused behaviors, but they still face occasional conflict with their short-term desires that were developed earlier in the evolution of the species. How an animal handles that conflict can be said to determine its character and wisdom. While genes and environment combine to mold the personality of any animal, humans have also developed reason, which gives us another way to control our emotions and define our personality. Reason gives us a higher level of free will to choose which emotions guide our moral choices. Because of this, humans are now uniquely in the process of evolving morals for the next steps on the biological scale - the ones of ecology and evolutionary biology. Through the success of our species, we now have unprecedented ability to impact the ecosystems around us and the genes within us. We can also use our scientific tools and historical records to see and understand those impacts over timelines that are far longer than generations can remember. We must cement our sociobiological morals, but the evolution of our morals to understand right and wrong behavior over longer timescales is exactly what is necessary for the species to survive over those timescales. We must learn to keep thinking in the longest of long-terms or face extinction over the short to medium term. As morality evolves, this is where new rules will develop.
Religion emerged after morality and built upon our natural needs for self-preservation and cooperation. Religion expanded the social scrutiny of individual behavior to include supernatural gods. By adding all-seeing ancestors, spirits, and gods to the mental world, humans discovered an effective strategy for restraining selfishness and building more cooperative groups. The adaptive value of religion would have enhanced group survival, thus allowing religion itself to survive. Now that we have come to an understanding of the natural basis for our morals, and learned to use reason to control our emotions, we no longer need to teach beliefs in supernatural gods to guide our behavior. Cooperation is its own reward. Transgressions will be punished. We have a fuller, more justifiable belief system for our morality.
Morality is a system of ideas about right and wrong conduct. A traditional view of social scientists has been that morality is a construct, and thus culturally relative, but cross-cultural studies of ethical beliefs find six foundations for morality: 1) harm/care; 2) fairness/reciprocity; 3) liberty; 4) ingroup/loyalty; 5) authority/respect; 6) purity/sanctity. These are merely rules to promote survival. How else would these rules survive? In essence, it is immoral to do something that is harmful to the long-term survival of life. Morality is relative simply when different cultures have different beliefs about which actions are right for the long term. Some beliefs are based on traditions and myths, others are based on scientifically discovered knowledge, and others are still being formed as the evidence comes in. We must use rational knowledge to inform our morals; otherwise we risk actions that imperil the species.
Field studies show the natural emergence in the animal kingdom of ethics and morality. Animals live in groups because the opportunities for survival and reproduction are much better in groups than alone. All social animals have to modify or restrain their behaviors for group living. Highly social mammals such as primates and elephants have been known to exhibit traits that were once thought to be uniquely human, like empathy and altruism. While other primates may not possess free will over their morality in the human sense, they do possess some traits that would have been necessary for the early stages of the evolution of morality. Anthropologist Barbara King notes that these traits include high intelligence, a capacity for symbolic communication, a sense of social norms, realization of "self," and a concept of continuity. Where these basic personality traits are held in common, the basics of sociobiological morality are also shared. As listed by science historian Michael Shermer, these include: attachment and bonding, cooperation and mutual aid, sympathy and empathy, direct and indirect reciprocity, altruism and reciprocal altruism, conflict resolution and peacemaking, deception and deception detection, community concern and caring about what others think about you, and awareness of and response to the social rules of the group. These pre-moral sentiments evolved in primate societies as a method of restraining individual selfishness and building more cooperative groups. Humans evolved to enforce their society’s moral codes much more rigorously with rewards, punishments, and reputation building. We are more successful at cooperation because of this.
According to the magnitude of time and space adopted for analysis, the basic divisions of biology from bottom to top are as follows: biochemistry, molecular biology, cellular biology, organismic biology, sociobiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. I believe that morals can also be understood on the same timeline as these biological scales. For example, no real moral judgments are made at the bottom of these timelines at biochemical, molecular, and cellular levels because our bodies just react to stimulus the way they do and there's not much we can do to control or judge reactions such as metabolism, blinking, and neuronal firing. At the scale of the organism though, we have not only instantaneous reactions, but also actions separated by a lifetime, and everything in between. With free will over this time horizon, organisms can act in ways that are dangerous or harmful to themselves. To compensate, we have also developed emotional responses and morals to guide our actions along healthier paths. Some of those responses are immediate and innate - fear of heights, the thrill of the chase, disgust over rotten food, the sadness of loss, the joy of gain. These are understood by simply studying morals at the biological level of the survival of the organism. Some emotional responses take time to develop though and guide actions focused on the longer term, such as empathy, altruism, and justice. These longer-term morals can be seen to come into play over the time horizon of sociobiology. Social species have learned the power of group cooperation to beat out even the best individuals, and how creation of a society requires its own set of emotions - some innate, some taught through culture - and the enforcement of short-term individual sacrifices for the long-term benefit of the group. Animals have developed emotions, morals, hierarchies, and institutions to help reinforce these long-term focused behaviors, but they still face occasional conflict with their short-term desires that were developed earlier in the evolution of the species. How an animal handles that conflict can be said to determine its character and wisdom. While genes and environment combine to mold the personality of any animal, humans have also developed reason, which gives us another way to control our emotions and define our personality. Reason gives us a higher level of free will to choose which emotions guide our moral choices. Because of this, humans are now uniquely in the process of evolving morals for the next steps on the biological scale - the ones of ecology and evolutionary biology. Through the success of our species, we now have unprecedented ability to impact the ecosystems around us and the genes within us. We can also use our scientific tools and historical records to see and understand those impacts over timelines that are far longer than generations can remember. We must cement our sociobiological morals, but the evolution of our morals to understand right and wrong behavior over longer timescales is exactly what is necessary for the species to survive over those timescales. We must learn to keep thinking in the longest of long-terms or face extinction over the short to medium term. As morality evolves, this is where new rules will develop.
Religion emerged after morality and built upon our natural needs for self-preservation and cooperation. Religion expanded the social scrutiny of individual behavior to include supernatural gods. By adding all-seeing ancestors, spirits, and gods to the mental world, humans discovered an effective strategy for restraining selfishness and building more cooperative groups. The adaptive value of religion would have enhanced group survival, thus allowing religion itself to survive. Now that we have come to an understanding of the natural basis for our morals, and learned to use reason to control our emotions, we no longer need to teach beliefs in supernatural gods to guide our behavior. Cooperation is its own reward. Transgressions will be punished. We have a fuller, more justifiable belief system for our morality.
Aesthetics
What promotes the long-term survival of life? Knowledge. Health. Progress. Stability. Exploration. Efficiency. Brightness. Abundance. Comfort. Security. Fecundity. Clarity. These are beautiful and good. What threatens the long-term survival of life? Ignorance. Disease. Stagnation. Conflict. Chaos. Isolation. Waste. Darkness. Scarcity. Discomfort. Vulnerability. Barrenness. Obscurity. These are ugly and bad. Objects have many qualities. Depending on the context, focus, and cognitive appraisal of the observer, objects can be either beautiful or ugly. This is why the idea of beauty is objective to general reality, but the beauty of an object is subjective to the specific observer.
Just as morals grow in depth as timespans lengthen, beauty can be said to deepen the more it endures. Even if you believe it is better to burn out than to fade away, those are not the only two choices. Best of all is to burn strongly, providing more and more warmth as the decades or centuries roll by.
Science is the root method of gathering knowledge. Engineering is knowledge applied to the physical world. Business is knowledge applied to the economic world. Politics is knowledge applied to the realm of government. Medicine is knowledge applied to the body. Art is knowledge applied to the emotions. Science finds knowledge. Art uses knowledge to inspire. (It can also inspire scientists.) Art causes emotional responses so it often draws emotional people to it, but great art is created by rational processes, filled with knowledge, fueled by emotion, and executed with skill. Bad art is blind emotion that purports falsehoods for truth.
The purpose of art is to inspire life. Making bad things known can inspire good living by telling us what to avoid. Showing good things provides aspirations by showing us what to do or strive for. Tolstoy was wrong. Every unhappy family is simply shortsighted in some way. Happy families have an infinite number of interesting and difficult ways to proceed with long and rich lives.
Music seems to affect emotional states quickly and directly - it can change, express, or amplify our moods. It should be composed and consumed with this in mind since it can be a powerful aid to navigating the world while riding the elephant of our emotional unconsciousness. Choose your music as you choose your path. Be energized, thoughtful, purposeful, or calm; don’t wallow or give in to rage, vengeance, or oblivion.
What promotes the long-term survival of life? Knowledge. Health. Progress. Stability. Exploration. Efficiency. Brightness. Abundance. Comfort. Security. Fecundity. Clarity. These are beautiful and good. What threatens the long-term survival of life? Ignorance. Disease. Stagnation. Conflict. Chaos. Isolation. Waste. Darkness. Scarcity. Discomfort. Vulnerability. Barrenness. Obscurity. These are ugly and bad. Objects have many qualities. Depending on the context, focus, and cognitive appraisal of the observer, objects can be either beautiful or ugly. This is why the idea of beauty is objective to general reality, but the beauty of an object is subjective to the specific observer.
Just as morals grow in depth as timespans lengthen, beauty can be said to deepen the more it endures. Even if you believe it is better to burn out than to fade away, those are not the only two choices. Best of all is to burn strongly, providing more and more warmth as the decades or centuries roll by.
Science is the root method of gathering knowledge. Engineering is knowledge applied to the physical world. Business is knowledge applied to the economic world. Politics is knowledge applied to the realm of government. Medicine is knowledge applied to the body. Art is knowledge applied to the emotions. Science finds knowledge. Art uses knowledge to inspire. (It can also inspire scientists.) Art causes emotional responses so it often draws emotional people to it, but great art is created by rational processes, filled with knowledge, fueled by emotion, and executed with skill. Bad art is blind emotion that purports falsehoods for truth.
The purpose of art is to inspire life. Making bad things known can inspire good living by telling us what to avoid. Showing good things provides aspirations by showing us what to do or strive for. Tolstoy was wrong. Every unhappy family is simply shortsighted in some way. Happy families have an infinite number of interesting and difficult ways to proceed with long and rich lives.
Music seems to affect emotional states quickly and directly - it can change, express, or amplify our moods. It should be composed and consumed with this in mind since it can be a powerful aid to navigating the world while riding the elephant of our emotional unconsciousness. Choose your music as you choose your path. Be energized, thoughtful, purposeful, or calm; don’t wallow or give in to rage, vengeance, or oblivion.
Utopia
Human conceptions of perfection are best captured in the attributes they give to their gods, the most revered of which are omniscient, omnipotent, and eternal. By striving to survive, humans are striving for these goals whether they realize it or not. Progress in computer science and information technology is enabling all people to know all things. Practical omniscience about public facts and theories is sprouting. Connecting inanimate objects through the Internet is enabling us to control our things at the touch of a button or even with just a thought. Progress in politics, business, community organizing, and social networks, is allowing us to spread our influence as far as our ideas will take us. This is what omnipotence for all looks like. Nanotechnology, recycling, and automation have the potential to eliminate scarcity of the goods we need. Renewable energies have the potential to power the world. Aerospace and terraforming technologies have the potential to find us new suitable environments. Biotechnology and gerontology have the potential to eliminate death and disease. At the end of these technologies, human life could become blissful and eternal. If evolution is the term we use to describe the changes that take place during the struggle between life and death, then the end of evolution would be the end of that struggle. If we unite behind this idea, we can reach this goal.
Human conceptions of perfection are best captured in the attributes they give to their gods, the most revered of which are omniscient, omnipotent, and eternal. By striving to survive, humans are striving for these goals whether they realize it or not. Progress in computer science and information technology is enabling all people to know all things. Practical omniscience about public facts and theories is sprouting. Connecting inanimate objects through the Internet is enabling us to control our things at the touch of a button or even with just a thought. Progress in politics, business, community organizing, and social networks, is allowing us to spread our influence as far as our ideas will take us. This is what omnipotence for all looks like. Nanotechnology, recycling, and automation have the potential to eliminate scarcity of the goods we need. Renewable energies have the potential to power the world. Aerospace and terraforming technologies have the potential to find us new suitable environments. Biotechnology and gerontology have the potential to eliminate death and disease. At the end of these technologies, human life could become blissful and eternal. If evolution is the term we use to describe the changes that take place during the struggle between life and death, then the end of evolution would be the end of that struggle. If we unite behind this idea, we can reach this goal.
Further Reading
After the initial publishing of these sections on knowing thyself, I wrote blog posts about each item. These posts expanded on the ideas and exposed them to comments and critiques. Occasionally, this results in changes. See here for those posts:
- How Exactly Do You Know Thyself?
- Know Thyself Step 1: Where Did I Come From?
- Where Am I? And what can thyself know from that?
- What Am I? Oh yeah, a body.
- Back To Knowing Thyself: The Mind
- What’s Causing These Emotions?
- Learning to Tame Your Elephant
- Taming Holiday Worries, Angst, and Anxiety
- Pleas For Help
- Choosing Resolutions - Building Eudaimonia
- Roots of Personality
- What an OCEAN Can Say About Thyself
- The 2nd Level of Personality and the Meaning of Your Life
- What Story Do You Want Your Life to Tell?
- How Many Strengths Have You Built? All 24?
- The Truth About Souls
- 9 Tips for the Future
- Is Philosophy Dead?
- Knowing Thyself Means Knowing Others Too
- How to Change a Culture
- Evolution to Guide Our Learning Revolution
- What Can Evolution Tell Us About the Economy?
- Why I Hate Politics
- 2 Thoughts on Justice
- What’s the Worst Thing You Ever Bought?
- What’s Your Place In This World?
- The Evolution of God
- The Arguments for God - Why Religion Will Go Extinct
- The World Without Religion
- Are Morals Just Rules for Survival?
- The Real Role of Science in Morality
- What is Beautiful is What is Good
- The Purpose of (My) Art
- Eutopian Dreams for Olatopias
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© 2012 Ed Gibney
