Philosophy To The Rescue

I had done a series not too long ago called Atheists Save The World – I think. One part contained a post saying that science could not heal what is wrong with human nature. Surprisingly this atheist guy that drops by from time to time admitted that science doesn't have the ability to cure the human condition – i.e. Science cannot remove our corrupt self-love and self-obsession. That's more than most atheists are willing to admit. Most think along the lines of Richard Lewontin who said, “Only science is rational. Science is the only begetter of truth.”

This, even though:

. Science can't tell us why kindness is better than cruelty - yet we still believe it to be true

. Science can't tell us how or why the laws of mathematics and logic and morality came to exist - but we still live as though they do exist.

. Science can't explain or prove metaphysical truths like -

- there are minds other than my own

- the external world is real

- the external world didn't begin to exist ten minutes ago appearing as aged.

. Science can't prove or disprove ethical beliefs such as whether the Nazis or Joseph Kony did anything evil – yet we believe they did.

. Science can't prove one way or the other on aesthetic judgements such beauty and goodness - yet we all live as though we know the answer.

. Science itself can't be justified by the scientific method of enquiry.

. Science is incapable of establishing that all truths about the universe are discoverable by the scientific method.

. Science can't explain why in the world we would evolve the capacity to examine and understand our universe, the origin of stars, or the mathematical uniformity of our universe, since none of these are needed for our survival. Natural selection, we're told involves no fluff. Nothing exists, atheists tell us unless it aides our survival. So what's up with all this supposedly superfluous knowledge?

Science certainly can't tell us the answer.

As I said, the atheist agrees that science can make our lives physically easier but the root cause of our troubles is beyond science. Sadly the atheist moves right along to Philosophy as our Saviour. This, even though human philosophy is as deeply flawed as the human condition itself. When atheists bring their world-view to philosophy, it causes atheists to think that moral, logical, scientific, or mathematical truths / laws do not exist apart from our noetic activity. This is the same activity that atheists rely on to tell themselves that humans are born good.

In order to think that we are good, they ignore the fact that we know objective morals, obligations and duties exist and we know it absolutely when someone does something wrong to us. We don't have to ponder for even one second whether what we're experiencing is culturally or socially formed. And we certainly feel no compulsion to let the aggressor off the hook because atheists tell us that “determinism” was at work. The victim appeals to, and the perpetrator claims ignorance of the same objective moral law that transcends them both.

This right and wrong is not something we have to be taught. We know it instinctively. Even children as young as a year old have been observed in clinical studies to react negatively when they see something unfair taking place to other adults or children. No one has to teach a small child to hide behind h/her back a cookie that was not supposed to be taken. No one has to teach a child to hit the other toddler who “stole” a toy.

Now, Jesus teaches that we are conceived with a sinful nature while atheists say that we're born good. In atheist-world, it's not humans who corrupt the institution. Rather it's the institution that corrupts the human. Contrary to this atheist belief, much if not most of what parenting involves is squashing the child's tendency toward physical and emotional violence and encouraging the child to behave in a consistently respectful manner toward others. We have to teach our children correct behaviour because we are not born good.

Atheists appeal to reason / philosophy as our salvation, yet:

. Reason itself is not a reliable way to know right or good.

. Reason doesn't free us of prejudice.

. Reason doesn't free us from cruelty.

. Reason is a calculative function of the brain that is pulled this way and that by our pre conceived world-view.

. Reason is hampered by the fact that some (atheists) deprive themselves of access to the “whole truth” which exists a priori:

- In the spiritual realm,

- In the Person of Jesus the Christ, and

- Which is revealed to us by interpenetration of the Spiritual realm with the material realm.

Don't get me wrong, our God given ability to reason is a wonderful thing. Yet it remains hobbled, crippled until our spiritual eyes have been opened.

Atheists cling to the Enlightenment which was nothing more than the idolatry of reason and which led to the worst horrors of modern history. All because atheists sought to replace God with human reason.

We're off to the Canadian Rockies so I won't post again till some time in September.