Dawkins the Messiah?

Written by Bergen Vermette

Proponents of scientific skepticism are a puzzling bunch. While they champion evolution as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, they simultaneously miss its most profound implications.

The closing passage of Dawkins’ new book (quoted here in TJ's newest article) is a case in point. Dawkins describes in detail the wonder of the evolutionary process:

oak-tree-branch

“we find ourselves perched on one tiny twig in the midst of a blossoming and flourishing tree of life…”

He continues by evoking Darwin’s “endless forms, most beautiful and most wonderful,” the contemplation of which has left many a thoughtful human dumbstruck by the shocking truth of our place in this universe.

And here’s the puzzling part for me. Dawkins, like other scientific skeptics, are so sunk in materialism that they seem unable to fully appreciate the deep spiritual implications of their own work.

I’ll let Carl Sagan, that most prolific of spiritual scientists do the talking for me:

“A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge.” cosmos

And:

“We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.”

This is such a deeply profound and spiritual point. And it’s completely scientific. We now know that the human being who looks out on the stars above is not separate from that which she is observing. How could she be?

We know we’re a part of an evolving universe, and that the universe is a single unfolding event. Science has uncovered the incredible truth of who and what we are; and frankly, to me it’s more awe-inspiring than even the great religious traditions. In this light I’m tempted to thank Mr. Dawkins. He’s a scientific messiah, an unwitting champion of the spiritual and religious underpinnings of the next thousand years.

I guess God has a sense of humor...

sagan

[In the video below, Sagan tries to illustrate the reality of an evolving universe. We’re a part of this universe; we’re not separate from what we look out on. Sagan was both scientifically skeptical and deeply moved by his contemplations of the universe. This clip attempts to convey the compatibility of those seemingly disparate experiences. Enjoy!]

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2 comments

Comment Link Wednesday, 10 November 2010 11:58 posted by Tineke de Boer
I think everyone who contemplates the sheer fact that the universe -and everything and everyone in it - is evolving will bump against the borders of material thought. You HAVE to transfer to a spiritual, filosophical perspective to even grappple with the facts science has proven to be true. Everytime I sit down with these magnificent truths about our universe, about us, a part of me just starts trembling because it just has to give up a narrow way of seeing my own role in this whole process. To really let in the fact we are part of this mysterious but very obvious life process is life changing. That's the challenge we all face, in which total liberation and -literally- ever expanding space is found! Dumbstruck :-)
Comment Link Tuesday, 20 September 2011 19:00 posted by Bergen Vermette
It's been almost a year since I posted this but I found a great quote today from Dawkins, that I thought i should add.

“If you look up at the Milky Way through the eyes of Carl Sagan, you get a feeling in your chest of something greater than yourself. And it is. But it’s not supernatural."

I agree with the quote entirely and actually think it builds on what I was saying above. The beauty of science is that it's revealing more and more of reality to us. And that reality is so grand and wonderful, it's more than we could ever have imagined.

But the best part is, it's *not* imagined. Science is proving there are things greater than us - and they're not supernatural. This discovery provides an opportunity for modern society to be in awe of existence. To be in awe of something greater than yourself, often leads to humility and reverence - qualities once associated with the religious traditions. Furthermore, learning the truth of our human condition and place in the universe may lead us to greater solidarity with our fellows as we come to see that we're all part of the same evolutionary process, not so different in the ways we normally assume. This creation story - knowing where you come from - and this solidarity are also things associated with the religious traditions (although solidarity is often confused from the original teachings and interpreted to mean solidarity only with others of the same religion). So while we can never know what's going to happen, I hold firm that the wonders of reality, as revealed by science, could help usher in a new age of spiritualism grounded in the objective sciences.

The full interview (and video clip) can be found here, it's a great read that ends in an Aurobindian twist! Dawkins suggests it's entirely plausible that we could evolve into God-like beings of light. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/20/science/20dawkins.html?pagewanted=1&_r=4&hp