Monthly Archives: January 2012

I’m Not Religious, But I Am…

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“He that humbleth himself wishes to be exalted.” Friedrich Nietzsche

I recently heard a student in a Religious Studies class declare that Atheism was, “A pretty bleak way of looking at things – kind of a sad life to live.”

The only interesting thing about this sentence is who’s talking.

I’m willing to play along, though. Atheism has some kind of cultural tinge of being angry and nihilistic (in fact, to try to fit the horrifying ideal of Atheism I am currently crying tears of pain while reading Nietzche in a shower of razor blades and black vinyl while listening to the Cure and hating my parents). We have no reason to give any value to anything, because it is all atomic machinery whose deterministic status renders human life’s value describable in one meaningless word: Poopsack.

So, let’s be open-minded and pretend we’re religious for a moment. Let’s give a good ear to the Buddhas, the Prophets, the Gurus and the Imams and the Priests (and their wive(s), slaves, concubines, boys and other unmentionables) telling us to look beyond this life for answers.

So life is just absolutely stinking skidmark filthy – life is a wretched damned march toward hellfire, life is an illusion filled with suffering, life is a challenge to be met, life is a punishment. Life is a critique of our behavior, life is a period of failed awakening, life is a stretch toward re-incarnation, life is a scapegoat, life is a discarded empty atomic corpse from which blooms the beautiful fiery deadly flower of faith.

In appreciation of our upcoming event (SHAFT presents “Celebrate Your Mind”) your feedback is absolutely crucial:

What is positive about your secular humanist, atheist or free-thinking attitude toward life?

 

 

 

Springtime of the Soul

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Please join us as we work through the book “In Defense of the Soul: What it Means to Be Human” by Ric Machuga, with help from Professor of Philosophy Harrison Kleiner.

:arrow: Join us Tuesdays, beginning January 17 from 4:00-4:50, in the lounge in the basement of Old Main.

What are you doing tomorrow?

Actually, I really don’t care. But I’d like to change the subject to how fascinated I am with you for being able to answer whatsoever. No other species has a concept of what the word “tomorrow” actually refers to.

Do you feel special?

And that’s not all you know, smarty-pants. What makes a triangle a triangle? “Well, my good man!” you say, “It’s three straight lines indubitably connecting. Indubitably!” and you chuckle with a mustachioed yawn through a scotch napkin. (For flavor I’m giving you the voice of a rich city snob from 1875).

But while you might think knowing what a triangle is befits any fourth-grader gibbering through a mouthload of Snack Packs – you must not ignore the importance of human rationality. We are the only species which apparently has the ability to conceptualize things such as perfect triangles. Who cares? Well, YOU should, if you’re a Materialist.

How do we explain the existence of rationalism in a material world? What does it mean to be a thoughtful creature, who can perceive of things such as “tomorrow?”

If your response was, “Well, that’s what it means to be human!” then you’re indubitably right.

Please join SHAFT this Spring as we explore materialism through the lens of the intensely cerebral ancient and medieval philosophers, peeking into the fascinating metaphysics of some of the greatest thinkers in history – Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, who propose we have “souls” that exist outside of space and time.

To acquaint us with these intriguing ideas and further our understanding, SHAFT is very honored to have the help of Professor Harrison Kleiner this Spring. Those interested in understanding how contemporary thinkers are talking about Atheism, Materialism and the Soul should join the discussion for some valuable insight.

Ric Machuga, who visited USU years ago, argues for the existence of the human soul and a higher meaning for human life than the materialist allows. These indefatigable and contemporary perspectives based on ancient philosophy are problematic for those of us who see ourselves as a function of senseless atomic machinery.

Please join us!

Your response should be, “Indubitably. I’ll keep a bespectacled eye on my pocket-watch, my good man.”