Aweism
Spirituality is (unfortunately, I think) a dirty word to a lot of atheists.
We like to talk about what amazes us - looking at the night sky and knowing how fascinatingly small we are compared to its expanse, pondering how our long evolutionary origins moved from bacteria to entities capable of building computers,
The other day at an atheist meetup in St. Louis, we talked about using the term "aweism" to refer to our own wonder and awe at experiencing the world around us.
Phil Zuckerman was the first to publicize the idea, in an edition of Free Inquiry magazine. He writes:
Lack of belief in gods does not render the universe more mundane than it was before. I like to think that the universe is more amazing and inspiring, given that the life here on earth arose due to entirely natural (rather than supernatural) processes. I am amazed that every one of the molecules in my body was at one time part of a star, part of the big bang, part of the origins of the universe. In a way, when we feel a subjective feeling of connection to the universe, I ponder if this is part of what we are feeling - it's an emotional response brought on by rational understanding. We are connected, and it's impossible to escape.
We like to talk about what amazes us - looking at the night sky and knowing how fascinatingly small we are compared to its expanse, pondering how our long evolutionary origins moved from bacteria to entities capable of building computers,
The other day at an atheist meetup in St. Louis, we talked about using the term "aweism" to refer to our own wonder and awe at experiencing the world around us.
Phil Zuckerman was the first to publicize the idea, in an edition of Free Inquiry magazine. He writes:
Yes, I am an atheist. Yes I am an agnostic- at least the version that suspects that there may be limits to human knowledge. Yes, I support and advocate the sane and noble goals of secular humanism. But I am something more. I am often full of a profound feeling. And the word that comes closest to describing that profound feeling is awe...
Aweism
Aweism is the belief that existence is ultimately a beautiful mystery, that being alive is a wellspring of wonder, and that the deepest questions of life, death, time, and space are so powerful as to inspire deep feelings of joy, poignancy, and sublime awe... There are literally hundreds of words to describe the religious... and yet when we consider the labels and self-designations available to secular folk we can count them on one or two hands... We should not shy away from articulating the various shades of secularity that we may experience, for it is important to others as well as to ourselves, to accurately describe the numerous ways in which one can be godless..."
Lack of belief in gods does not render the universe more mundane than it was before. I like to think that the universe is more amazing and inspiring, given that the life here on earth arose due to entirely natural (rather than supernatural) processes. I am amazed that every one of the molecules in my body was at one time part of a star, part of the big bang, part of the origins of the universe. In a way, when we feel a subjective feeling of connection to the universe, I ponder if this is part of what we are feeling - it's an emotional response brought on by rational understanding. We are connected, and it's impossible to escape.
Labels: atheism, spirituality
posted by Ziztur
at
3:00 PM
6 Comments:
Yes, knowing about DNA doesn't make a flower less beautiful. Or optics make a Rainbow less interesting either. We can still enjoy the beauty and wonder of the universe around us.
you've probably heard ann druyan talk about this -- a good example is this great interview on point of inquiry:
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/ann_druyan_carl_sagan_and_the_varieties_of_scientific_experience
i was prompted at one point to start a series of posts with spiral galaxies under the label 'spiral-tuality' on my blog.
i refuse to cheapen the wonder of this universe with made-up stories of limited imagination.
Yoism is the same idea. I also see nothing wrong with using the word spiritual. Hitchens uses numinous all the time.
The fact that the blind impersonal universe created beings such as us is nothing less than wondrous. The fact that I am conscious, and experience qualia, amazes me every day.
I agree that the scientific view is filled with more awe; unfortunately the religious view is more sympathetic to our petty desires to live forever. The heat death of the universe is only a pleasant end if you're heat, I guess.
If only science would hurry up and discover that the world is actually made of never-ending rainbows and lollipops.
Shorter version: science is neat. Scientists already knew that.
I tend to shy away from the word "spiritual" because most people, I think, do tend to associate the term with supernatural ideas.
On the other hand, I think many people think of the human "soul" as being completely naturalistic, as being the unique mind of a given human being. So I don't go out of my way to refrain from using the word "soul" to describe my mind. It's just very inaccurate to say that I'm "spiritual" in any way.
Aweism, on the other hand, might be a useful term, yeah.
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