The Essence of Life is One

Is there a God? If so, what is She like?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
User avatar
Agent Smith
Posts: 1442
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:23 pm

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Agent Smith »

That's a tough one! It's a good question though! All I can say is we all seem ta be worried to bits about something, something that once swallowed a goat, blinded a bat, and crippled an elephant, the sequence is left ta ya ta finish. It tries ta masquerade as a wolf but the tail is a dead giveaway. What can I say? Shhhhhh.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Agent Smith wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:34 pm That's a tough one! It's a good question though! All I can say is we all seem ta be worried to bits about something, something that once swallowed a goat, blinded a bat, and crippled an elephant, the sequence is left ta ya ta finish. It tries ta masquerade as a wolf but the tail is a dead giveaway. What can I say? Shhhhhh.
EXCELLENT!
User avatar
Agent Smith
Posts: 1442
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:23 pm

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Agent Smith »

popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:43 pm
Agent Smith wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:34 pm That's a tough one! It's a good question though! All I can say is we all seem ta be worried to bits about something, something that once swallowed a goat, blinded a bat, and crippled an elephant, the sequence is left ta ya ta finish. It tries ta masquerade as a wolf but the tail is a dead giveaway. What can I say? Shhhhhh.
EXCELLENT!
Why, thank ye!
User avatar
attofishpi
Posts: 9939
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2011 8:10 am
Location: Orion Spur
Contact:

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by attofishpi »

popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
What would this 'essence' of all life that you think could (possibly) be established scientifically as the 'same'? What would that sameness entail?
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

attofishpi wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 2:12 am
popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
What would this 'essence' of all life that you think could (possibly) be established scientifically as the 'same'? What would that sameness entail?
The essence of life could be said to be just that, life, for there is only one biology, and that is carbon-based biology. The essence or the workings thereof of life are one, differing as much as I can tell, only in structure, form, and thus functions that adapt life to different niches within the environment. This realization would end humanity's egocentricity and alien orientation of being thrown into this world as many mythologies/religions promote, to one of being of the earth within the family of life. With this understanding, I wonder what form or forms the new religions/mythologies would take on, certainly not I think of the supernatural kind we have today.
Iwannaplato
Posts: 6591
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:55 pm

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Iwannaplato »

popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
Animist and panpsychist/theist tendencies might return to being the facets they were in nearly all spirituality earlier in history.
Skepdick
Posts: 14347
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 11:16 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Skepdick »

popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
It would make no difference whatsoever. In the exact same way it would make no difference if science established the objectivity of morality.

Knowledge doesn't work like that. Humans don't work like that.

Learning amounts to an actionable change in behaviour, not change of mind.

Now that I know that "the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form." - I have absolutely no idea what to do with this information; or how to adapt my behaviour in response to it.
User avatar
Agent Smith
Posts: 1442
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:23 pm

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Agent Smith »

Sam Harris (the Richard Dawkins of the US) thinks science has tons ta say about morality.

Come ta think of it, yeah, it does ... cogito ... ergo nyet sum.
Last edited by Agent Smith on Fri May 19, 2023 1:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ansiktsburk
Posts: 447
Joined: Sat Nov 02, 2013 12:03 pm
Location: Central Scandinavia

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Ansiktsburk »

popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
The myth makers wouldnt be too cast down by that, since that essence wouldnt bother people too much, finding it boring, and probably not too flattering for the individuals.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Ansiktsburk wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 7:33 am
popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
The myth makers wouldn't be too cast down by that, since that essence wouldn't bother people too much, finding it boring, and probably not too flattering for the individuals.
That would be the ideal development, to break the egocentric delusion of being at the top of the evolutionary ladder or being of divine origin. The delusion of free will in the sense of human action, to find humanity like all organisms are reactionary creatures, it would be a renewed mindset in that it would be healthier for life and the planet. Religion, as pretentious as it is, would take a great fall and have to reinvent itself. The orientation as to how one should be in the world would change and humanity would cease to be a blight upon the planet. Modern man could while keeping his technology could use it more responsibly, and go back like our ancestors to living in the world as a sacred place. For as that great mythologist the late Joseph Campell stated, mythology is the other man's religion.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Agent Smith wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 7:18 am Sam Harris (the Richard Dawkins of the US) thinks science has tons ta say about morality.

Come ta think about it, yeah, it does ... cogito ... ergo nyet sum.
Yes, Sam Harris in particular makes quite a good case for the rationality of science doing a better job of it than the two thousand five hundred years old mythology of the three desert religions. Seems obvious to me that religion itself is but a biological extension or human expression of the fears and knowledge of our ancestors, and that man bestowed morality on religion, religion did not bestow morality on man. Mythology was intended to give man an orientation to the world and how to live in it, it certainly needs to be revamped, we have learned quite a lot about ourselves and the world in the past two thousand five hundred years.
Last edited by popeye1945 on Fri May 19, 2023 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Skepdick wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 7:06 am
popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
It would make no difference whatsoever. In the exact same way, it would make no difference if science established the objectivity of morality.

Knowledge doesn't work like that. Humans don't work like that.

Learning amounts to an actionable change in behavior, not a change of mind.

Now that I know that "the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form." - I have absolutely no idea what to do with this information; or how to adapt my behavior in response to it.
You say it would make no difference believing you have not been previously been programmed, that is naive. Science would not prove morality is objective because it is not. It is a human sensibility that humanity has made manifest in the world, in other words, it is meaning bestowed upon a meaningless world. As to your theory of education, I think you need to ponder that a bit. Your statement of having absolutely no idea what to do with this new information is not surprising, transformation would come through cultural programming, as in the past would be done to you. The realization of an alternative to way of being in the world would be a saner approach to life and the environment.
popeye1945
Posts: 2119
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2021 2:12 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by popeye1945 »

Iwannaplato wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 6:47 am
popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
Animist and panpsychist/theist tendencies might return to being the facets they were in nearly all spirituality earlier in history.
Yes, many native cultures around the world still have not lost the sense of being of the world and living in a sacred place. Their relationship to other animals is of a much more reasonable character, modernity treats other living things as commodities and/or inanimate objects. Factory farming comes to mind, what a horrific reality.
Skepdick
Posts: 14347
Joined: Fri Jun 14, 2019 11:16 am

Re: The Essence of Life is One

Post by Skepdick »

popeye1945 wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 9:29 am
Skepdick wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 7:06 am
popeye1945 wrote: Thu May 18, 2023 11:24 pm How would future religions/mythologies develop if science could establish that the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form. Let your imaginations take free range.
It would make no difference whatsoever. In the exact same way, it would make no difference if science established the objectivity of morality.

Knowledge doesn't work like that. Humans don't work like that.

Learning amounts to an actionable change in behavior, not a change of mind.

Now that I know that "the essence of all life is the same, differing only in structure and form." - I have absolutely no idea what to do with this information; or how to adapt my behavior in response to it.
You say it would make no difference believing you have not been previously been programmed, that is naive. Science would not prove morality is objective because it is not.
Q.E.D

Science has already proven that morality is objective. Yet you (and many scientists) still believe that morality is subjective.

So it makes no difference.
popeye1945 wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 9:29 am It is a human sensibility that humanity has made manifest in the world, in other words, it is meaning bestowed upon a meaningless world. As to your theory of education, I think you need to ponder that a bit. Your statement of having absolutely no idea what to do with this new information is not surprising, transformation would come through cultural programming, as in the past would be done to you. The realization of an alternative to way of being in the world would be a saner approach to life and the environment.
Meaning bestowed upon a meaningless world.
Morality bestowed upon an moralless world.

What's the difference?

The alternative way of being would simply be an alternative way of being. There would be nothing sane; or insane about it.
Post Reply