SciAm Column on "Rational Atheism"; The Dangers of Being "Anti" Rather Than "Pro" - Entering the Networked World. DON'T PANIC!

Topics: Insights, Religion, Politics, Activism, Philosophy, Conflicts, Thought

The Skeptic column in the September 2007 Scientific American, "Rational Atheism", seeks to address the current fad of strident atheism. (I call it a fad because the currents of antagonism are likely to burn out the movement and produce more heat than light.) Michael Shermer's thoughtful column is applicable to issues other than religion vs. atheism. This is why it is good reading even for people not interested in the religion-atheism debates.

The key points Shermer makes are

Anti-something movements by themselves will fail.
Positive assertions are necessary.
Rational is as rational does.
The golden rule is symmetrical.
Promote freedom of belief and disbelief.

These good ideas are applicable to so many areas of life.

As I study the Networked World, I see many conflicts of worldviews, religions, and politics behind various information security challenges. In the Western democratic societies, it is easy for many people concerned about Islamist movements and terrorism to adopt an "anti" stance.While that might seem useful in the short run, it is prone to disaster. Yes, there will be conflicts, but it is far more important to know what you are for than what you are against.

Because of this, I am glad that Shermer included a great quote by the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. In the 1950's he gave the following warning to his anti-Communist colleagues:

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“An anti-something movement displays a purely negative attitude. It has no chance whatever to succeed. Its passionate diatribes virtually advertise the program they attack. People must fight for something that they want to achieve, not simply reject an evil, however bad it may be.”
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A starker warning I all too well remember comes from Nietzsche:

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Anyone who fights with monsters should make sure that he does not in the process become a monster himself. And when you look for a long time into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.

Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 146
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When looking at some of the horrible things in the world, facing the nightmares of our day, it is so important to strive to make for a better world, not merely to fight the monsters. Find what is worth preserving, what is worth nurturing, what is worth creating, and what is worth sharing.

J.D. Abolins