Pantheism. Part 4

"Believe those who are seeking the truth. 

Doubt those who find it". -Andre Gide

Outlook on life, and the purpose of life

To understand reality as it is is quite frankly a difficult task. We, humans, make understanding the world a lot more difficult than it should be. Even since prehistoric times our ancestors have tried to give meaning to events which they couldn't explain. It provides the brain with a tool that solves any puzzle, or so it seems. Myths and superstitions were born like that. Every society has myths and superstitions. This holds back the real understanding of what life is. What is the purpose of life? Is it to be afraid of what could happen? Or is it to learn what really happens? Most religions answer the question with rules and guidelines that must be followed, in order to fulfill the roll of a good person. The purpose of life is to be good, and to follow God's rules. However, there are no reasons to believe there is a God wanting us to do such things. Some people just want to control and manipulate others around them for their own goals. And this guidelines for life can be useful sometimes, but most of the time they are not. Most of them are taken from old books, which teachings could be applied in the society of their times. Nowadays, all societies and their different moral point of view makes it difficult to have a universal rule book of how to behave. So, obviously a universal religion is not a solution. Then, how can a Pantheistic view have a outlook of life? We see life as it is. We do no assume anything we cannot perceive by our senses and logic together. And even basic concepts such as egoism do not hold their original meaning when you see life that way. How so? Well, if you are truly egotistic, and want the best for you, then you must also care for others (be altruistic), as it is well known that in society, and nature, there is a fine balance between individuals and even non-living objects. If you break that balance, things fall apart and everything worsens. A simplistic way to see this would be, if you use 10% of your energy to help 10 people at different times of their life when they need it, and they all reciprocate 10% of their energy to you at a time when you need it, then it is as if 1 person dedicates 100% of its energy to you, which is better then being by yourself in a time of need. It is an extremely simplistic example, but it works very similarly in real life. The more people you take care of, the more people are going to be ready to take care of you when you need it. Maybe you are going to find a group of people who truly don't understand that and could even try to hurt you, but if you do your best to show them you have nothing against them, and that if they reciprocate they will get the benefits of your friendship, then the chances of having more people on your side is even bigger. So, it sounds maybe a bit cold, but you must care for others if you want them to care for you. It is amazing to see somebody who cares for others and do not expect anything in exchange, but there is genetic research that indicates that is not true in a deeper sense. Believe it or not, the selfish gene is a well known and accepted explanation of why some individuals are altruistic, which is the opposite of selfish behavior. The genes look up for their own survival, and in turn they make their carrier (the living organism) an altruistic agent (at different levels and extents of course) because that improves the chances of survival and reproduction. Now, we know we are not alive just to survive and reproduce. We have a brain capable of understanding beyond any other creature we have come to know so far. So, in the same way it is unethical to pretend not to know something, to avoid work. It is unethical not to use our minds to their fullest. If we know we are capable of learning something, we should try to learn it. We may never understand some things, but to live fully we must try. To learn, and to protect everything there is, because everything in the universe is part of a system that works well together. The universe is beautiful as it is, and we are part of it so we should embrace this life that was 'given' to us. That is my outlook on life. To keep looking for the limits of our minds, look for understanding and do not pretend to have it. to love and care for yourself and others, that is my purpose in life. 

Pantheism. Part 3

How is my view of the Universe different from that of a Theist or Deist?

The most obvious difference is the origin of the Universe. For most Theist and Deist, a God or more than one God created the Universe. For Science, and many beliefs that use science as the way to understand reality the Universe originated with the Big Bang. The Big Bang created Space-Time, hence it is not possible to talk about the before of the Big Bang. However, if at all possible, any cause or reason for the Big Bang is irrelevant to see how the Universe does work, and have not been proven to exist thus far. The other reason I would like to discuss is the idea of Emergent properties, but before I would like to explain a little bit about life. If you take a Biology class, one of the most wonderful and mind-blowing things you learn (hopefully) is the difference between a living organism and a non-living things. Allow me to summarize it in one word. Complexity. The basic unit of life is the Cell. The Cell (depending if Eukaryotic or Prokaryotic) is made out of membrane, cytoskeleton, genetic material, and organelles (nucleus, mitochondria, etc). All of this parts are necessary for the cell to work, and they are all made out of, essentially, atoms. All things, including non-living things, are made out of atoms. What makes a cell, and living organisms alive, is how the atoms are organized. In other words, complexity is a requirement for life. Biology is just complex Chemistry, ever heard of that? Now, the concept of emergent properties is tight up to complexity. The sum of the parts equal a greater thing than you would expect. You can't just gather all the elements that conform a body and expect the body to be made. But, if you arrange them in a specific way, through a specific process you get the body. The emergent properties of complex chemistry is life. Another way to put it, is that life is irreducible. Another example of an emergent property is consciousness. It is believed that consciousness is an emergent property of the brain. So, let's go back to the topic of the Universe. As the most complex thing there is, I believe the Universe has emergent properties. For example, the laws and forces science have discovered. And, maybe even more properties yet to discover. I do not believe necessarily that this emergent properties are outside of the Universe, or that they are different from the Universe. But just like consciousness doesn't seem to be part of mater, I think the Universe has properties outside of mater. After all the 4 forces of the universe (gravity, electromagnetism, strong force, and weak force) are all emergent properties of mater, but they are not mater per say). In conclusion, I do think there is more than what we can see. The emergent properties of the Universe for example, but I would not say they are different from the Universe. To me the Universe is all there is, opposed to how Theists or Deists think. For them, there is a second existence or reality call God or Divinity.

Pantheism. Part 2

My idea of Pantheism

Pantheism is the idea that the universe (everything that exists) or nature is the highest expression of existence. That sounds redundant.  Allow me to explain why it is not. Some people think there is a deity or deities that are separated, distinct from the universe, in most cases those deities are believed to have created the universe. In other words, some people believe these deities exist and are the most powerful and important beings there is, even more powerful and important that the universe, after all, in their view, these deities created the universe. However, there is a perspective where the universe does not need a creator. There is no need to introduce the idea of a creator to explain the universe. Current science have found out things about nature and so far, it is clear that even the most bizarre aspects of it can be explained given enough time devoted to research.  From this perspective, the Universe, is the most complex , important, powerful 'thing'. The Universe is the highest, most complex, most relevant, expression of reality or existence, because it is all there is. It is a complex explanation for a simple idea. But, that is because I like complexity, and I hope the point was made clear. At this point, I want to make an emphasis on how I use some words. Words are a tool of language to deliver a message. When the message is too complex, and hard to understand even for the source of the message (me) it takes many words to encompass it. Some prefer to use the word Divinity, or God. I prefer to use the words complex and complete. So, instead of calling the Universe God, or Divine (as many Pantheist do) I call it the most complex existence.

The Forever "All" by Guyus Seralius

As a Pantheist many times I am asked how do I identify myself with the Universe. How can I believe that I am not just part of the Universe, but I am in fact the Universe. First, I would like to give an example. There are many ways in which something is a part of something else. Some times people tend to undermine our position in the Cosmos. They see us, the human race, as something inside of the Universe. Imagine a fish inside of a fish tank. However, the fish tank is not the correct analogy for the Universe. The aquarium is the right analogy. A fish (and many other components like water) is completely necessary for a fish tank to become an Aquarium. In the same way, human beings are part of the universe, even if you can imagine a Universe without humans. That would not be our Universe. We are a part of the 'ALL'. So, I would like to share this video that describes a Pantheistic point of view about you, me and the Universe, in hopes it will enlighten you too. 

Pantheism. Part 1

Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Kevin Caro. I am a student at FIU working for my Marine Biology degree. However, I am a passionate researcher of philosophy and psychology too. I enjoy reading and shaping my ideas of the world and topics which I consider important and/or interesting. Today I am going to explain what Pantheism means to me. You can also see this as my personal opinion, because every individual beliefs are unique, and some terms and labels are only useful up to a certain point. I consider myself a Pantheist. But, as I just explained, I see Pantheism from a specific perspective. I am not implying that I am the only one with a specific view of Pantheism, I think there is a reason why it is called personal belief. Everyone has at least a slightly different point of view . Nor am I implying that nobody else thinks similarly, or that I am the first one to come up with this view. But, hopefully by the end of this text you learn something you didn't know, and more importantly something that you are happy to understand. This view has been shaped by my research on different topics such as scientific facts (to understand and accept a valid view of reality), spiritual beliefs from many religions (to understand what most people think about reality and/or divinity), and cultural aspects of groups like Atheists, Deist, Pantheists, and even Buddhists (to understand and inspire myself in how to deal with reality). So, now allow me to introduce you to my idea of Pantheism. From now on, I am going to try my best to stay away from using isms to replace an explanation. In other words, I am going to explain what I think, and not mention what the name of that ideology is. This will allow me for a more natural and intimate explanation of my beliefs, and you, the reader, will not have to worry about knowing this concepts beforehand.

Are you a Pantheist?

A quick test to help you find out according to your thinking how close are you to Pantheism, Deism, Agnosticism and other types of beliefs. I scored 100% Scientific Pantheist. I am going to explain the types of Pantheism soon! :)

SelectSmart - Are you a Pantheist?