Who are you? Who am I? | Week 30

July | Philosophy and Religion | Week 30 | 7/30/2023
What are the modern Philosophic and Theological doctrines today?

Philosophy and Religion have long marked the centuries and millennium as summative vectors behind eras. It was the Abrahamic religions which underpinned the Crusades. It was Confucius who brought China to bear. It was Plato, Socrates and Aristotle who likely began the Golden Thread. We know of the Enlightenment, Classical Antiquity, the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Renaissance, and Contemporary History. Each period can be quickly and easily matched with the prevailing Philosophic and Theological doctrines of the time. The perennial metamorphoses of philosophy and theology is the apheresis and coagulation of our species. It is what pushes and pulls humanity's journey. Taking contemporary history as ours to examine - what are the modern philosophic-theological camps that prevail today? Where do they come from and what do they represent? I can think of 8, which cross each other in some ways but mostly stand on their own as doctrines and dogmas.

[1] Contemporary Atheism

The New Atheism movement and Modern Atheism are oxymoron's and the reason behind my selection of the prefix "contemporary". Atheism is neither novel nor dynamic and therefore, in my opinion, my nomenclature is apropos. Atheism is defined by one of two motivations; worship of the intellect or nihilism. Irregardless of the motivation, the outcome is the same, belief in nothing, and therefore, there can be no modern or new. Belief in nothing is as old as time itself, it is the default state of an unconscious being and therefore is neither enlightened nor adaptable. Words like Modern and New attempt to appropriate Eastern ethos and Western logos, electrolyze transcendence and titrate out a doctrine which they claim is emergent. They do this because of a worship of the intellect or a possession by the resentment of nihilism. The outcome is the same, Atheism is Atheism.

[2] General Spiritual 

Most of the populace self-describe as one of the following colloquialisms: spiritual, spiritual but not religious, believer in God, or religious but practically speaking, non-active in organized religion. The vast majority of Western Europe, Asia, and North America fall into this group - Church for Christmas and weddings, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim for holidays, belief in a higher power, but overarchingly low-cadence activity year-round. This population is the largest net recipient of individuals over the last half century. Their beliefs are simple: God likely exists, religion has a place but is flawed and too restrictive, and religious affiliation is intended to be ethnic and cultural. 

[3] Enhanced Spiritual

The enhanced spiritual is an aspiring guru, sage, oracle or shaman; one who has indulged in psychedelics, who's worship isn't limited to a singular religious tradition or dogmatic enumeration. This amalgam of pantheism and paganism aligns, at least adjacently, to astrology and numerology. It can typically be best represented in music festival crowds, finding a form of group worship in the beauty of harmony and expression. There is an importance on nature and the human connection, almost echoing the traditions of Natives in North and South America. But ultimately, this group of individuals seeks a sort of Buddhist enlightenment without the effort and discipline. 

[4] Eastern Atheism 

It has been the prerogative of many and the achievement of few, to create a truly comprehensive doctrine via a multidisciplinary assessment and relegation process. Sam Harris is a real harbinger, and as far as I can tell, has achieved a novel and relatable set of principles and practices which I refer to as Eastern Atheism. Amongst many of the Eastern philosophies and religions is an obvious lack of piety. For Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism and Confucianism it can be rather implicit what the transcendent belief is. Hinduism and Sikhism are the exception to that rule but remain mostly located in India. Harris revolutionized the practical elements of Eastern Thought, particularly around mindfulness, meditation, attention and community, by placing them in a scaffolding, underpinned by Western morality with no necessity for God. Pure behaviorism. The argument starts to get shaky under the question of the origins of objectively "good" morality, but is explained away through sociology and evolution. This is a doctrine of Confucian philosophically, Buddhist practically, Abrahamic morally, and Atheist religiously. 

[5] Modern Materialism 

Materialism is and always will be an obvious contender for a religious and philosophical doctrine because it is the most visceral. No one denies the destruction of a hurricane or the menacing march of the Mongolian Hoard. Power dynamics, whether between humans or between humans and nature, are undeniable. Just as is the creation of mankind - the sounds of a Hendrix guitar solo, standing at the base of the Burj Khalifa - we possess and live amidst a tremendous capacity for the expression of power. This is the religious infrastructure of the modern materialist: life is all there is, this life, our creation. In this world, morality is malleable, the means justify the ends and Mother Nature is God. It is a monotheistic world view with Gaia at the top. The World Economic Forum is to this religion what the Vatican is to Christianity, what Israel is to the Jews, what the Dalai Lama is to Buddhism. 

[6] Modern Paganism 

If the central animating spirit of Modern Materialism is Climate Change, then for Modern Paganism it is WOKE. One thing I learned from Dr. Jordan Peterson, via Carl Jung, is that everyone has a hierarchy of attention and priority, and what they place at the top is, for lack of more descriptive phrasing, God. With Modern Materialism, that pinnacle, the cause that orients all action, is Earth, and the means justify the ends, which means population control is justified in order to sanctify mother nature. For Modern Paganism, there doesn't exist a single deity, the deities are fluid - one year it is anti-racism, one year it is transgenderism, perhaps one year it will be pedophilia. What animates the Modern Pagans is a duty to the self, and so in some ways, there is a monotheism embedded, whereby God is oneself. However, the self is really made up of multiple competing personalities, hence the Paganism. Pride, above all, is the absolute belief in oneself, one's feelings, and one's rightness (or righteousness). And it is not a coincidence that at the center of the WOKE agenda is the Pride Movement. 

[7] Refined Judeo-Christian

Directly opposing both Modern Materialism and Modern Paganism is the refined Judeo-Christian worldview. It is often thought of that Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson oppose one another, but I would argue they both oppose the doctrines I outlined above, albeit from different angles. Like a venn diagram, they have much in common with each other and a common adversary, just different modes of attack and defense. The main attempt of this philosophical and theological reformation is a return to the Golden Thread, rediscovering and reprioritizing the values of the Athens and Jerusalem, from the Old Testament to the works of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. This doctrine attempts to put forth a counter narrative to Wokeism, Materialism, Nihilism and Atheism centered around Conservatism, both religious and philosophical. 

[8] Orthodoxy 

Unchanging and antithetical to the equally stagnant atheism, this religious subgroup of the population can be found in many Muslim, Catholic, and Hindu nations like Iran, Romania and India. These are the theocratic hardliners, who follow the rules of their respective religion to a very high degree. This group will exist in perpetuity, so long as the atheist camp exists too. At the end of every spectrum are two points, which directly oppose one another. Not much can be said of this group or this doctrine other than it serves a purpose, as a paperweight on progress, a headstone on the past, and a bookend on tradition.