Episode 3

Human Uniqueness and Value (according to the four great worldviews)

Do we humans have a purpose? Is that purpose given to us, or do we seek to make one for ourselves?

Are humans uniquely valuable? More valuable than gorillas and gophers? If so, why?

This episode discusses how each of the four great world views would answer those questions.

Transcript
Speaker:

Microphone (ZOOM P4 Audio): Welcome to

philosophy and faith where our goal is

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to help you navigate your intellectual

and spiritual journey, especially in

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regards to topics like God, faith and

doubt, meaning and purpose and more.

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I'm Nathan Beasley and I'm Daniel Jepson.

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And together we discuss the big

questions that humans have wrestled

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with for thousands of years.

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We're glad you can join us.

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So today we're going to be

telling me about the philosophical

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category called anthropology.

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Which is a really big.

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Fancy word.

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For the category that explores the nature

of humans, humanity questions, like what

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sets humans apart from other animals are.

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course, it's interesting.

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If you pick up a philosophy

textbook, it probably won't have

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a chapter labeled anthropology.

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Really.

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Yeah, and at the apology.

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Is a term in the category

I like to use because.

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This is The place where at least

two of those other large divisions.

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Intersect.

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And that would be the

categories of metaphysics.

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As well as the categories of value theory.

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And then it also affects systemology.

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Yeah.

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This to me, seems like a

deeply important question.

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Because it feels a little bit less

Ethereum to me, and more grounded because.

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You know where people.

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And so do people matter,

are people important?

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Are they different?

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Right.

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What's the value.

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Especially, I think a lot of the

political questions that we have.

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Related to, economy or related to

just the treatment, the unborn

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or a lot of these are probably

grounded in anthropology's at affair.

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Yes.

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And even more than that though, I think.

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One of the reasons.

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That this hits home for me or

that I want to talk about it.

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It's because I feel people don't have an

understanding of their purpose as humans.

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I think there is an answer to that.

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But I think most people.

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Either don't think about their

purpose for being here or conclude.

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They don't have a purpose for being here.

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Or they're just a little

confused about the whole thing.

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Yeah.

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This one is more kind

of personal, perhaps.

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I think so.

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Yeah, we're going to be talking about.

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What makes humans unique?

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And then related to that,

what makes them valuable?

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And that will give the

foundation for finding purpose.

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Purpose for humanity, but also more

importantly for our individual purpose.

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Gotcha.

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Yeah.

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I can see how it's kind of in between.

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Metaphysics.

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And value theory.

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Right.

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And that's why I'm using the

term anthropology, even though.

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I risking.

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Having the thought confused

with physical anthropology.

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Which studies.

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Human origins and societies so

we're going to look at again.

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At the four.

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Broad categories, the families, so

to speak the four big worldviews.

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And of course, these are

a little bit generalized.

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For the sake of not having

a five-hour long podcast.

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Yeah, we're, we're flying

at 40,000 foot level here.

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This is, an overview.

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So each of these is really.

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A family of worldviews underneath

that, or, or different ways

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of looking at this world.

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Yeah, it's kind of like we mentioned

last time by allergy, you have the

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species which would be homosapiens,

then you have the genus, which would be.

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, primates.

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And then the larger family,

which would be mammals.

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So we're looking at this larger families

of ideas yeah, that makes sense.

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So we've got monotheism, we've

got atheism, we've got pantheism

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and we've got polytheism.

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sO what do you say we get into

each of these exploring kind of the

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perspective on each of these four

big worldviews and their relationship

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to the uniqueness and the value of.

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Humanity.

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Yeah, let's do it.

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Cool.

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All right.

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Let's do monotheism first.

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So, what would you say is the,

anthropology of monotheism?

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The basic fundamental.

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Idea or truth.

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About anthropology within

this monotheistic perspective.

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Is that humans are created.

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And they're created with a

purpose and a value inherently.

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So.

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A Christian.

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And a jury will believe that there is

a God who transcends this universe.

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And that a certain time.

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To use that word loosely.

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He brought forth within

this world, certain beings.

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And one race or species

of that being homosapiens.

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And that they have a unique value because

they alone are created in God's image

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to be God's likeness within this world.

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So that is a fundamentally

important distinction.

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That is not true with the other worldviews

that we're going to be looking at.

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So in this viewpoint.

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Humans are unique.

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Because they have a unique place in role

within this world and a unique potential

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for a relationship with the creator.

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And he went to our valuable.

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Because God has given us that

valuable role and purpose, it plays.

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Right from the start.

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So it's an inherent thing.

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Value is a, gift that you were given.

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It's something inherent about you

simply by virtue of being a human.

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It's not something you achieve.

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And because of that, your

value is not dependent on what

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you do or how smart you are.

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How beautiful you are., the ugliest

person in the world is just as

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valuable as the most beautiful

supermodel a person with down syndrome.

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Is just as valuable as the next Einstein.

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It's not based on any of those criteria.

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Gotcha.

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Yeah, that's really interesting.

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So , it's not performance or

function-based as much as just

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like you said, it's inherent.

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Yes.

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Okay.

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, you want to start talking

about the next one here?

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Sure.

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So the next one you would call.

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Secular thought or you could call

it materialism or naturalism.

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Here because we're lining them all up

according to their most basic belief about

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the nature of reality in terms of look at.

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We're calling it atheism.

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Naturalism is a better

name for the worldview.

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The idea that reality is

matter and energy only.

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So nature as opposed to supernatural.

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And again, this is the basic idea.

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There are no gods of any kind.

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And there's nothing that transcends this.

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Cosmos that we're in.

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However you want to define it.

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And remember last time

we talked about having.

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small terrarium in your hands.

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And the question is, is there

anything outside the trigger,

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anything outside the box?

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And monotheism.

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Christianity Judaism Islam say yes.

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That the box is not eternal.

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That there was a timer place when it

was brought into being by our person.

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But secular thought doesn't have that

answer because they don't believe in a

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personal God outside of the universe.

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Now if that's the case.

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Then a couple of things happen.

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First of all, you have a

different ultimate reality.

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Or example, You brought that

terrarium into existence.

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And in this case, like

creation, extra Hilo.

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You did not do that from

preexisting materials.

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But you were able to create both

the materials and the form of that.

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No.

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And that scenario, you have

kind of two realities, right?

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Yeah.

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Have you, and the things that you

have bay, which ones are ultimate.

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MI.

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Yeah, because you can exist without that.

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Yeah, he can't exist without you.

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There's a contingency.

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It depends upon you.

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It's not as ultimate.

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And one day conceivably,

you could do away with it.

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If you chose to.

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Yeah.

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So in that scenario, the

ultimate reality is personal.

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Rational.

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And purposeful.

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But if the box is the

only thing that there is.

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If there is nothing that

transcends the cosmos.

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Then you don't have that answer.

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Somehow in this scenario.

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That matter became.

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Formed.

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Into the structure of the

universe that we know now.

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And at some point in time, Some

of that matter and we're using

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matter in the most generic sense.

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So, whatever you call the stuff

of the universe, apart from

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God or the supernatural RO.

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Okay.

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So somehow that matter.

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Formed until living beings.

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Now I hear sometimes.

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Our atheist friends tell us that they

don't accept anything , without evidence.

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I don't think that's true.

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Because everyone that I

have met has believed that.

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Life arose from non-living matter.

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Why?

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Well, because they don't

believe in any sort of creation.

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Whether it's guided evolution

or creation instantaneously.

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By necessity.

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They believe that it had to work.

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It's the only option.

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You really have somehow matter arose

from non-living matter, there was no

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purpose because there was no purpose or.

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It just happened.

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And the course you can't prove

that life could come from non-life.

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We have never seen it happened.

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In fact, one of the fundamental

principles of biology is biogenesis.

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The life always comes

for preexisting life.

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That's always the way it has worked.

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Every time we have seen life arise.

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It has been following that principle.

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But if you believe that there is

no living thing outside the cosmos.

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And yet we are alive.

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You have to believe that.

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But think about what that means

then for the uniqueness and

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the value of the living things.

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There's no purpose there.

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So there's no purpose.

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There's no end in mind.

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It's simply came to be.

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Either by blind chance or

the necessity of pre-existing

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conditions, but not by purpose.

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Therefore, what are humans?

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They're just the product

of some natural process.

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Right.

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I guess.

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How would you say it?

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. Under this viewpoint.

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What's usually.

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Upheld.

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And really the only thing I've really

seen a pill consistently is this idea.

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That humans in their present

form exist and are formed by the

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laws of natural selection alone.

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So we're not just talking about

evolution versus creation.

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You can be a Christian

and believe in evolution.

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You just play the God guided that process.

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And that he made sure that

it attained certain NS.

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But you don't have that

option if there is no, God.

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All you have is unguided

natural selection.

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So, how are the organisms

of this world formed?

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Only because certain mutations.

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Gave certain members of that species.

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In advantage.

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When it came to reproductive fitness.

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Which usually also implies

getting more food and resources.

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You get more food and resources.

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You're probably going to reproduce more.

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So . Chance mutation that occurred that

helped your subset of this species.

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Get more food or resources.

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It's going to naturally be

selected as occurring more often

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in the next generation until

eventually that whole species.

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Changes and is modified into something.

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Slightly different because of that.

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So the mechanism involved.

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Is simply natural selection alone.

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That's the only game in town.

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Now in that case, then

what happens is that.

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Humans have evolved only by that process.

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And humans.

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Do not necessarily have any inherent value

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so can I hop in

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perhaps at the best would

say that we were created.

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Versus, somebody coming from a secular

perspective would say, We're not created.

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We're not created beings.

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There's not any intentional creation.

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From a transcendent being.

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, the next question then is the process of

how humans became humans, either through

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a guided process from The S perspective.

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Versus not.

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A guided process, natural selection.

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And so from the theist perspective

then, because there's there's

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creation from a creator.

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With a process that somehow guided.

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There is an inherent purpose and value.

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But for the secular perspective.

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There's no intentional creation.

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The processes, natural selection.

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So there's really not

any inherent, inherent.

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Value.

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Or purpose maybe beyond the continuing

on the natural selection process.

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Is that fair?

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Yeah, for the most part, I think it is.

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And again, we could ask, why is it.

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Important for us to carry

on the reproductive process.

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I guess that the answer.

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I don't know.

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I haven't thought through,

I mean, just because that's.

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That's what we're a part of and

that's what we're supposed to do.

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Yeah, we could say that.

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I'm not sure how intellectually

satisfying that answer is.

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Yeah.

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Or.

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Or why our species we should see for the

good of that as opposed to other species.

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Like cockroaches.

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Or mosquitoes.

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They are the result of the same

process so we've been talking a little

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bit about kind of the, the origins

and that kind of thing, but what

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then what would separate humans from

the cockroaches or the mosquitoes.

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The usual answer that I

had seen from naturalists.

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Is.

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Primarily two things.

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One we are.

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Conscious of ourselves in a way

that the other species are not.

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And then second, we have a

higher degree of function.

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We are more intelligent.

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We can do more things

because of that intelligence.

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So we functioned at a greater level.

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We're more organized

in our thought process.

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More creative in our thought

process, we can do these things

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that other species can't.

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Gotcha.

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How would they, how would they Christian?

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Or the monotheist answered that question.

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They would say that we are

able to do those things because

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we're made in a distinct way.

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Through her distinct.

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Process or purpose.

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Gotcha.

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The problem with stating.

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That.

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Our value is dependent on those

things and not an inherent gift.

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Well, there's a couple problems with it.

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First of all, you have a hard time.

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Stating which species have self-awareness.

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Maybe cockroach has dealt, but

what about the higher mammals?

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So it's, it doesn't seem to be

clear, cut and dried in that sense.

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And the other problem with

self-consciousness as a criteria is

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Why is that more valuable than the not.

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That's something we value because

we have that, but that doesn't

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mean it's inherently valuable.

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And again, the problem with.

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Arguing for our value based

upon our functionality.

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Our intelligence, creativity,

transmission of cultural things we're

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able to do because of our intelligence.

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Is because number one, why should

that inherently be more valuable?

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And number two.

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What you have then is

you have a value system.

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That puts certain people,

high functioning people.

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As more valuable by your criteria,

then those who are less intelligent.

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Hm.

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Let me give you an example of that.

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In 1993 philosopher named Peter singer.

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Made the statement that no newborn

should be considered a person.

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Until 30 days after birth.

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And that the attending physician should

kill some disabled babies on the spot.

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Now we might think that's a crazy radical.

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Idea that no one else would.

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Hold or sanction or accept.

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But in fact, five years later,

he was appointed as professor.

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Of bioethics at Princeton.

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Really.

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How did, how did he arrive

at this, at this Conclusion.

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Well, he w he wrote this in 1979.

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Human babies are not born.

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Self-aware.

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Or capable of grasping

that they exist over time.

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They're not persons.

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Therefore.

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Life of a newborn is of less

value than the life of a pig.

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A dog.

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Or a chimpanzee.

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So personhood is based on self-awareness.

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Yes.

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And so in intelligence, And so those

animals that have more self-awareness than

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an infant are inherently more valuable.

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Yes.

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That's interesting.

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Right.

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And I think we can see

the problem with that.

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Hopefully.

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It's also really interesting

that the way, I mean, this is.

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We've kind of been talking a lot about

how all of these are interconnected.

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So how you think about yes.

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Uh, humanity and anthropology

is going to affect your ethics.

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And that's very clear.

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That, the ethical tip of the iceberg

here has a lot of stuff beneath it.

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Uh, related to anthropology and

metaphysics and that kind of thing too.

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Right.

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Let me give you one more quote

by bertrand Russell, who was A

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very famous philosopher in atheist.

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Uh, the previous century.

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He writes, the man is

the product of causes.

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Which had no prevision of the

end that they were achieving.

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And that his origin, his growth, his

hopes and fears, his love and his beliefs.

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R, but the outcome of accidental

collocations of atoms.

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And that no fire, no heroism, no

intensity of thought and feeling.

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Can preserve an individual

life beyond the grave.

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And that all the labor of the ages, all

the devotion, all the inspiration, all

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the new name brightness or the human

genius are destined to extinction and

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the vast death of the solar system.

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And that the whole tipple of ants

achievement must inevitably be buried

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beneath the debris of a universe in ruins.

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All these things, if not

quite beyond dispute.

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Our yet.

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So nearly certain that no philosophy

which rejects them can hope to stand.

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Only within the scaffolding

of these truths.

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Only on the firm foundation of UN.

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Yielding despair.

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Can the soul's habitation.

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Henceforth be safely built.

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What's he saying there.

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Well, he's saying you have to

just come to realize the fact.

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That if there is no, God.

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Then.

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Mankind is here.

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Pretty much by accident.

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And that all the he does and achieves

is not going to outlive a certain

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amount of time, period and so we

have to live in light of those

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realities that he believes anyway.

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And what's, what's the, what does he

say is the emotional response to that?

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That last sentence you mean?

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Yeah.

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Only within the scaffolding of

these truths, only on the firm

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foundation of unyielding despair.

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Can the soul's habitation

henceforth be safely built.

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That's so interesting, right?

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And I think he was more

open and consistent than.

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A lot of our naturalistic

brothers and sisters.

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Like Nietzsche.

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He was able to see that.

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The denial of gout or the

death of God as he put it.

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Has serious consequences

for how we view mankind.

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And a lot of people.

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Either haven't gotten the memo

or they don't want to read it.

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And that's so interesting

because I mean, Peter singer.

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And Bertrand Russell are heavy hitters.

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Yeah.

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I mean, this is not taking th

the guy down the street, these are.

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These are really well-respected.

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Philosophers.

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Sure from this atheistic

perspective, they just, like you

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said, they can connect the dots

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But that's, that's just fascinating that.

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The talk of despair that comes as an,

as a logically flowing conclusion to.

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Denying the existence of guy.

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Exactly.

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Cool.

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So when you we've spent a lot of time on.

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, what we've called monotheism and

what we've called secularism.

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Now there are two other big.

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Families.

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Cheryl view's there as what

we're calling E Eastern thought

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or pantheism, and then there's

paganism or what we call polytheism.

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I'd love to hear you

reflect on the anthropology.

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You get to choose which one you

want to talk about first though?

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Well, let's talk about

Eastern thought and, and here.

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I'm primarily thinking of

classical Hindu thought.

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Because that I think is

the most influential.

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, of all the others.

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Not everyone in the east is going to hold.

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These viewpoints.

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Sure.

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But Hinduism.

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Is a huge popular religion.

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And it has developed a certain

coherence of its ideas.

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And very.

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impressive way sometimes.

458

:

In Hinduism.

459

:

In this hype of Eastern thought.

460

:

When you talk about mankind.

461

:

You have to distinguish

very carefully between.

462

:

, what you called the outman.

463

:

And then the particular person or form or

animal that you have to be at the time.

464

:

So the idea is that there

is a living essence.

465

:

I called it, not mine.

466

:

That pervades all living things.

467

:

And at various times it will assume.

468

:

Different forms like you like your wife,

like your child, but also like your, your

469

:

pets or pretty much any mammal or other.

470

:

Animals that you can think of.

471

:

And the analogy that's that's used.

472

:

I uh, one of their

sacred writings is that.

473

:

Just as a person.

474

:

Whereas closed for certain while and

then takes them off and changes them.

475

:

So this life force.

476

:

Takes on your forum for awhile.

477

:

And the discards that changes

it into different life for.

478

:

So.

479

:

It's a very sharp dualism.

480

:

Between your physical state right now.

481

:

And this inner.

482

:

Op Bon within you, this living force.

483

:

Your body's going to die.

484

:

But this op Mt is simply

going to take another form.

485

:

I've grown up in the west.

486

:

So this is, very new.

487

:

Yeah.

488

:

To me.

489

:

Is it kind of like a soul or a

spirit kind of in Western terms?

490

:

It is, but less personal.

491

:

So from what I understand anyway,

they would not view the outbound as.

492

:

Personally distinct and heavy,

personal will volition and values.

493

:

, it's more.

494

:

I don't want to say in personal

life force, but it's more that than

495

:

what we would say as a soul or a

person or a spirit of a person.

496

:

Related to that.

497

:

There's also the belief that.

498

:

Outmatch is Brotman the idea that.

499

:

There's not really a distinction

between the art man that is within you.

500

:

This living forest.

501

:

And this ultimate one oneness.,

so that's the idea that.

502

:

Inside of you.

503

:

There is this spiritual force that

is also identical in some ways.

504

:

To the spiritual life force

of the entire universe.

505

:

Your present life is just one.

506

:

Manifestation of that force

taking on a physical form.

507

:

Just like you would put on

certain clothes for a day.

508

:

And then that's done away

with, and it picks up another

509

:

set of clothes or another.

510

:

Physical.

511

:

Uh, manifestation of who it is.

512

:

Gotcha.

513

:

To help us understand this.

514

:

Can you give us a refresher because I feel

like it's pertinent on the metaphysics

515

:

and especially the idea of Mon ism.

516

:

Awesome.

517

:

Right.

518

:

So Mona's him.

519

:

Simply means the idea that all is one.

520

:

The reality is not two things

or multiple divisible things.

521

:

Reality is all one thing.

522

:

And in Eastern thought.

523

:

The divisions that we see in the

world, the positions between you and I

524

:

habitual between you and other things.

525

:

Is actually Maya.

526

:

The word they use best way to translate

that I believe would be in illusion.

527

:

Okay.

528

:

So your goal here.

529

:

And this is pertinent

to anthropology because.

530

:

We're going to talk about your purpose

of goal, but your goal of your life,

531

:

is to grow further in understanding.

532

:

These truths.

533

:

To find the Enlite to me.

534

:

Enlightenment being

defined as a knowledge.

535

:

Of this in the deepest way possible.

536

:

Thank you.

537

:

So, then maybe the question,

the other question, we talk about

538

:

human uniqueness and human value.

539

:

So it sounds to me.

540

:

Like if.

541

:

We are all God.

542

:

Not in the sense that we're all

gods, but there's a Mon ism.

543

:

All his wine, then there's

a high value to human life.

544

:

You would think that,

545

:

But when Western people really

started engaging with the cultures

546

:

of these in particular India, they.

547

:

Couldn't help concluding that

they felt life was cheap.

548

:

There.

549

:

Really.

550

:

And I think we can

follow the logic of this.

551

:

So in again, in Western mild theistic

religions, human life is unique

552

:

and valuable because it alone.

553

:

Is a manifestation of the

partnership of God within this world.

554

:

Right?

555

:

But that's not true.

556

:

In, Hinduism.

557

:

In Hinduism.

558

:

There is no clear cut distinction between

humans and other types of, of life.

559

:

In particular, the higher mammals.

560

:

Hmm.

561

:

Uh, human is more.

562

:

Aware of these truths.

563

:

Then an animal.

564

:

In enlightened human and

humans have higher CAS.

565

:

Have that to a greater degree.

566

:

And the cast is something you're born into

just like you're born into species of.

567

:

living things

568

:

so what happens then?

569

:

You would think, okay.

570

:

That elevates all living things.

571

:

And that's why hindus

are primarily vegetarian.

572

:

And they all avoid eating beef.

573

:

Because they've you.

574

:

Cows, especially as

having great spiritual.

575

:

Significance.

576

:

Yeah., If you believe that all

life we're, all mammals are all.

577

:

Living beans that you could eat at least.

578

:

All are somewhere on the same spectrum.

579

:

They all have the same.

580

:

Spirit of outman within them.

581

:

They're just manifestations

of it at a time.

582

:

Just like we are.

583

:

Well that elevates them.

584

:

But at the same time, it levels humanity

to be in the same thing as them.

585

:

In terms of their value and uniqueness.

586

:

Or at least that seems to be

the tendency to some degree.

587

:

That's really fascinating.

588

:

Yeah.

589

:

And again, I'm oversimplifying because

we've just got a few minutes here.

590

:

But that is the conclusion that people who

began to study., the value of human life.

591

:

That was the conclusion they came to.

592

:

Yeah, that's helpful.

593

:

And of course.

594

:

A lot of variants in Eastern

thought and pantheism.

595

:

You're talking a lot about Hinduism

because it influenced a lot of

596

:

the others, but in that category,

We've got Buddhism and towers.

597

:

I'm an even more recently showing

up in the west, this new age.

598

:

Philosophy.

599

:

Right.

600

:

I should hasten to say that.

601

:

Hinduism has divisions in this thought

just like other religions do so.

602

:

Not every Hindu, even with

believe what I just said, but

603

:

that seems to be the classical

teaching of the mainstream techs.

604

:

Yeah.

605

:

And that's good.

606

:

There's a lot of variants and belief

in all of these, even, even in, even

607

:

in , the species of Christianity.

608

:

Yes.

609

:

Yeah.

610

:

It's not our goal to, oversimplify

in order to strongman it's,

611

:

we're oversimplifying out

of necessity here because.

612

:

Time is limited, right.

613

:

Because we're trying to

understand these as philosophies.

614

:

Yeah.

615

:

And they're most basic element,

not simply what individuals or

616

:

groups within that do or think.

617

:

Yeah.

618

:

And because of that.

619

:

We're looking at the very broad picture.

620

:

Cool.

621

:

Cool.

622

:

So just a few minutes left.

623

:

Paganism, which again is not pejorative.

624

:

, but just the idea that maybe

there are lots of gods.

625

:

But that they're not.

626

:

Transcendent.

627

:

And of course are examples of this.

628

:

A lot of these.

629

:

Ancient religions, like the Greek

thought with the Pantheon and.

630

:

The Norse gods and the Egyptian gods.

631

:

And.

632

:

These are all examples of

paganism, ., will you share a

633

:

little bit about In general terms.

634

:

Sure.

635

:

What's the perspective of humanity.

636

:

From this polytheistic kind

of pagan histic perspective.

637

:

Right.

638

:

And again, paganism is simply a term

that originally I met someone from.

639

:

The rural areas, something, the

Romans used that term to distinguish

640

:

them from themselves who were

moving into a little bit more

641

:

sophisticated worldview and philosophy.

642

:

So polytheism.

643

:

Is associated with the belief that there's

a multitude of gods within the universe.

644

:

Where does that leave humanity?

645

:

Paganism.

646

:

I don't think he has a very

clear answer to that about the

647

:

value or the uniqueness of human.

648

:

You have all kinds of different myths.

649

:

You have the MIS of bands

creation by the gods.

650

:

in, and of course, Greece.

651

:

A little bit familiar

with that, all the other.

652

:

Pegging in six societies, whether

in Canaan or Babylon they also had.

653

:

Miss that kind of told the story

of how mankind got created.

654

:

And very often.

655

:

In the older religions, especially.

656

:

Mankind was created to serve the gods.

657

:

And it seems like.

658

:

And there.

659

:

Earliest stages.

660

:

They believe this was quite literal,

that when you were bringing.

661

:

Food to the temple.

662

:

You were actually feeding

the gods in a physical way.

663

:

Hmm.

664

:

Of course that a belief.

665

:

Would it be various over time?

666

:

But there wasn't a consistent answer.

667

:

At least I don't think there's a

consistent answer to what makes humans.

668

:

Unique and valuable.

669

:

There's a lot of, a lot

of variants and all.

670

:

But especially this one, it sounds like.

671

:

That would be, I would be curious,

learning more about, especially some of

672

:

these that are showing up more in the.

673

:

The west, like, WCA.

674

:

I would curious if somebody wants

to leave a comment, maybe they have

675

:

some insight onto the, into the,

676

:

Anthropology.

677

:

That particular religion.

678

:

Yeah.

679

:

Interesting.

680

:

Are we too.

681

:

Well, thank you so much.

682

:

Is there anything else that you want

to share before we close up here?

683

:

Yeah, let's go back in light

of all this and come back to.

684

:

Human uniqueness and value.

685

:

According to monotheistic, religion.

686

:

In a particular Christianity.

687

:

Because that's what I'm here

to be most familiar with.

688

:

What makes us unique again, we

are created in the image of God.

689

:

We are created.

690

:

I think the best way to phrase that.

691

:

As the image of God.

692

:

That word image is a word that you

would normally use for idols in

693

:

other places in scripture.

694

:

The physical manifestation.

695

:

Of an invisible.

696

:

Person within this world.

697

:

The sense.

698

:

That's what we humans are.

699

:

We are.

700

:

Made in God's likeness.

701

:

So we have not physically.

702

:

Okay.

703

:

I have to.

704

:

I have a body.

705

:

He's not beta matter.

706

:

He made matter.

707

:

So we are like, uh, not physically,

but in the sense that we function.

708

:

Like him and it has certain

characteristics like him.

709

:

Rational thought.

710

:

Free will.

711

:

Purposeful planning.

712

:

After our communication.

713

:

Deep emotions.

714

:

We are like him in that way.

715

:

So that within this world, we can.

716

:

has his partners and his image.

717

:

When I come to the question

of what makes humans unique.

718

:

Unique.

719

:

I thought about this for a

long time, many, many decades.

720

:

I used to think it was one

certain characteristic, you know?

721

:

We could use tools.

722

:

We could.

723

:

I use language.

724

:

Those are all clues to something.

725

:

I think that's that's much deeper.

726

:

I think we as humans.

727

:

Live.

728

:

In a fundamentally different way.

729

:

In relationship to this world

than every other species.

730

:

Hmm.

731

:

I think fundamentally when you think

of it this way, There's more difference

732

:

between us and a chimpanzee than there

is between a chimpanzee and a snail.

733

:

Say say more.

734

:

Well, Other species for the most part.

735

:

Take this world as it is.

736

:

And what I mean by that is.

737

:

They respond to the world in

terms of their needs and desires.

738

:

But they do not conceptualize

a world that is not here.

739

:

But one that could be here.

740

:

Hmm, they don't conceptualize a reality.

741

:

That they would regard as favorable,

better, more, just more beautiful.

742

:

And then work towards that

using shared communication and

743

:

abstract reasoning, but we do.

744

:

Hm.

745

:

Or we should.

746

:

Yeah, that's our function.

747

:

There are obviously some animals

who changed their environments.

748

:

You know, birds build nests.

749

:

That's changing your environment.

750

:

Beavers build dams.

751

:

But that seems to be instinctual.

752

:

In them, it's not in the sense

of purposeful, they're all

753

:

going to do the same thing.

754

:

Pretty much in the same way.

755

:

Cuban the similar environments.

756

:

That seems to be just

hardwired into their in-state.

757

:

Whereas with us.

758

:

We're not just problem solving.

759

:

We are conceptualizing something

that's not here, but should be here.

760

:

And whether that's a house.

761

:

Or whether that's adjust society.

762

:

We do that in a way that

no other species does.

763

:

That's super fascinating.

764

:

That's what I think.

765

:

Is the heart of human

uniqueness and therefore.

766

:

Along with that human value.

767

:

Wow.

768

:

And that seems to go all

the way back to Genesis one.

769

:

It does.

770

:

Genesis one is a profiled.

771

:

Philosophical texts,

at least in my opinion.

772

:

Yeah.

773

:

God puts.

774

:

Adam and Eve in the garden

and says care for it.

775

:

Right.

776

:

Expand it.

777

:

Make it beautiful, produced fruit.

778

:

You know, Exactly.

779

:

There's an innate purpose given by God.

780

:

Spoken.

781

:

Over humans and to humans.

782

:

By a loving creative God.

783

:

That they participate

in his creative work.

784

:

And so he's given them that vision to

realize what he started in the beginning.

785

:

And then it's interesting that.

786

:

And the, and the scriptures in revelation.

787

:

You see the fulfillment of that?

788

:

But there's again, the garden scene.

789

:

I think humans fulfilling

their purpose of.

790

:

cultivating the garden.

791

:

Yeah.

792

:

And I'm glad you brought that out.

793

:

Isn't it interesting that right after

this creation and commission of mankind?

794

:

There are farmers.

795

:

They're gardeners.

796

:

I've had the privilege of moving into

houses that had nothing in terms of

797

:

garden or landscaping at all in the back.

798

:

And both cases, it was either just bear

grass, no trees, no bushes, no flowers.

799

:

Or it was just a patch of weeds.

800

:

And I was able to conceptualize

in my mind and even on paper.

801

:

A different reality.

802

:

And I was able to partner with.

803

:

The one who I believe made

the earth and made the soil.

804

:

And made the potentiality and the seeds.

805

:

That I would plan.

806

:

I was able to partner with that person.

807

:

In making that a fundamentally

different place than it was before.

808

:

I believe that's a metaphor for.

809

:

Our purpose in life in general.

810

:

That we are to see not only what is and

respond to it, according to our desires.

811

:

But what could be, what should be.

812

:

And work according to what gifts

we have to make that happen.

813

:

I believe that's our purpose in

each person has to figure out.

814

:

In their own life, how that works out.

815

:

But that's the basis.

816

:

Wow.

817

:

That's beautiful.

818

:

Thank you, palling.

819

:

So thank you for sharing that.

820

:

Well, that's where I'm at

and I hope I am able to.

821

:

Convince a few people, at least then.

822

:

This is a unique and valuable

way of understanding humanity.

823

:

Yeah.

824

:

Well, it sounds like a

good thing to end on.

825

:

So, thank you so much for your time.

826

:

And uh, until next time.

827

:

Yeah.

828

:

Sounds good.

829

:

Thanks.

830

:

Microphone (ZOOM P4 Audio)-1:

Thanks so much for listening.

831

:

If you like what you hear, click follow

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832

:

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833

:

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834

:

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