Constellation of beliefs: conclusion
My preceding posts haven’t been a philosophically rigorous systematization of what I believe. That’s because I think we revise and reconsider and rearrange our understanding of the world. I have some pieces which are central, and which would take a lot to shift–humanism, emphasis upon imagination, emotion and reflexive thought, scientific exploration. Other elements of my “worldview” are more tentative–Buddhist metaphysics, the role of reasons in providing justification, explanations of religion and mystical experience.
Overall, though, I’ve set out where I start from as I explore more detailed questions about justification, the structure of the mind and consciousness, metaethics, language and thought, etc. I’m a methodological naturalist and agnostic, though atheist by default. I’m a humanist who is sympathetic to classical liberalism and Kantian ethics. I value empathy, imagination and emotion in connection with our rational abilities, all of which make up our humanity. However, I’m concerned about our environment as a whole, other sentient beings with mental structures that make them differently engaged with the world, capable of feeling pain, having some self-awareness, etc.
Not all of my beliefs entail other beliefs. For example, being an atheist or methodological naturalist doesn’t require that I be sympathetic to Kantian ethics. Nor do my sympathies to some aspects of Buddhism require that I be a metaphysical presentist. That’s what makes this project of revising beliefs a life-long one, and difficult to summarize propositionally in a blog. Many of our beliefs are merely inferences from others–I don’t actively believe that I am not a frog, although in conversation with you, if you ask me whether I’m an amphibian, I will tell you, no, I’m not. This is a very basic example, but I think you can see where I’m going.
That’s why I don’t think I can “build my theology” (to use a Unitarian Universalist concept) or construct a philosophy on my own. That’s why I blog and share these ideas–both to work out inferences in more detail and to be prompted to revisit dormant assumptions.
So thanks for being part of my project–I look forward to many more years of this labor.
Image: MC Escher, Encounter.
Earlier in this series:
Introduction
Part 1: Origins
Part 2: Humanism
Part 3: Being Human
Part 4: Freedom
Part 5: Rationality & the Self
Part 6: Buddhism
Part 7: Conclusion