Friday, February 6, 2015

"Stinking spirituality"?

In his blog "Why Evolution Is True," Jerry Coyne, professor of evolutionary genetics at the University of Chicago, writes this response

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/nonbelievers-respond-to-david-brooks-dont-tell-us-how-to-do-secularism/

to David Brooks' column "Building Better Secularists."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/opinion/david-brooks-building-better-secularists.html?_r=0

Coyne writes:

My response to the call for an "enchanted secularism" is this:
Dear Mr. Brooks,
We're doing great, thank you.  We don't need more stinking spirituality: the awe and emotions we feel now before things like science, music, art—and cats!—are just fine. And a good meal with friends and wine, combined with some activities that help others, go a long way toward establishing our sense of community.

Yours,

The secularists of America

I understand the vehemence of Coyne's anger at Brooks, but I don't think Brooks is worth it.  As I said in my previous post, I don't respect Brooks enough to be angry with him.  I can only reflect on where he's coming from and why.

Coyne says that "awe and emotions... before things like science, music, art--and cats!" are spirituality enough for him.

I agree completely.  Awe before the night sky, the sunset, Mozart's Requiem--these are primal human experiences, whether or not one takes them a step further as the beginning of spiritual connection to God.  A baby's birth and grief over our own actions or over death are additional experiences that touch our core.

Apparently Brooks' talk of emotion as a means to moral action and his idea of "enchanted secularism" are offensive to a plain-and-simple atheist or agnostic.

Perhaps the core issue here is respect.  All the secularists are asking for is respect, and Brooks cannot give that without admonishing and embellishing.

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