How do we know what is true?

It turns out that what is commonly described as the scientific method really does work quite well.

• Observe something.
• Come up with a hypothesis to explain it.
• Test that hypothesis to see if it is true.
• Revise your thinking according to the results of your test.

Most people are really good at the first two elements of this process: observation and hypothesis. The problem is that they stop there and don’t bother to test whether their hypothesis is correct or not.  Maybe they don’t want to know. Or maybe they didn’t know how to test it. What often happens is that they forget it was a hypothesis and start thinking – it must be true. This seems to be the entire history of apologia (which is basically the study of why God allows bad things to happen to good people).

This is also true of any and all supernatural claims. There is no way to test them. They are supernatural and not natural. We can only test hypothesis about the nature of the universe.  This is why every claim of a “super nature” is an untested hypothesis. EVERY CLAIM!!!!

The same thing happens when people lie to prove “greater truths” that they believe are true but can’t actually prove are true.  They stop at the hypothesis stage and never bother to test.

Here’s the thing about testing and why you should be skeptical of any claim that hasn’t been proven. There is only one type of truth. The truth.  There are no “greater truths” we can’t find. There is also nothing super or extra natural. All there are are people hypothesizing about the nature of the universe and failing to follow through on the testing. 

Don’t be fooled by this sort of lazy approach to knowledge and truth. Even if someone spends a great deal of time “rationalizing” why what they hypothesize is true, if they refuse to test to find out if it is actually true, they are either afraid that they might be wrong or they are too lazy or stupid to find out.

Truth can’t be found out with reason alone. It’s an important tool that can point us in the right direction, but testing and experimentation is the final arbitrator.

For more on this – check out The British Humanist Association’s video starring the voice of Stephen Fry on how do we know what is true from a Humanist perspective.

What you believe really matters

I say it all the time. What you believe really matters. If what you think is causing your problem isn’t really the cause of your problem you won’t be able to solve your problem.  This is why Humanists reject supernaturalism. We are looking for the real reasons why things happen so that we can fix it.

This is why when Humanism is applied to different fields of study, it yeilds such good results.  Humanistic medicine and Humanistic psychology for instance have benefited from this compassion based natural approach to problem solving. We don’t think that people with mental health issues are possessed by the devil anymore. At least not in the west.

I ran across this article from Arab News which reports that epileptic seizures aren’t caused by Genies. It turns out it is curable. http://www.arabnews.com/%5Btermalias-raw%5D/epilepsy-curable-not-linked-jinns  My son is epileptic so this caught my eye. I know my son’s epilepsy has natural causes and is treatable.

To me, this is a perfect example of why rejecting supernaturalism is so important and can help people. People are suffering from epilepsy without knowing that it can be cured. They are being treated as outcasts because their community isn’t aware that this is a natural as opposed to supernatural problem.  What you believe your problem is really matters. It is the difference between solving your problem and continuing to suffer with it. Humanists reject supernaturalism because every medical problem studied so far has turned out to have natural causes. Genies have nothing to do with it.

Materialism vs. Spiritualism

I was interviewed on Vortex Sarasota a while back (embedded video below). It was a great conversation and I really like the host George Lewis. It was one of the funner interviews I’ve done. 

At one point George asks me about spiritualism. And, I don’t understand what he is asking me. I do my best to translate his question into something that makes sense for me and fail.  Even though we agree on a lot of things, there is a basic disconnect in our world views.  I am a natural materialist, he is a supernatural spiritualist. 

For me there is only the natural world that consists of matter and energy. If something happens, it is quantifiable in this world. I have the same feelings of awe and wonder as anyone else. I have feelings of intuition. But for me, these feelings are a result of biochemical processes occurring in my brain.  That doesn’t make them any less special or any less amazing.  It doesn’t make me feel any less connected to the universe. It is just that I don’t view these things as anything other than a material natural process.

I think what trips people up is the choice of words. People associate the natural materialist world view with capitalistic materialism which refers to the gratuitous consumption of material, which is, for good reason, associated with greed. So they don’t understand how a natural materialist worldview can help people lead such satisfying emotionally fulfilling lives.

Grounding your view of the world as a natural materialist as opposed to a supernatural spiritualist simply means  that you accept the world as it is as opposed to hoping that there is something more there. It is a liberating, amazing and inspiring way to view who you are in the universe.  On the one hand, you are nothing more than matter and energy combined. On the other, you are you!  Matter combined, against all odds and against its tendency towards entropy to create you!  If that doesn’t make you feel special, nothing will.

PS – I am a board member for the Spiritual Naturalist Society – check them out at: http://spiritualnaturalistsociety.org/