"If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." Groucho Marx
I recently had the chance to listen to Frans de Waal talk about morality, reciprocity and empathy.
Frans de Waal is a worldwide leading primatologist now at Emory University, and has written a whole host of books about primates, morality and, in particular, the empathetic concept. He doesn't consider the question of God interesting, and his worldview is materialistic.
The talk can be viewed here: http://www.veritas.org/Talks.aspx#!/v/1317
His co-presenter is Jeffrey Schloss, a well-known Christian apologist who was born and raised an Atheist. He is a Biologist at Westmont College -- and also a really smart guy. The only problem with the talks is you cannot see the slides well, so when they are showing videos we don't have good access. The nice things about talks, however, is they sum up the latest research often, and, best of all, are usually free.
While the data is still largely coming in, empathy and reciprocity can surely find some roots in the animal kingdom. For Theists, this should not come as any surprise, particularly those familiar with some of the Creation stories throughout the Old Testament.
I also like what de Waal says about human emotion. I think if I didn't believe in a benevolent Creator, I would think that without an anchor of a good Creator, one should provoke that we are slaves of our emotions and not of logic. Emotions must trump logic in an atheist worldview, I believe. Frans de Waal certainly does not say this and I would imagine he would not believe this, but I think he would find himself in a conundrum to argue the other way around. Of course, for the Theist, logic can of course trump all other behavior, as it is rooted in a logical entity; we can override our impulses and emotions if, for instance, we want to serve God and love others instead of ourselves and our naturalistic impulses. This is our choice, so at least the Theist believes.
Humans attach moral salience with a ton of things that have reproduction and fitness benefit. Clearly, there is a connection. However, this supports a top-to-bottom worldview as much, and I would argue, much more, than a bottom-up worldview.
And then there is the ministry of Jesus. Biologists tend to think, while they disagree on how precisely morality, and why it evolved, and even if it is at all a product or by-product of evolution, that morality is some sort of cognitive innovation. That should be interesting for Theists and Christians in particular.
Enter Jesus of Nazareth into the human sphere. The Sermon of the Mount. Matthew 5. Healing the soldier's ear after Peter struck him. "Please forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."
Jesus' entire ministry served to override man's religion and his non-religion, at the same time. If Jesus was God and a biologist (though I know several biologists that think they are God, this should not be confused), I envision Him saying something along these lines: "Your brain has now evolved to be able to reason and be logical. It took some time, but here you are. You have a tremendous amount of selfish tendencies, which govern your overall will to live and survive. Indeed, you share the same essence with all animals and bacteria to survive and reproduce. You can follow your Darwinian roots, or you can rebel, and be a revolutionist and join me. For those that came before me, and will never hear my message, you still hear the message inside your hearts -- it is your conscience and My image. Go now, because it is your choice. You now have evolved to have cognitive innovation. Use it forever -- or lose it forever".
At any rate, I recommend Frans de Waal. Unlike his old colleague, Marc Hauser, his field data seems wholly legit, and though Christian biologists and non-biologists won't agree with some of his conclusions, he is a smart guy that is worthy to listen to.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Normal, Boston strike back
In case anyone has been in a coma, ending an unprecedented week in Boston, more than a thousand authority figures captured the second suspect, aka "white hat", the younger of the two brothers who killed at least four people in the past week, under a boat canopy in a the Watertown neighborhood of Boston, last night. Incidentally, about two miles from where my wife and I lived the majority of our last 12 years.
Everyone, rightfully so, has an opinion on what has happened. I will just say to those who are not familiar with the area or the specifics, it was an astonishing display of force, quick-thinking, and impressive organization from the Boston Police Department and local FBI, in particular. It is difficult not to be proud and in awe of the job that they performed, under the instant, global scrutiny of most governments and indeed human beings.
It is humbling to know how lucky we have got over the past few years (car bomb in Times square in 2010 that did not go off, and the heroic actions of first responders and police to minimize the damage in Boston this past week, to name a couple). It is clear we are going to have to deal with terrorist attacks on soft targets in America over at least the next generation or so. America is too big and there is too much personal freedom. Hopefully we can do some reasonable things, like install camers at each intersection in major cities, perform random bag checks, and, perhaps most important, stop being childish and naive about racial profiling and listen to much more experienced countries when they tell us it simply works. Feelings hurt are much better than people.
And how about today in Boston? Sports is always a great neutralizer and normalizer, and today I can't remember a better example. At a sold out and packed Fenway, David Ortiz, the face of the franchise, began the game with the microphone and stirred an already emotional crowd, in the presence of some of the Boston law enforcement heroes, by forcefully reminding all that want to promote fear and chaos, "This is is our f-ing city." As the Fenway crowd erupted, even the FCC got into the mix, letting the public know not only would Ortiz get a pass for his profanity, that they "stood by him" (they actually tweeted that, like they were so fired up themselves they couldn't wait 'till after the game to release that statement and their support).
Fast forward to the bottom of the seventh, where, Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" is played during every home Red Sox game. Unknown to 4 Yawkey Way, following suspect 2's apprehension last night, on a whim and his own dime, Neil Diamond hopped on a jet and traveled across country. Getting in this afternoon, he walked out on the field and led a crazed Fenway, live in song. Only to be outdone 15 minutes later, when, with two outs in the eighth and the Sox trailing, Daniel Nava, the young, Rudyesque (he was a team manager at Santa Clara, and, as an aside, is a devoutly Christian guy) who was already one more early season big hit away from being a write-in, shoo-in candidate to replace Menino next year as Mayor, hit a ball 400 feet into the stands. A very different kind of explosion erupted, and, as much cliche as it is (and it is), a better script could not have been written. The Sox won, and of course Boston won as well.
After the game, Nava spoke about how obviously a win, no matter how important, couldn't even begin to address the pain that many families are going through after this past week. Of course he is right. But the distraction is welcome, and feeling good about something, when you feel bad about a lot of things, no matter how short that distraction may last, is welcome and just, refreshing.
Boston's (and humanity's) great need for justice will be obtained. A little bit of it was already dealt out by the Boston Heroic on a normally quiet street in Watertown. To those in ivory towers that claim people and this world are getting less violent, this week was yet another painful reminder how wrong they are. The genocide of this world is sadly very much alive, perhaps only mitigated by our mostly successful removal of many communist dictators and mass murderers across the globe (of course, again, at the cost of many American lives). Otherwise, we live in a dare I say increasingly volaitile, dangerous and corrupt world. Things like overpopulation and resource depletion will surely not help.
This weekend and the upcoming weeks are about healing, and all the unexpected and encouraging gestures and actions from people empathetic to other people's hurts. This is again a situation where nobody wins; the good that does come out should and is amplified and celebrated. Today it was centered around Fenway Park. Sadly, next year, it could be somewhere in L.A. Or Memphis. or anywhere.
But just as New York did twelve years ago, Boston has clearly stood up and said something very important to the rest of the world.
It was a terrible week for this city and country. As Daniel Nava's baseball sailed out over the cheap seats today, we forgot. And that is the point. We live in a country where we are guaranteed the rights to do things that allow us to forget. To get in your car, drive anywhere you want, say Fenway park on a beautiful Spring afternoon. To sit in a stadium next to a bunch of people with very different backgrounds than you and to freely engage them and enjoy them. To explain to your boy what a double play is, or to have a beer with your buddy in the sun-drenched bleacher seats. To get up the next day and Worship God in the way you think is the most truthful. Or to not Worship, or to not believe at all. The rights to hug whom we want and to marry whom we want. To go out hunting if we want. To talk to our daughters about college and careers and that they are not limited by gender or race or class. These are our choices and our rights that this country has guaranteed us through hundreds of years of bloodshed. They are unique, and special, and great.
America and its citizens should always be the most compassionate and caring country in the world. But, if we must, we will protect freedom for the generations to follow. So, one day, our kids can take their kids to Fenway. And so on.
The older I get, the more I understand how valuable freedom actually is. It is an astonishing gift. Astonishing. Big Papi isn't going to write a novel anytime soon, but i dont know of any novelist or columnist that could sum it up better. This is our f-ing city. This is our f-ing country.
I don't like "Sweet Caroline". I think the song is not good. Most people obviously (or at least ostensibly) don't agree with that. But today you had to like it. After a week of total abnormal, it was normal. It was as routine as a 6-3 ground ball, or the peanut guy whizzing overpriced food past your face to the guy who has over the years exercised his American freedom to eat in excess.
We are creatures that are comforted by things that are comfortable to us. For my daughter it is her "two cozies". For our baby it is his Mom's touch. For 37,000 Bostonians on Yawkey today, and many others watching on TV or listening on the radio, it was an offbeat rendition of the seventh inning stretch anthem. It was the green monster, not two on-the-loose monsters. It was David Ortiz singling through the David Ortiz-shift-causing-hole on the left side of the infield. It was Jerry and Don being the two biggest homers in baseball. It was watching the extremely likeable Nava cross home plate with a grin on his face normally reserved for small kids discovering the small joys of this world for the first time.
It was Spring baseball at Fenway. It was normal and pure.
And man, it was nice.
Everyone, rightfully so, has an opinion on what has happened. I will just say to those who are not familiar with the area or the specifics, it was an astonishing display of force, quick-thinking, and impressive organization from the Boston Police Department and local FBI, in particular. It is difficult not to be proud and in awe of the job that they performed, under the instant, global scrutiny of most governments and indeed human beings.
It is humbling to know how lucky we have got over the past few years (car bomb in Times square in 2010 that did not go off, and the heroic actions of first responders and police to minimize the damage in Boston this past week, to name a couple). It is clear we are going to have to deal with terrorist attacks on soft targets in America over at least the next generation or so. America is too big and there is too much personal freedom. Hopefully we can do some reasonable things, like install camers at each intersection in major cities, perform random bag checks, and, perhaps most important, stop being childish and naive about racial profiling and listen to much more experienced countries when they tell us it simply works. Feelings hurt are much better than people.
And how about today in Boston? Sports is always a great neutralizer and normalizer, and today I can't remember a better example. At a sold out and packed Fenway, David Ortiz, the face of the franchise, began the game with the microphone and stirred an already emotional crowd, in the presence of some of the Boston law enforcement heroes, by forcefully reminding all that want to promote fear and chaos, "This is is our f-ing city." As the Fenway crowd erupted, even the FCC got into the mix, letting the public know not only would Ortiz get a pass for his profanity, that they "stood by him" (they actually tweeted that, like they were so fired up themselves they couldn't wait 'till after the game to release that statement and their support).
Fast forward to the bottom of the seventh, where, Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" is played during every home Red Sox game. Unknown to 4 Yawkey Way, following suspect 2's apprehension last night, on a whim and his own dime, Neil Diamond hopped on a jet and traveled across country. Getting in this afternoon, he walked out on the field and led a crazed Fenway, live in song. Only to be outdone 15 minutes later, when, with two outs in the eighth and the Sox trailing, Daniel Nava, the young, Rudyesque (he was a team manager at Santa Clara, and, as an aside, is a devoutly Christian guy) who was already one more early season big hit away from being a write-in, shoo-in candidate to replace Menino next year as Mayor, hit a ball 400 feet into the stands. A very different kind of explosion erupted, and, as much cliche as it is (and it is), a better script could not have been written. The Sox won, and of course Boston won as well.
After the game, Nava spoke about how obviously a win, no matter how important, couldn't even begin to address the pain that many families are going through after this past week. Of course he is right. But the distraction is welcome, and feeling good about something, when you feel bad about a lot of things, no matter how short that distraction may last, is welcome and just, refreshing.
Boston's (and humanity's) great need for justice will be obtained. A little bit of it was already dealt out by the Boston Heroic on a normally quiet street in Watertown. To those in ivory towers that claim people and this world are getting less violent, this week was yet another painful reminder how wrong they are. The genocide of this world is sadly very much alive, perhaps only mitigated by our mostly successful removal of many communist dictators and mass murderers across the globe (of course, again, at the cost of many American lives). Otherwise, we live in a dare I say increasingly volaitile, dangerous and corrupt world. Things like overpopulation and resource depletion will surely not help.
This weekend and the upcoming weeks are about healing, and all the unexpected and encouraging gestures and actions from people empathetic to other people's hurts. This is again a situation where nobody wins; the good that does come out should and is amplified and celebrated. Today it was centered around Fenway Park. Sadly, next year, it could be somewhere in L.A. Or Memphis. or anywhere.
But just as New York did twelve years ago, Boston has clearly stood up and said something very important to the rest of the world.
It was a terrible week for this city and country. As Daniel Nava's baseball sailed out over the cheap seats today, we forgot. And that is the point. We live in a country where we are guaranteed the rights to do things that allow us to forget. To get in your car, drive anywhere you want, say Fenway park on a beautiful Spring afternoon. To sit in a stadium next to a bunch of people with very different backgrounds than you and to freely engage them and enjoy them. To explain to your boy what a double play is, or to have a beer with your buddy in the sun-drenched bleacher seats. To get up the next day and Worship God in the way you think is the most truthful. Or to not Worship, or to not believe at all. The rights to hug whom we want and to marry whom we want. To go out hunting if we want. To talk to our daughters about college and careers and that they are not limited by gender or race or class. These are our choices and our rights that this country has guaranteed us through hundreds of years of bloodshed. They are unique, and special, and great.
America and its citizens should always be the most compassionate and caring country in the world. But, if we must, we will protect freedom for the generations to follow. So, one day, our kids can take their kids to Fenway. And so on.
The older I get, the more I understand how valuable freedom actually is. It is an astonishing gift. Astonishing. Big Papi isn't going to write a novel anytime soon, but i dont know of any novelist or columnist that could sum it up better. This is our f-ing city. This is our f-ing country.
I don't like "Sweet Caroline". I think the song is not good. Most people obviously (or at least ostensibly) don't agree with that. But today you had to like it. After a week of total abnormal, it was normal. It was as routine as a 6-3 ground ball, or the peanut guy whizzing overpriced food past your face to the guy who has over the years exercised his American freedom to eat in excess.
We are creatures that are comforted by things that are comfortable to us. For my daughter it is her "two cozies". For our baby it is his Mom's touch. For 37,000 Bostonians on Yawkey today, and many others watching on TV or listening on the radio, it was an offbeat rendition of the seventh inning stretch anthem. It was the green monster, not two on-the-loose monsters. It was David Ortiz singling through the David Ortiz-shift-causing-hole on the left side of the infield. It was Jerry and Don being the two biggest homers in baseball. It was watching the extremely likeable Nava cross home plate with a grin on his face normally reserved for small kids discovering the small joys of this world for the first time.
It was Spring baseball at Fenway. It was normal and pure.
And man, it was nice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)