We will dare to offend against the classically accepted tenets of the essay form, for purposes of clarity and emphasis, and, in nuanced fashion, and display our conclusion at its beginning, viz., Mankind has impeded the direction and implicit potential promise of Evolution, by its inglorious and shamefully ungrateful, squandering and misuse of the potential, afforded to him, by the generous gift by Nature, of an advanced brain.
We have previously stated our personal [“rational”] interpretation of the ancient, apocryphal legend of Adam and Eve, which has much significant metaphorical and allegorical relevance to our present theme. Religious dogma recites that the first man, “Adam,” committed mankind’s universal and eternal, “Original Sin,” by the act of eating an apple from the “Forbidden Tree of Knowledge,” inhabited by a “serpent” [snake]. He did so, it says, in response to the temptation of Eve, the first woman. As a result, the tale continues, Adam discovered his “nakedness” and he and Eve, [ Mankind], as punishment were forever banished from the “Garden of Eden.” Churchgoing supplicants have eternally sought forgiveness for this alleged “Original Sin”.
Were mankind to properly utilize Evolution’s generous gift of an advanced brain, as Nature intended, he might have comprehended the true celebrated message, proudly announced the allegorical significance of the Tree of Knowledge, the Apple given by Eve, the snake resting on the tree limb, Adam’s consequent discovery of his “nakedness” and mankind’s permanent expulsion from the “Garden of Eden.”
The snake, in ancient mythology, eternally, was a universal symbol of fertility; thus, eating an apple from the tree of knowledge, inhabited by the classic symbol of fertility, [i.e., mental fertility], cannot acceptably, be seen as sinful. The apple offered and given to Adam by Eve, rationally portending an invitation to knowledge, generously awards to woman, the honor of delivering the gift of the promise of knowledge to mankind. Adam, thereupon, discovers his “nakedness,” [ i.e., identity, self, awareness] and they [Mankind, as symbolically fictionalized in “Genesis,”] are thereafter, banished from the Garden of Eden [ man’s original, primitive state of ignorance] never to return. This depiction, inarguably, is a momentous occasion appropriate to great Anthropological celebration, and not for lifetimes of religious regret and profound torment.
While this essay, is not focused on religious belief, but rather, on the widespread misuse, or non-use of reason, by mankind, yet, we cannot resist the following modern, non-secular illustration of mankind’s failure to employ reason, to inform his understanding of the world and of himself.
The undisputed, consensus of scientists of note, is that the best estimate of the age of planet Earth, is in excess of 4.5 billion years, with an allotted, “error range” of 50 million years. These declarations are based upon the scientific dating of the rocks in the Earth’s crust, and that of the moon and fallen meteorites. Western Religious belief states that the World [ and its oceans, flora, and fauna] were all created by the Deity in six days, after which the “omnipotent,” creator had to “rest” on the seventh day, fortuitously, on Sabbath Sunday. The latter does not even approach any generous concept of rationality.
To be clear, we do not maintain that “reason” is the sole appropriate guide by which to evaluate reality. Human valid emotions, such as love, anticipation, hope, ambition, desire, like and dislike, as only a few examples, may be useful, even admirable, despite their non-rational foundation.
It has been a matter of good fortune, that, our Nation has historically been populated by the numbers of educated and informed citizens, mandatorily required for its continued success as a democracy [as prescribed by Thomas Jefferson]. Yet, like many cultures, it has eternally suffered the existence of a substantial “underbelly,” of inadequately educated and poorly informed citizens, seldom civically participatory and essentially of little utility, to any representative, Democratic Republic.
We have often expressed our admiration for the 17th Century, English philosopher, John Locke. Locke, who famously, declared that man is born with a clean slate [“tabula rasa”] and that all knowledge is acquired by his experience [ foundational empiricism]. When we write in this essay of rational thought, we refer to determinative thought, founded upon objective experience and learned human lessons. Previously acquired, or newly discovered experience, comprise the only reliable foundation upon which man may properly and rationally, reason. Error is usually the unsatisfactory result of the failure to objectively comprehend or misjudge the relevant empirical reality.
When man acts contrary to reason, he does so, erroneously, and in derogation of the natural dynamic of mankind’s continuing evolution and thereby negatively affects, the ongoing progress and successful operation of his society. In sum, actions taken, contrary to reason, are in direct breach of mankind’s implicit, non-verbal, paleolithic promise, to advance toward the goal of wisdom.
A discernable, regressive departure and steep descent, on the part of many citizens, from a promising level of mankind’s slow, but steadily developing, enlightenment, in no small part, due to the influence of the despicable Presidential term of Donald Trump. The ascendency of the incapable and discernably ignorant Trump, had the dynamic effect of a chemical catalytic, empowering a previous, unorganized, nor especially assertive, ignorant “underbelly” of our Nation, to the ominous role of an outspoken, violent, albeit totally ignorant, revolutionary force. A usefully perceived commonality was especially exemplified by Trump’s personal and neurotic attack on “truth,” creating a new and dangerously irresponsible concept of “alternate facts.” This errant concept served Trump’s egocentric need to comport the accurate criticisms of the media with his egoistic fantasies about himself and to counter the plethora of justified criticism. The underbelly contingent used it for their reductionist fantasies.
Truth, the gold medal of reason, thus, tactically, and neurotically, downplayed by Trump, was also loyally dismissed by Trump sycophants, in the creation and belief of irrational conspiracy theories. These delusional precepts consistently lent a dystopian, sub-rosa intention even to acts of government, proven protective to the health of citizens, such as vaccine to prevent infection by the Covid virus; and universally asserting, a paranoid style, secret and malign intent, behind even the most necessary and universally salubrious programs. The substitution of such delusionary conceptions, for reason and reality, has induced many easily misled and poorly educated citizens to irrationally refuse approved vaccination against the pandemic, in certain cases, in favor of ingesting veterinary horse wormer.
Other illustrations of irrational delusionary conceptions, are practically speaking, without limit: viz., that 9/11 was a U.S. military false flag enterprise, that homosexuality is teachable, that Israel shoots missiles down from outer space, that our Nation was created to be Christian, that the Biden election win was due to fraud, that caustic bathroom cleanser is an effective medicine against Covid, that government acts of compassionate capitalism are socialistic [ and, ipso facto, bad], that immigration dilutes American “purity,” that abortion of an early fetus is homicide, that automatic weapons ensure democracy, that the Jews control the banks, that black colored skin is, somehow, correlated with lack of intelligence and creativeness, that the planet and all its flora and fauna, was created in six days, in time for the Sunday Sabbath, that indigenous Americans were savages, that global warming is a liberal hoax, that liberals are child molesters, etc., etc., ad Infinium, ad Nauseum.
Human failures of empirical rationality are not only regressive and harmful but are intrinsically and shameful gestures, lacking in gratitude to Nature, for evolution’s generous gift to homo sapiens of an advanced brain designed for implicit advancement toward the ultimate golden prize of wisdom.
-p.
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