Beyond Reductionism: Reinventing the Sacred (Review)
Stuart Kauffman, a professor at the University of Calgary with a shared appointment between biological sciences and physics and astronomy, has a wonderful essay on emergence theology over at edge.org. In it, he outlines three essential views: theism, postmodernism, and (what I consider) religious naturalism. His argument is that emergence theory is superior to reductionistic views when it comes to understanding the fundamental nature of the universe, and also provides a valid substrate upon which a modern ethical system can be developed.
Kauffman offers a profound observation regarding secular humanism:
On the other side of this vast divide than those who hold to a transcendent God and His authority for meaning and values, are the innumerable secular humanists, children of the enlightenment and contemporary science, who hold firmly to reality as revealed by science, find values in their love for their families and friends, a general sense of fairness and a morality that needs no basis in God’s word. Yet we secular humanists have paid an unspoken price for our firm sense that (reductionist) science tells us what is real. First, we have no well wrought scientific basis for our humanity [....] The two cultures, science and humanities, remain firmly un-united. And equally important, we have been subtly robbed of our deep capacity for spiritualism. We have come to believe that spirituality is inherently co-localized with a belief in God, and that without such a belief, spirituality is inherently foolish, questionable, without foundation, wishful thinking, silly.
I believe he is absolutely right. I would take his observation further by saying that many believe that spirituality is dependent upon supernatural thinking, not just involving a transcendent God, but also spirits, souls, occult forces, super-terrestrial planes, change at a distance, and so on. I have heard arguments claiming that nature-without-the-supernatural is inadequate for a spiritual orientation, that it is too limited, dry, or meaningless. But I would counter by saying that it is not the natural world that is too limited, but our own worldviews.
Kauffman continues by exploring ideas inherent in emergence theory that can extend our views of the world past reductionism while also escaping post modernism. He does this by exploring the origin of life and human agency and consciousness. Kauffman then offers the observation that nature is both creative and unpredictable:
In short, the evolution of the biosphere is radically unknowable, not due to quantum throws of the dice, or deterministic chaos, but because we cannot prestate the macroscopic relevant features of organisms and environments that will lead to the emergence of novel functions in the biosphere with their own causal properties that in turn alter the future evolution of the biosphere. Thus, the evolution of the biosphere is radically creative, ceaselessly creative, in way that cannot be foretold. I find this wonderful.
Kauffman ends with a plea for a radical shift in how we as humans think about nature and our own spirituality:
You see, we can say, here is reality, is it not worthy of stunned wonder? What more could we want of a God? Yes, we give up a God who intervenes on our behalf. We give up heaven and hell. But we gain ourselves, responsibility, and maturity of spirit. I know that saying that ethics derives from evolution undercuts the authority of God as its source. But do we need such a God now? I think not. Nor do we need the spiritual wasteland that post-modernism has brought us. Beyond my admired friend Kenneth Arrow, natural parks are valuable because life is valuable on its own, a wonder of emergence, evolution and creativity. Reality is truly stunning. So if you find this useful, let us go forth, as was said long ago, and invite consideration by others of this new vision of reality. With it, let us recreate spiritual community and membership. Let us go forth. Civilization needs to be changed.
Yes, reality is worthy of stunned wonder. And we deserve a spirituality and ethics that is mature, responsible, and meaningful. I proudly go forth with Dr. Kauffman to spread the Good Word: God is dead! Long live God!
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