Does Darwinism help produce anarchic nihilism?

_{Denyse O'Leary

July 29, 2020

Culture, Darwinism, Intelligent Design}

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A new vid by John West explores the question:

Of course I’m not saying everything can be laid to Darwin’s feet. But see how much nihilism has been justified and advocated by some very smart and influential people in the name of evolutionary theory. This is not just a scientific theory of biological origins. It’s a powerful myth. That observation alone doesn’t make Darwinism false science. A myth could be true. It only means that Darwinism conveys a vision of reality that can’t help but shape us deep within. The malignancy of it has been building for more than a century and a half. Something wrong in the way Americans are shaped reached a critical threshold this year. If you want to understand how that happened, because you want to know how it could be reversed, it’s not possible without considering the role of evolution advocacy, which begins in school and continues to bombard us into adulthood. Take three minutes and see if you agree with me.
David Klinghoffer, “How Much of Today’s Anarchic Nihilism Can Be Laid at Darwin’s Feet?” at Evolution News and Science Today:

Comments

A new article from MIT shows the connection beautifully. http://polistrasmill.blogspot.com/2020/08/classic-darwinist-point-missing.htmlpolistra_{August 1, 2020
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Sev, I defy you to show that this, from William B Provine's notorious 1998 Darwin Day address at u Tenn is cherry picked quote mining:
Naturalistic evolution has clear consequences that Charles Darwin understood perfectly. 1) No gods worth having exist; 2) no life after death exists; 3) no ultimate foundation for ethics exists; 4) no ultimate meaning in life exists; and 5) human free will is nonexistent . . . . The first 4 implications are so obvious to modern naturalistic evolutionists that I will spend little time defending them. Human free will, however, is another matter. Even evolutionists have trouble swallowing that implication. I will argue that humans are locally determined systems that make choices. They have, however, no free will [--> without responsible freedom, mind, reason and morality alike disintegrate into grand delusion, hence self-referential incoherence and self-refutation. But that does not make such fallacies any less effective in the hands of clever manipulators] . . . [1998 Darwin Day Keynote Address, U of Tenn -- and yes, that is significant i/l/o the Scopes Trial, 1925]
The nihilism rooted in a priori, lab coat clad neo-magisterium led ideologically domineering evolutionary materialistic scientism is manifest. And has a long trail of graves -- and of those robbed of even a grave -- behind it. And, you have been in the room when this has come up over and over again, across the years. KFkairosfocus_{July 31, 2020
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The video is just a list of cherry-picked quotes. Wikipedia defines nihilism as follows:
Nihilism (/?na?(h)?l?z?m, ?ni?-/; from Latin: nihil, lit. 'nothing')[1] is the philosophical view that all knowledge and values are baseless; that is, all knowledge lacks a certain basis and all values are subjective.[2] Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, in which life is believed to be without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.[3] Moral nihilists assert that morality does not exist at all. Nihilism may also take epistemological, ontological, or metaphysical forms, whereby, respectively, knowledge is not possible, or reality does not actually exist.
The theory of evolution offers a naturalistic explanation of how life diversified after it had appeared on Earth. It has nothing to say about moral values or meaning. Moral values cannot be logically inferred without an impermissible crossing of the is/ought gap and "meaning" inevitably invites the questions of 'meaning to whom' and 'does one being's sense of meaning take precedence over another's and, if so, on what grounds'?Seversky_{July 30, 2020
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Belief in an amorphous Evolution certainly softens the brain up to then have other stupid ideas injected into it. Andrewasauber_{July 30, 2020
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Perhaps the most insidious part of the atheism that underlies the Darwinian worldview is that it robs our children of any true meaning, value, and purpose for their lives and thus robs them of any real hope that they may have for their futures.
"Let me summarize my views on what modern evolutionary biology tells us loud and clear — and these are basically Darwin’s views. There are no gods, no purposes, and no goal-directed forces of any kind. There is no life after death. When I die, I am absolutely certain that I am going to be dead. That’s the end of me. There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning in life, and no free will for humans, either." - William B. Provine
In the following video by Dr William Lane Craig entitled “Is There Meaning to Life?”, it is pointed out that if God does not exist then our lives have no objective meaning, value, or purpose.
Is There Meaning to Life? - Dr Craig videos (animated video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKGnXgH_CzE
As would be expected, this denial of any true meaning, value, and purpose, for our lives has very destructive consequences. For example, there are now studies showing that people who do not believe in Dualism and/or in an immortal soul are more anti-social (and/or psychopathic) than people who do believe in a soul:
A scientific case for conceptual dualism: The problem of consciousness and the opposing domains hypothesis. - Anthony I. Jack - 2013 Excerpt page 18: we predicted that psychopaths would not be able to perceive the problem of consciousness.,, In a series of five experiments (Jack, in preparation), we found a highly replicable and robust negative correlation (r~-0.34) between belief in dualism and the primary psychopathic trait of callous affect7. Page 24: Clearly these findings fit well with the hypothesis (Robbins and Jack, 2006) that psychopaths can’t see the problem of consciousness8. Taking these finding together with other work on dehumanization and the anti-social effects of denying the soul and free will, they present a powerful picture. When we see persons, that is, when we see others as fellow humans, then our percept is of something essentially non-physical nature. This feature of our psychology appears to be relevant to a number of other philosophical issues, including the tension between utilitarian principles and deontological concerns about harming persons (Jack et al., accepted), the question of whether God exists (Jack et al., under review-b), and the problem of free will9. http://tonyjack.org/files/2013%20Jack%20A%20scientific%20case%20for%20conceptual%20dualism%20%281%29.pdf
Moreover, "Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation."
Atheism and suicide "Concerning suicide rates, this is the one indicator of societal health in which religious nations fare much better than secular nations. According to the 2003 World Health Organization's report on international male suicides rates (which compared 100 countries), of the top ten nations with the highest male suicide rates, all but one (Sri Lanka) are strongly irreligious nations with high levels of atheism. It is interesting to note, however, that of the top remaining nine nations leading the world in male suicide rates, all are former Soviet/Communist nations, such as Belarus, Ukraine, and Latvia. Of the bottom ten nations with the lowest male suicide rates, all are highly religious nations with statistically insignificant levels of organic atheism."[3] https://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_suicide Of snakebites and suicide - February 18, 2014 RESULTS: Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. - per uncommon descent
Along that line, and in the hope of decreasing depression, it is interesting to note that learning and reading about the afterlife and/or about Near Death Experiences is 'generally quite successful not only in reducing suicidal thoughts but also in preventing the deed altogether.,,,'
Knowledge of the afterlife deters suicide. Lessons From the Light by Kenneth Ring and Evelyn Elsaesser p.257-258: As far as I know, the first clinician to make use of NDE material in this context was a New York psychologist named John McDonagh. In 1979, he presented a paper at a psychological convention that described his success with several suicidal patients using a device he called “NDE bibliotherapy.” His “technique” was actually little more than having his patients read some relevant passages from Raymond Moody’s book, Reflections on Life after Life, after which the therapist and his patient would discuss its implications for the latter’s own situation. McDonagh reports that such an approach was generally quite successful not only in reducing suicidal thoughts but also in preventing the deed altogether.,,, Since McDonagh’s pioneering efforts, other clinicians knowledgeable about the NDE who have had the opportunity to counsel suicidal patients have also reported similar success. Perhaps the most notable of these therapists is Bruce Greyson, a psychiatrist now at the University of Virginia, whose specialty as a clinician has been suicidology. He is also the author of a classic paper on NDEs and suicide which the specialist may wish to consult for its therapeutic implications. (14) Quite apart from the clinicians who have developed this form of what we might call “NDE-assisted therapy,” I can draw upon my own personal experience here to provide additional evidence of how the NDE has helped to deter suicide. The following case,,, http://ncu9nc.blogspot.com/2015/03/video-lecture-by-john-lennox-explains.html
In fact, numerous studies have now also shown that believing in God has a tremendous beneficial effect on both our mental and physical health: As Professor Andrew Sims, former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, states, “The advantageous effect of religious belief and spirituality on mental and physical health is one of the best-kept secrets in psychiatry and medicine generally.”,,, “In the majority of studies, religious involvement is correlated with well-being, happiness and life satisfaction; hope and optimism; purpose and meaning in life;,,”
“I maintain that whatever else faith may be, it cannot be a delusion. The advantageous effect of religious belief and spirituality on mental and physical health is one of the best-kept secrets in psychiatry and medicine generally. If the findings of the huge volume of research on this topic had gone in the opposite direction and it had been found that religion damages your mental health, it would have been front-page news in every newspaper in the land.” - Professor Andrew Sims former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists - Is Faith Delusion?: Why religion is good for your health - preface “In the majority of studies, religious involvement is correlated with well-being, happiness and life satisfaction; hope and optimism; purpose and meaning in life; higher self-esteem; better adaptation to bereavement; greater social support and less loneliness; lower rates of depression and faster recovery from depression; lower rates of suicide and fewer positive attitudes towards suicide; less anxiety; less psychosis and fewer psychotic tendencies; lower rates of alcohol and drug use and abuse; less delinquency and criminal activity; greater marital stability and satisfaction… We concluded that for the vast majority of people the apparent benefits of devout belief and practice probably outweigh the risks.” - Professor Andrew Sims former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists - Is Faith Delusion?: Why religion is good for your health – page 100
In fact, in the following study it was found that, “those middle-aged adults who go to church, synagogues, mosques or other houses of worship reduce their mortality risk by 55%.”
Can attending church really help you live longer? This study says yes – June 1, 2017 Excerpt: Specifically, the study says those middle-aged adults who go to church, synagogues, mosques or other houses of worship reduce their mortality risk by 55%. The Plos One journal published the “Church Attendance, Allostatic Load and Mortality in Middle Aged Adults” study May 16. “For those who did not attend church at all, they were twice as likely to die prematurely than those who did who attended church at some point over the last year,” Bruce said. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/02/can-attending-church-really-help-you-live-longer-study-says-yes/364375001/ Atheism and health A meta-analysis of all studies, both published and unpublished, relating to religious involvement and longevity was carried out in 2000. Forty-two studies were included, involving some 126,000 subjects. Active religious involvement increased the chance of living longer by some 29%, and participation in public religious practices, such as church attendance, increased the chance of living longer by 43%.[4][5] - per conservapedia
It is also important to point out that it is, for all intents and purposes, virtually impossible for Atheists to live his life consistently as if atheistic materialism were actually true and as if their lives truly were devoid of any true meaning, value, and purpose. As the following article states: Nobody thinks his daughter is just molecules in motion and nothing but; nobody thinks the Holocaust was evil, but only in a relative, provisional sense. A materialist who lived his life according to his professed convictions—understanding himself to have no moral agency at all, seeing his friends and enemies and family as genetically determined robots—wouldn’t just be a materialist: He’d be a psychopath.
The Heretic - Who is Thomas Nagel and why are so many of his fellow academics condemning him? - March 25, 2013 Excerpt:,,,Fortunately, materialism is never translated into life as it’s lived. As colleagues and friends, husbands and mothers, wives and fathers, sons and daughters, materialists never put their money where their mouth is. Nobody thinks his daughter is just molecules in motion and nothing but; nobody thinks the Holocaust was evil, but only in a relative, provisional sense. A materialist who lived his life according to his professed convictions—understanding himself to have no moral agency at all, seeing his friends and enemies and family as genetically determined robots—wouldn’t just be a materialist: He’d be a psychopath. http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/heretic_707692.html?page=3
This impossibility for Atheists to live their lives consistently as if atheism were actually true directly undermines their claim that Atheism is true
Existential Argument against Atheism - November 1, 2013 by Jason Petersen 1. If a worldview is true then you should be able to live consistently with that worldview. 2. Atheists are unable to live consistently with their worldview. 3. If you can’t live consistently with an atheist worldview then the worldview does not reflect reality. 4. If a worldview does not reflect reality then that worldview is a delusion. 5. If atheism is a delusion then atheism cannot be true. Conclusion: Atheism is false. http://answersforhope.com/existential-argument-atheism/
Moreover, the fact that our lives truly do have meaning, value, and purpose is also directly undermined by molecular biology itself. (which is supposedly where Darwinian evolution is suppose to be strongest in evidential support), Namely, Biologists are 'forced' to use words that directly imply teleology, i.e. goal directed purpose, when they are doing their research. As Denis Noble notes, "it is virtually impossible to speak of living beings for any length of time without using teleological and normative language".
“the most striking thing about living things, in comparison with non-living systems, is their teleological organization—meaning the way in which all of the local physical and chemical interactions cohere in such a way as to maintain the overall system in existence. Moreover, it is virtually impossible to speak of living beings for any length of time without using teleological and normative language—words like “goal,” “purpose,” “meaning,” “correct/incorrect,” “success/failure,” etc.” - Denis Noble - Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics of the Medical Sciences Division of the University of Oxford. (as quoted in 'Our Best Schools')
Thus in direct contradiction to the Darwinist's claim that ours lives are completely devoid of any true meaning, value, or purpose, the fact of the matter is that the words that biologists themselves are forced to use when they are doing their research proves the exact opposite. Molecular biology itself testifies that life is literally, (from top to bottom, and in every molecule), infused with goal directed purpose. And as the later part of the following video points out, there are many more scientific evidences that can be brought to bear for the fact that our lives truly do have meaning, value and purpose,
Atheistic Materialism vs Meaning, Value, and Purpose in Our Lives - video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqUxBSbFhog
Bottom line, Darwinian atheism is a insidious lie that is being taught to our children in public schools. A insidious lie that drains our children's lives of any true meaning, value, and purpose for their lives, i.e. drains them of any real hope they may have for their lives, and thus which has devastating consequences for their own personal lives. As should be needless to say, humans were certainly not meant to live their lives without any real hope in their future.
John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
bornagain77_{July 30, 2020
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There's no doubt Darwin is to blame for much of the nihilism in today's society. Darwin knew his nemesis too "The old argument of design in nature". Keep up the good work. PS Woodrow Wilson doesn't belong in that crowd of Atheists, he was a devout Christian. This is the part left out of his quote: "Society is a living organism and must obey the laws of life, not of mechanics; it must develop. All the progressives ask or desire is permission—in an era when “development,” “evolution,” is the scientific word—to interpret the Constitution according to the Darwinian principle" He meant the principle of change over time, nothing more. “If I were not a Christian I think I should go mad, but my faith in God holds me to the belief that he is in some way working out his own plans through human perversities and mistakes.” - Woodrow Wilson.David P_{July 29, 2020
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