Regardless of one’s beliefs about the existence of transcendent realms, human beings need something akin to spirituality to counteract ego dominance. Religious systems encourage humility in order to bring practitioners out of self, and into appreciation of a larger reality. People argue about ‘God’, and obsess about whether we live in a purely material world versus one with mystical foundations. But debates about the nature of the cosmos, while fascinating and important, could be sidestepped if there were an easy way to escape the ego’s tyranny.
Recently, I read the textbook Animal Behavior, by John Alcock, which looks at the subject from an evolutionary perspective. It rounded out ideas that first came my way through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Despite the rudimentary abilities of certain apes, only humans employ verbal, rational, and linear thought. Predictive skills and long-range strategizing appear to have evolved only recently. Other animals have minds of some sort, but they must work differently from ours. Anyone with a dog knows it has desires and abilities to communicate them. A dog is good at getting humans to provide what it wants. But one of the wonderful things about canine pets is their lack of guile. They don’t plan, manipulate, deceive, or ‘think’ long-term. Those are uniquely human qualities. Although animals have very complicated, and even flexible, behaviors, they do not have complex thinking. Such cognition is a new development on earth.
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Dale Hankins
4:50 am on
February 6th, 2010Personally, I do not find that religions instill humility. Quite the opposite – “god’s chosen people”, “on a mission from god”, “talking with god” are all ego-centric states. When under the emotional grip of such states individuals typically feel that they possess a unique and special connection to the ultimate meaning or “ground of being” (Tillich) underlying the universe. Individuals often assert this uniqueness (salvation, connection to god, enlightenment) to avoid dealing directly with life’s problems (I’ll pray to god rather than pick up a shovel) and to give themselves a sense of superiority over “non-believers” (God has told me that you are wrong).
For me, true humility comes from the continual struggle to see the world and my place in it more clearly. My experience is that science is far more useful than religion in this process. In science when I am proven wrong it is a cause for celebration, because I can now see my error, move forward, and learn more about life and the universe. True, some scientists are “religious” in their desire to hold onto their views and assertions. However, these individuals eventually are found out by their fellows and the community continues to move forward.
Religion on the other hand, seldom, if ever, wishes to challenge its fundamental beliefs; unchanging certainty often is the very foundation for its continuance. At best, those challenging religious beliefs typically are greeted with smiling condescension; being told that they “shouldn’t ask so many questions”. In the worst case questioners may find themselves ostracized, jailed or even tortured and killed.
In science, my assertions must be publicly accessible to all who wish to learn about them (assuming they want to make the effort). Religious assertions typically are private and cloaked within special “mysteries”,”holy” texts and ceremonies, or even direct and private conversation with “God”. Religious beliefs are resistant to public discourse and study; the religious believer need only say, “It is so because God (or his holy book) has told me so” and the discussion is ended. I ask, which of these views is more likely to create a humble outlook? My money is on science. Of course I COULD be wrong; let us collect more evidence, discuss, and examine it to learn more. 
Dale–
Thank you for the comment. Few would deny that religious doctrine promotes arrogance and rigidity in numerous people. However, religion helps many others achieve genuine humility. To my knowledge, no empirical data has been collected that determines whether religious or scientific thinking is more likely to result in selflessness. For the record, my own path toward humility is to meditate on our true situation in the universe, as established by biology and physics (see this representative post from my blog if you are interested). But I try to remain open minded enough to recognize that rationality is not the only route to genuine humility. For some people, I believe the symbolism and rituals of religion are more efficient than logical thought in awakening a sense of awe and perspective. It is that state of mind, where one recognizes human smallness in the face of the cosmos, that leads to humble acceptance. My point was not to suggest that one way of getting there is better than another; only that peace (both personal and global) requires us to make the voyage.
–Will
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