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Page 3
A: As far as I'm concerned, these new findings have sealed the gap between science and religion.
Q: What reactions have you gotten to the "god module" idea from the general public? A: Everything from praise to contempt. Q: What do some people find contemptible about the "god module" idea ? Its reductionism ? A: Given that I am purporting that our spiritual/religious proclivities and beliefs emerged as an evolutionary adaptation--a physiologically-based coping mechanism--this would imply that there is no spiritual reality, no god, no soul, no afterlife, nothing that transcends or supercedes the physical realm whatsoever, in effect, invalidating every brand of spiritual or religious belief that exists. As you could imagine this has pissed off a few people. In regard to the reductionistic qualities of such a theory, people seem to be further ired--even the non-religious--by the greater implication that all cognition/perception/emotion/sensation is derived from our genetic make-up in conjunction with the environment in which those genetic potentials are nurtured, neither variable of which we have the slightest control or influence therefore suggesting that there is no such thing as free will. Even many atheists I've come across renounce such a harsh world view. Q: How can humankind possibly benefit from these ideas? A: As much as it might help to bond a society, as well as to provide us with mutual values and a sense of eternal hope, the religious impulse generates certain discriminatory behaviors that prompt us to commit all sorts of hateful acts and atrocities. Perhaps if we we were to accept religiosity as a biologically-based impulse, we might be able to curb its potentially hazardous excesses, such as those that have led our species to engage in repeated acts of hostility, war, and genocide. Perhaps if were to come to terms with the fact that our species has been born into a neurological web of deceit, installed with a genetically inherited "white lie," we might be better able to more effectively focus our energies on the here and now, as opposed to on some dubious hereafter. Q: You foresee a possible future where mankind learns to overcome its neurological impulses. But what if we continue on our present course do you think that the divergence between our evolved instincts and today's increasingly complex world will attain a breaking point, or will we simply continue to be more and more dysfunctional beings ? How do you foresee our future as thinking beings?
The copyright of the article The God Module and humanity - Interview with Matthew Alper - Page 3 in Rational Spirituality is owned by Francois Tremblay. Permission to republish The God Module and humanity - Interview with Matthew Alper - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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