Chet Raymo, "On Being Good"
"On Being Good"
by Chet Raymo
"Several years ago, I attended a seminar on the foundations of ethical systems. The participants quoted Plato, Jesus, Heidegger, and a host of other authorities; they trotted out every philosophical and theological reason why we can or should be good. Of course, prominent among the arguments was that old canard: Without the promise of eternal salvation or the threat of damnation, we would all be scoundrels. No one mentioned that we are first of all biological creatures with an evolutionary history, and that altruism, aggression, fidelity, promiscuity, nurturing and violence might be part of our animal natures.
I looked around the auditorium and saw folks of every religious and philosophical persuasion, and of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and I thought, "Gee, I'd trust any one of these folks not to take my wallet in a dark alley." Sure, humans are capable of great evil, but most of us are pretty good most of the time, and I suspect that it has more to do with where we have been as a biological species than with where we hope to be going in some airy-fairy afterlife.
We are animals who have evolved the capacity to cherish our fellow humans and to resist for the common good our innate tendencies to aggression and selfishness, not because we have been plucked out of our animal selves by some sky hook from above, but because we have been nudged into reflective consciousness by evolution. When it comes to living in a civilized way on a crowded planet, I choose to put my faith in the long leash of the genes rather than fear of hellfire or the chance to walk on streets of gold."
- http://blog.sciencemusings.com/
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"Raymo Reconciles Science vs. Faith"
by Morgan Adams
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by Morgan Adams
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"I'm not really very good at answers," says Dr. Chet Raymo, a writer, teacher and naturalist who for 40 years has been exploring the relationship between science and nature. "I like questions much more than I like answers. Every time I give an answer, I feel like I am closing a door in my own mind." On November 30, Raymo spoke to a Berea College audience about his personal approach to "a very contemporary, very contentious topic": the conflict between science and faith. "Science is beginning to touch on topics that had previously been associated ... with religion," said Raymo. He explained that science is addressing such age-old questions as the origin of life and the existence of the human soul, and that the reconciliation of science with religion is becoming increasingly important in today's times.
Raymo shared his own story of reconciliation with the audience, explaining how he had used science and "reliable knowledge of the world" as a foundation and built his religious faith around that knowledge. He used "the writer's craft" to take a pilgrimage and explore the different interactions between science and faith.
Science and faith have long been important topics to Raymo. For four decades, he has explored these topics through his writing, and in addition to his 20 years as a columnist for the Boston Globe, Raymo has published more than a dozen award-winning books on science and nature. "What writing does is make connections," Raymo explained. He read to the audience from his book "Climbing Brandon: Science and Faith on Ireland's Holy Mountain," in which he used his experiences from living in Ireland to draw together the "threads" of Christianity, Celtic nature worship and natural surroundings as well as non-mystical, scientific explanations for the world.
Raymo emphasized that he was only trying to provoke thought through the tale of his personal pilgrimage, and did not wish to tell people how to achieve their own reconciliation. Chet Raymo holds bachelor's degree and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and master's degree from the University of California, and is professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College. Currently his Science Musings column is published weekly on his Web site, www.sciencemusings.com."
Raymo shared his own story of reconciliation with the audience, explaining how he had used science and "reliable knowledge of the world" as a foundation and built his religious faith around that knowledge. He used "the writer's craft" to take a pilgrimage and explore the different interactions between science and faith.
Science and faith have long been important topics to Raymo. For four decades, he has explored these topics through his writing, and in addition to his 20 years as a columnist for the Boston Globe, Raymo has published more than a dozen award-winning books on science and nature. "What writing does is make connections," Raymo explained. He read to the audience from his book "Climbing Brandon: Science and Faith on Ireland's Holy Mountain," in which he used his experiences from living in Ireland to draw together the "threads" of Christianity, Celtic nature worship and natural surroundings as well as non-mystical, scientific explanations for the world.
Raymo emphasized that he was only trying to provoke thought through the tale of his personal pilgrimage, and did not wish to tell people how to achieve their own reconciliation. Chet Raymo holds bachelor's degree and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and master's degree from the University of California, and is professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Stonehill College. Currently his Science Musings column is published weekly on his Web site, www.sciencemusings.com."
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