Science & Religion Personal Philosophy Paper

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Curtis Mullins Science and Religion 11/24/14 Personal Philosophy Paper My interest in philosophy and theology takes root in my high school experience. I attended a United Methodist church growing up. It was a time of exploration, but my conclusion after high school was that I don’t feel this pull towards the emotions and connection of religion. I believe religion relates truth to many individuals and plays an important social role. I also feel a great pull towards the study of theology and the work of knowledge it produces. However, as I said, the emotional pull for this experience is not there for me. This leads to my passion to understand the knowledge surrounding philosophy and theology, as well as many other academic studies. Stories have played a great role in the development of my perception of possibilities in the universe. No other animal tells stories; it really shows our uniqueness and symbolic consciousness. Science fiction is a love of mine, and those stories feature heavily our place and influence in the universe. There are certain books, TV shows, and movies that stand out more than others. One story that heavily influenced me was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I read this in middle school and, specifically, it made me consider the possibilities for future warfare and the possibility of new methods of mass destruction in the universe. In the story, the main character Ender is the leader of an Earth force fighting against an alien armada. He and his wing

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commanders are all engaged with holographic interfaces with command over specific groups of automated ships. As we live in a world of continually increasing economic interdependence, all out warfare fairly implausible. However, our capacity for destruction seems to be constantly increasing. It’s a great example of human ingenuity and capacity to expand. It’s also very scary. This observation and emotional response has fueled my pacifist views. Moving away from these trends of increased capacity for destruction is a value I hold, though the inability to influence global trends can be disheartening at times. This leads into my view against a whig interpretation of history or philosophy. The whig viewpoint is that as time progresses it is necessarily true that we are increasing in enlightenment and things in the world are “better.” I believe humans, as a whole, can move back and forth on a continuum that is not necessarily measured in strict terms of better or worse. The effects of certain worldviews or policies of the human race can certainly have good or bad consequences, but, to me, it doesn’t seem that the collective consciousness is better or worse but rather just a point in time. I did an independent study with Herb Smith on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. His ideas are very interesting, and I have continued to hold some of his views to this day. I am not so interested in his Christian beliefs, but rather his concepts. I enjoy the idea that we, as humans and the universe as a whole, is progressing towards increased unity. I like to believe that this unity is a positive force being created, though this somewhat contradicts my opposition to a whig interpretation of history and time. A personal philosophy of life is not without contradictions, can be very fluid, and is full of uncertainties. Teilhard’s concept of the noosphere is interesting. There is certainly a unique conceptual existence of human thought. The universe is full of complex systems, and the sphere of human thought is one system within this construct. I believe

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the process of evolution does not necessarily result in rational beings that can be called persons. Since we are a product of evolution, the evolution of human thought as a unique system seems a logical extension of biological evolution. Another monumental story in my experience with philosophy and my worldview is the 2003 TV series Battlestar Galactica. The story is rich and complicated, but I’ll try to explain the basic premise. The 2003 series is a continuation of the 1978 series of the same name. The 2003 series enters a world of 12 human colonies 50-some years after a war with a sentient robotic race called the Cylons. The Cylons were created by these humans as a work force that developed sentience. The Cylons were oppressed by the humans and eventually rose up and rebelled. A truce was eventually reached. The beginning of the 2003 series produces genocide of humans committed by the Cylons. They strike back with the sole intention to destroy the human race. The story continues to follow a group of humans who survive and flee their system in search of a new home. Along the way, the series addresses a multitude of philosophical and moral issues. The most basic concept of the series is whether or not artificial intelligence in machines is necessarily a person. The sub-plots are too numerous to mention here, but include concepts such as Machiavellian rule in the fleet; how can angels influence individuals; does the concept of resurrection affect how one lives life; is there one God or many, and many others. The story of Battlestar Galactica leads me to my beliefs on artificial intelligence and the creation of life. Although I have no scientific basis, I believe the concept of artificial intelligence can come into existence. I do not know if human consciousness has a divine spark, and I believe no one can truly know, but I view our bodies as machines. If our bodies are machines to house

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and complex interaction of variables in our mind, then in some respect artificial intelligence could come to be with the correct technology and mechanisms. However, I believe very deeply that artificial intelligence is a great Pandora’s box. I believe that there could be a formulation of a Hegelian dialectic that necessarily leads to a war against our creation of artificial intelligence, if and when we create such a thing. Without analyzing it fully, I believe it makes sense conceptually that if and when we create such a being, we would have created it to make life easier for us. This means their automation would be used for work. This working class of machines would not be treated correctly; we currently don’t treat our low-class workers well. The oppression of such a class would lead to the demand for equal rights of some sort. If we do not handle such situations correctly, there would be some sort of a drastic confrontation. Perhaps the prospective lesson to learn is that we must treat persons – I use this term to describe humans and possibly sentient machines – equally and properly or else face the consequences. Stories are unique to our conscious existence. Persons have the ability to conceptualize experiences, ideas, and tell them through symbols. Whether these stories be philosophical studies or fiction, I believe stories play a key role in our development. There is a certain ecstasy or joy in experiences stories of all dimensions. As has been pointed out in this paper, stories play a huge role in my experiences of a personal philosophy. Learning these stories, combining the collective experiences, and exploring how they affect my own viewpoint helps guide my philosophy of life.