Why do you believe what you believe?

The key to understanding our full potential is to understand where we have come from, and a programme on the National Geographic Channel triggered an epiphany for me.  A wonderfully created program sought to look at why humans are different from apes - to really get to the core reason why we are so advanced as a species compared to our closest ancestor, the apes.  The fact that we have more brain matter/neurons is a given, but does not explain the sheer magnitude of the difference. The programme finds similarities in many previously considered aspects - use of tools, collaboration and teamwork, even romantic love, and the ability to copy from others and thereby create a shared culture.  The final experiment however was the most interesting. It presents a black box to the ape/child candidates - and a brief training on a series of steps that pushes out a treat. Both the chimp and the child pick up the elaborate routine that pushes out the treat. The black box is then replaced with an exact replica of it that is transparent. From the series of steps that were taught, only the last step is really relevant to push the treat out - and this becomes obvious due to the transparency of the box. Interestingly, the chimp cuts through the chase, and skips all the initial irrelevant steps and performs the only relevant step that is required to take the treat out. In contrast, all the children go through the motions they were taught, even though it is apparent that most of the steps are irrelevant! At first glance, it would seem that the chimps win this test hands down. The program concludes that this is one of the deciding traits that has allowed humans to advance the way they have, compared to their close cousins. Human beings can stand on the intellectual shoulders of their ancestors - so they never really start from scratch. Language and other forms of early communication between humans was key to this breakthrough and helped pass knowledge and experiences from generation to generation. This is the small difference in our evolution that has made the huge difference and allowed us to accumulate technological advances and transfer our achievements across generations. The ability to teach and be taught is one of the most powerful differentiators for human beings.

Now think about the exact paradox of the above. The biggest human advances have come from those rare individuals with the ability to question the status quo! From Copernicus and Galileo Galilei to Newton and Einstien as well as most of our religious leaders, they took the important step of questioning what they were taught and thinking outside of the confines of what was commonly believed. Contrast this to the rest of the species who blindly follow what they're taught. Think of the individuals who are "taught" to take their own life for a "cause" - a cause they most likely inherited.  More toned down forms of this blind allegiance to a cause or a one-sided perspective of reality can be seen all around us - especially in the form of mindless racism and religious extremism. Unfortunately, extremists all over the world have realized the power that we have to influence others, especially children, and are using it as the most powerful weapon to create suicidal maniacs. Imagine the possibilities if we could teach people how to think, how to keep an open mind, and how to use evidence based reasoning on top of our inherited knowledge and experiences? Can we train our children how to see multiple perspectives of the same problem? Can this skill be imparted through education?

What does this mean to all of us? I think it means we need to balance what we're taught with our own reasoning. And it must start with each of us thinking through and questioning everything we have the strongest belief in. Can we listen to and try to understand ideas which are diametrically opposed to what we believe in? By doing so, we strengthen our ability to stand on top of the intellectual shoulders of our ancestors without being bogged down by them. If each of us can do this, and be agents of change, I think the human race will find itself in a much better place.

The nature of truth

What is the truth? Truth is the model/explanation or paradigm that best fits the observations we see around us. This description makes it obvious that there is no absolute truth but different perspectives. Even if there was an absolute truth, we will never be able to separate it from our own unique perspective. Realization of this fact is actually empowering and liberating. It makes us open to advancement, to seek truth at higher and higher levels, while at the same time bestowing upon us the tolerance to sympathize with different perspectives with an open mind.

The scientific method is a set of techniques we have used over the ages to advance our knowledge of the universe around us, using empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. The effectiveness of the scientific method can be seen in the technological advances all around us. The “truth” as per the scientific method is also subject to the same principles set out above. Newton’s laws for example, are still valid and very useful for a certain scope. Beyond that scope, laws defined by Einstein will be a better fit. So the truth is also dependent on the scope of what we’re looking at. This variability or the ability of the truth to evolve over time is no reason to reject the scientific method or the “established truth” within the relevant scope of measurement. In fact, we have no alternative, outside of blind faith or risky speculation.

This wonderful TED talk by Naomi Oreskes talks about why we should trust scientists with historical examples of both successes and failures. After all, for  many people, there is no difference between believing a scientist who says that evolution is real, vs. an influential figure in their life who says that a flying spaghetti monster created the universe (pun intended) - both involve a leap of faith since they cannot evaluate the truth of either of these by themselves. Paradoxically, constructive mistrust by a community of experts (scientists) in the subject area that needs to be overcome before any scientific knowledge becomes accepted is one of the best reasons why scientific knowledge stands on a better vantage point in relation to the truth. Belief strengthened by doubt and questioning and therefore open to advancement and refinement  is stronger and stable compared to that formed by blind faith.

Even though all of the above may seem obvious, the current reality is quite depressing. A recent poll found that 1/3rd of Americans reject the theory of evolution! The current theory of evolution certainly does not have ALL the answers, and there are gaps that are yet to be explained which will certainly see our understanding of the details evolve over time. However, these are not valid reasons to reject the theory of evolution altogether. Such an outcome in the most advanced country in the world with free access to knowledge and education paints a rather grim picture for the rest of the planet, especially places where much more fundamental forms of religion holds sway. It also shows the often irreconcilable clashes between science and institutionalised forms of religion that can stall the progress of human civilisation.

It's time we look at what's wrong with our education system that makes people vulnerable to manipulation, whether by extremist ideologies or unscrupulous politicians. Recent events where even people educated and brought up in the West were convinced to fight alongside terrorist organisations is a case in point. Imagine the damage if such indoctrination happens from a young age without access to alternative forms of thinking? The most fundamental requirement of education should be to empower human beings with the ability to evaluate the truth on their own based on evidence. This capability should be provided to every human being through a liberating form of education. 

Why this blog?

In some ways the whole human species feels like a big experiment - they have enough intelligence to collectively achieve amazing things - for example the ability to look back nearly as far as the beginning of the universe or go into space or figure out the formulas that define the laws of the universe. And then they exhibit such primordial behaviours - killing their own with no remorse on some irrelevant belief or giving into their most basic instincts at great cost to themselves, to their loved ones and to society. It really feels like human beings have the potential within them to become anything between an angel to a demon or anything in between, or an unlikely concoction of the two under different circumstances! So how do we come to grips with this reality and realize the full human potential? The aim of this blog is to capture a series of experiences and thought processes that I have gone through that have helped me reconcile the world as well as the often conflicting belief systems we see around us. The best way to read this blog is from start to finish, as it builds on previous posts and is meant to take the reader on a journey rather than through random thoughts. Also , my own thought processes were either influenced or highlighted by the hyper-linked external references  - so they are strongly recommended.