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Heaven on Earth: The Lethal Illusion of Secular Utopias.by Matt Cherry Executive Director of the Institute for Humanist Studies
This is the recap of a talk given at the October 13, 2002 CDHS monthly meeting.
Religious leaders often attempt to blame the atrocities of the Twentieth Century on atheists. At the October meeting, Matt Cherry discussed "Heaven on Earth: The Lethal Illusion of Secular Utopias." The danger inherent in utopias, whether secular or religious, is more complex than some religious leaders would have us believe. Taking a closer look than opponents of secularism have, Matt pinpointed some root causes of the crimes of Hitler, Stalin, and others. Having a clear understanding of these dangers is necessary if we are to prevent future atrocities and defend our reputation as nonbelievers. Rather than godlessness causing these horrors, Matt said "the problem was not what they did not believe in. The problem was what they did believe in – with absolute certainty." "This absolute belief is the very opposite of the scientific approach, which is based on systematic doubt, not on certainty." A common theme throughout these events was the belief that the ends justified the means and no price was too high to pay. Matt explained the fallacy of this and why "the goal of a perfect society does not justify inhuman actions, why tomorrow’s omelet does not justify today’s broken eggs": 1. It is wrong to use a person as a means to an end. 2. No certain knowledge of the future exists; the result is always in doubt. 3. Humanity’s imperfections make it impossible to create a flawless society. The utopian idea has additional problems. Both rationalist and religious utopias have common flaws. They are static, incoherent, and self contradictory. Utopia is impossible because it attempts to reconcile values and desires whose very nature it is to clash. Freedom and equality conflict with each other when equality "may require that we curtail the liberty of those who would dominate." Thus, values must be balanced depending on the circumstances. However, a change in circumstances is nonnegotiable in utopias because they demand a perfected state where nothing changes. Matt then concluded that utopia is an illusion because "a perfect society that fully realizes all of humanity’s positive values is not only impossible in practice; it is a theoretical impossibility too." Matt suggested the following guidelines as a Humanist approach to confronting the lethal illusion of utopias: 1. Oppose absolutist authoritarian systems. 2. Defend a diversity of opinions, values, life stances (what Karl Popper termed "the open society" – which is never static, allows debate and compromise). 3. Encourage diversity (including voluntary utopian experiments). 4. Political action: Humanist goals include: human rights, democracy, secularism, open society, ensuring individual fertility/reproductive and sexual freedom, freedom in health/medical choices, medical research and treatments, the right to die with dignity, expanding these rights in the world, and improving the conditions of the billions living at or below subsistence levels. Matt closed with the message that even though we can’t achieve a perfect world, we can create a better one and Humanists must be involved in the political arena to achieve it. These goals are summed up in the IHEU Minimum Statement defining Humanism: "Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance, which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural views of reality." | |