in order for this body of work to be productive, i need to present a working definition of the word faith. this term could mean a lot of different things depending on your life experiences- so to have a productive conversation i need to clarify. while you're in my house you play by my rules, so to speak. henceforth, for purposes of my perspective as a writer, faith is "a confident belief in something which cannot be proven and measured". whether or not you feel disagreement with this initial premise, factor that into your perception of that which follows.

what do i know

faith is that which attempts to fill in the gaps which cannot be proven or measured. so before we can get to that which is a matter of faith, we must start with that which is known. i will keep it limited to what is relevant to explain my beliefs.

evolution is a real and natural process

when organisms reproduce and dna is combined, and sometimes as a weird error (or useful feature? possibly?) or result of external forces, it mutates. these differences in instructions, and resulting behaviors and patterns are either useful or not. if the feature is useful, the organism is more likely to successfully reproduce. if it is a detriment, it is less likely to do so. consequently, it can be assumed that the present-day version of an organism is one that is optimized for survival among the mutations that have thus far occurred. optimized does not mean perfect, and i do not believe that a "perfect" organism exists or will ever exist. every feature comes with tradeoffs- the tradeoffs that do the most good with the least-relevant downsides will be selected for.

the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions or exceptions is usually correct

time and time again in my life, complication has been a symptom of ignorance. i used to think toilets were these incredibly complex machines until i learned how they work when i had to fix mine. the more energy that i put into an explanation, the less effective it tends to be. we've all read conspiracy theories that have paragraph after paragraph of contrived explanations to individual outcomes when there exists a much simpler and more likely explanation that just works, no exceptions or special cases needed. i crave efficient, simple systems because the work.

humans naturally social creatures that value grouping and forming communities of mutual concern

human beings are social creatures. by this i mean individually we kinda suck- we depend on the specialized abilities that others of our kind have trained to perform specialized functions in society. i do not believe this is a bad thing- quite the opposite. by specializing, we can collectively achieve more than any individual ever could. an individual may be capable of the essentials of survival, but they would never have the time or energy to pursue things that could make life better for the generations to come. because of this inclination towards specialized communal function, it makes sense that we also naturally gravitate towards finding communities to thrive in. similarly, we enjoy being recognized as unique and important in our specialized functions.

ok i think that's it

what do i have faith in

faith exists to explain that which cannot be explained

the human mind is insatiably curious, and seeks reasonable explanations. from birth, we seek to know and learn more about the world we find ourselves in. however, throughout history, when no reasonable cause has been discovered to explain a phenomenon, it has then become the duty of faith and the supernatural to quiet the mind with a temporary answer that seems sufficient. or, put another way, "a wizard did it" is better than no explanation.

the most ancient of faiths and religious practices provided answers to the hows and whys of a world not yet understood. the world was full of questions that its people had not yet had the body of work to build upon an understanding of that nearly every facet of the world was explained with a story involving one or more gods, whose domains were far-reaching. as generations came and went and we both learned and recorded more and more of our history, faiths began to narrow in what they needed to explain. we no longer need gods to explain why the moon moves across the sky and appears to change shape, or why the tides of the ocean ebb and flow, and so practices that satiate these curiosities with gods fall out of vogue.

there are some aspects of the universe that may never be understood. we may never know the origin of life, what occurred before the big bang, or why the fundamental features of our universe exist in the configuration that they do, so it's entirely possible that there will always be a niche for gods of the gaps. but i believe that faith in this regard serves this function: of quieting curiosity until we get better answers. an unsolved puzzle is difficult to put down- much more so than an imperfectly finished one can be returned to.

moral behavior is that which is evolutionarily advantageous across generations of humans

given that the choice that evolution selected for was social, specialized creatures, it would make absolutely zero sense to both select for features and behaviors that require a social community to be maintained AND those that may benefit the individual at the cost of the group. rather, it would follow that mechanisms that dissuade antisocial behaviors be selected for. guilt exists, and is a terrible experience with symptoms akin to illness because it comes from having wronged another (the group). it is a feature that promotes prosocial behavior. the behaviors that give rise to guilt, that which are considered morally evil, are all ultimately arising because they have created problems for the web of society.

this isn't to say these mechanisms are immutable or cannot be bypassed. it is entirely possible for one to act entirely in their own self interest. when the body is hungry, it will consume itself to survive long enough to get another meal. this does not mean that it is an optimal long-term strategy. however, it was evolutionarily advantageous to have these backup mechanisms when times were challenging, allowing for a more individualistic "survival of the fittest" to determine which members of the species would continue when faced with scarcity or an inability to provide for all.

such "moral" mechanisms can also be weakened through rigorous and deliberate retraining, as the human brain is very flexible and can be trained to overcome natural reactions to stimuli. just as one can be retrained to ignore the reflex to breathe when learning to freedive, so can a soldier be trained to ignore guilt at the murder of others- especially when framed as being ultimately for the common good.

this is to say, the mechanisms that produce guilt form a moral framework that predates any organized religion.

no person or thing is owed authority or respect

value must be self-evident. a true leader is one that is voluntarily chosen for being a reliable source of inspiration and one in whom enough people place confidence. a weak leader designs consequences for those who do not follow them. self-insulating beliefs or rules are toxic to progress. it is natural and scientific for more effective explanations, systems, and features to be selected for purely on their own merit. if an idea cannot be challenged merely because there are consequences, enforced or otherwise, to doing so, then that idea is not worth protecting.

self-insulating faiths have a reason, but are flawed.

faiths that scare their practitioners into belief for fear of consequences are fighting against the natural process of evolution- the very thing that made them. on the basis of evidence, all stories that seek to explain that which cannot yet be explained are equally likely. however, it makes sense that it would be selected for a group all agreeing on the same story to answer the unknowable, lest we stir up that curious mind that can get obsessed with unsolvable problems. where this runs into problems is when two faiths collide, both truly believing that their story is infallible. people are drawn to confidence, and a faith that purports to be a source of answers would be weakened if left its pacifying stories open-ended.

given this

my "god" is the human spirit- the evolutionarily-selected-for features that make us prosocial creatures, working together to ensure that individuals can specialize to benefit the whole. love for others, appreciation of beauty and coincidence, the joy of progress and innovation, the creativity to connect separate ideas. that which causes us to utter in any number of languages "oh my god"- that which countless faiths have attempted to name or ascribe to a soul or a deity that truly comes from within.

i believe that humanity is best viewed as one superorganism- to harm another is to harm myself, because i depend on others.

i believe that misanthropy is an incomplete realization- that humans are capable of anti-group, anti-longterm evils, without recognizing that such things are done by individuals under stress who are surviving in the ecosystem they find themselves in- the body digesting itself when hungry.

i have no choice but to have faith in humanity to prosper, because i am human and part of it. if i am to give myself the benefit of the doubt, then i should extend the same kindness to others. the only alternative, to not believe in humanity, is to embrace extinction, which would be an evolutionary defect.

i believe there is no "one true faith", only faiths that serve purposes in their times. like evolutionary traits and knowledge, they can and should be up to examination, scrutiny, and being discarded when they no longer fulfill their purpose. they should never be self-insulating.

i believe faiths are healthy and natural, so long as they accept others and are flexible and receptive to new views. i am not anti-theist.

i'm not terribly concerned with the question of where the universe came from or what happens when we die. these unknowables are too difficult to test for, and their answer does not affect how i live my life. i can only guarantee that i am living a life, and based on evidence, my first and only one.