The Joy Of Faith

It's a shame that atheism and its proponents seem to be viewed as austere miserablists by the vocal majority, even those who would refer to themselves as 'not particularly religious'. We have bought into the image of the atheist as the rather tired old academic who is left sullen and stoic after weighing up the big questions, before resigning themselves to a cheerless fate at the cruel hands of Mother Nature.

These people seem to be in their element when arguing with elements of the fundamental right but lost in the wind when faced with more indifferent mainstream opposition. No doubt the former scenario allows them to easily present scientific proof as a winning hand, and make the detractor seem clownish and deluded; while the latter leaves them open to accusations of sneering misanthropy.

If there's anything that comes across strongly in the rhetoric of the transhumanists and singularitarians it's that the future is something to be thought of with excitement. A futurist outlook is an optimistic outlook. AI can be friendly and a revolution in the spread of information can signal the beginning of a revolution in collective consciousness.

Interestingly, research from recent years has suggested the existence of a 'God gene' and pointed to familial tendencies towards choosing religion as a signifier that faith, at least in template form, may be passed via bio-chemical means and not just through indoctrination post birth.

So, belief in transcendence becomes the latest territory of the supernatural or mystic to be wrestled back to the realm of the rational by men in white coats. This shouldn't make it any less magical or startling... nature can work in mysterious ways too and that in itself is beautiful. When looking to the era of the conscious machine, we are looking at the prospect of true and pure transcendence... in a way that rivals the description given in any religious text. It simply suggests that we get a say in it as intelligent and aware individuals, which is surely more of a deal breaker than anything offered by any representative of the 'divine'.