Review principles that will go into my “proof of the existence and nature of God”

2020|5|15

Review principles that will go into my “proof of the existence and nature of God”, centered around the analogy that we are like cells in the body of an intelligent, enlightened, compassionate unicellular Organism Who has our interests at heart but also has an overarching agenda — on a much longer, civilizational, timescale than our short lifespans: to conquer evil. 

Here are a few of the criteria to discuss in that proof: 

analogous to progressive criticisms that capitalists depend on society and thereby are not “self-made entrepreneurs”: 

• prehistoric and historical arguments by comparison to our short lifespans (e.g., how our lives are, and the future of life on earth will be, influenced by the role that hominids played in the biosphere 100,000 years ago)
• timescales and networks beyond any human agency
• setup of cultural conditions beyond the span of humanistic perspectives
• the distinctions between reductionism and holism; in vitro and in vivo analysis, linear perturbation analysis and chaos control

sensitivity to initial conditions (especially during pivotal eras) that invoke notions of responsibility to future generations and the design and path of human civilization

• responsibilities for downstream consequences of our actions (e.g., deporting innocent immigrants, empowering dictator wannabes)

the natural history of life processes, as predicted by my theory

• a simple “bottom-up, looking-downward” induction proof of how any “quasi-organism” “sees” its “cells” 
• a problem: Specifying civilizational designs may also give “the keys to the kingdom” to pathogens, like dictators and/or viruses. Accountability mechanisms (like civil lawsuits against authoritarian rulers and direct fiduciary accountability for governments that deviate from democratic norms), cryptography, and passwords offer some hope of beating back pathogens, but arms wars are likely unavoidable and occasional disease processes inevitable. 
• a partially open question: Are there corresponding “top-down” and/or (especially) “looking up” mathematical analyses of how the ephemeral “cells” should be responsible and answer to the “whole organism” over its (civilizational and longer) “lifespan”? 
  • In the appendix to my father’s autobiography, I described “a generalization of the Golden Rule to higher levels” in this setting — to act how we would want our cells to behave to help ward off disease | dysfunction | bad designs | and accidents. 
  • From a corresponding analytical standpoint, a reciprocity principle might serve this purpose of a “generalized Golden Rule” — expressing between levels how higher levels would want lower levels to behave | serve | and respond to new challenges. 
  • The reciprocity of that arrangement could be expressed in terms of the security that lower levels get from participating in a higher-level whole. At the same time, lower levels should not expect such reciprocity, based on their own experiences with levels below them, but only acknowledge the general principle.
• the unicellular-like bootup process through which human civilization has been sleepwalking
• arguments that current conditions resemble embryogenesis
• the whole structure of my theory of civilizational design

the role of human civilization in the course of life on earth

• (hopefully) replacing the aimless brutality of natural selection under biological evolution with awareness | compassion | and wisdom of civilizational design
• the responsibilities that humanity has, as the only species capable of developing an enduring civilization

a basis for discussing soteriology (salvation)

• the central role of “radical collective responsibility” in my theory, which connects to the distinction between unicellular and multicellular life
• the central role of Christian doctrine, now in relation to analytical constructs, as a basis for understanding how that pivotal religion might have considered evangelism in the context of proselytizing
• the inclusiveness that finds roles for virtually all religions, within a context that sees Christian doctrine in relation to physical principles of civilizational dynamics, but also recognizes the role for “differentiation” and “organogenesis” within civilization as “the body of Christ”
• the need for a universal theological discourse on what’s important to nature | life | and civilization over all timescales
• ways our legacies will answer to future generations and human civilization for our contributions at a pivotal era in our history
• the patterns we each leave behind that perpetuate our existences, for better or worse, and the propagating consequences they will have over the unfolding of life on earth
• the satisfaction or regret we might experience in an afterlife (or on our deathbeds), realizing the enduring consequences of the patterns we leave behind
• the usefulness of such conversations in shutting down and shutting up conspiracy theorists and other kooks
• the usefulness of such conversations in extending the span of human discourse | reflection | and analysis