What is truly permanent in human nature is not any condition in which it once existed and from which it has fallen, rather it is the goal for which and toward which it moves.
Ernst Cassirer
*****************
Happy to see you.
_________________
Hurry and get your note book ready because September....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In his book Anthropology From A Pragmatic Point Of View, the philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote "Physiological knowledge of man aims at the investigation of what Nature makes of man, whereas pragmatic knowledge of man aims at what man makes, can, or should make of himself as a freely acting being."
What is the destiny of the human race? To blow itself up? Maybe, if the ignorant, bigoted, prejudiced, racist, exclusionist, haters have their way. Some religions will tell you that these are the last days, that judgement day is coming and we're all going to heaven or to hell. But they've been saying that since the Middle Ages. No one is about to push the button to trigger the apocalyptic Armageddon because there is no such button. Life is continuous.
All world religions are in their infancy, and will remain so as long as they worship physiologically, claiming that God sends hurricanes to punish sinners, rushing off to see the face of Jesus in a tree stump or claiming they hear the word of God in their deranged brains.
So what is the destiny of the human race? I am amazed at what has occurred over the past 50 years. Marvels have happened. The rockets that were initially designed to fire nuclear warheads became the ones that sent satellites into outer space. We "beat out spears into pruning hooks."
Now it is being contemplated and designed to land on asteroids, moons and other planets. It will happen during the next 50 years. Like many seniors, I wish I could be around to see it. But there is an even greater achievement to hope for.
As we venture further into outer space a schism is being revealed between what can be described as earthbound mentality and cosmic mentality. We have the opportunity, the obligation, the destiny to look past our purely physiological roots and peer into an infinite intelligence, We can silence the fear, suspicion and superstition that has tethered the human race for centuries and begin to understand what creation is all about. We can challenge the theologians of the future to redefine deity by looking up, not down, forward, not back. We can build better governments. We can discover new science. We can create new forms of art. We can, and will, become citizens of the universe.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
____________________
I wish you an inspiring day.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
1 comment:
I am familiar with Kant, but not that particular work. I really like the Cassirer quote you included and it fits this particular entry very well.
Everything is constantly in 'its infancy' because what is there to compare it with. Time is timeless, so even if something has existed for millions of years, what is that to all of existence?
We don't know what was before anything ... and we will never know what comes after everything.
All we have is the moment, the now. All we can do is live for it, and work to what we suppose may be there, if that is our goal.
Post a Comment