The Second Fall

When the so-called Age of Enlightenment dethroned all things metaphysical (including God) then promptly elevated reason to the pinnacle of real reality, many cheered.  Finally!  God, religion, and superstition are replaced with a pragmatic and science-based perspective of life.  With a resounding “Viva la revolution!” our human reason had triumphed over what David Hume called, “stupidity, Christianity, and ignorance.” Religion, the rationalists said, was a mythical construct of the ignorant who attempted to cope with unexplained phenomena, like natural disasters and disease.  Human reason, however, replaced this coping mechanism by understanding phenomena from simple observation.  In part, they were correct. 

There were human misconceptions that in time were proved wrong through observation, such as the “world is flat” theory. However, observable science can also be proven faulty.  Through much trial and error the medical world finally declared that the popular “leeching” or “blood-letting” (to prevent fever and disease) was a scientific misconception which happened to last about 200 years. These mishaps, however, have not dissuaded the empiricist from their faith in human reason.  Given enough time, everything will eventually be proven.

Crossing the Rubicon from superstition to reason meant never going back.  Such would have been inconceivable to Bacon, Voltaire and Hume.  Their anthropocentric revolution had freed humanity from the bonds of superstition! Little did they know that in breaking that bond they would crack the intellectual seal on Pandora’s box and lead us to where we are today; in denial of reason.  A denial that is embraced with all the trappings of “feelings,” or what I like to call the Über-ego.

The Über-ego is a purposeful distortion of reality that declares there are no absolute truths, either metaphysical or scientific, when it comes to the subjective mind of the human person.  If the raison d’etre of the Enlightenment was to topple fiction with fact, that pendulum has swung to an extreme, well beyond both.  Reason replaced God, and now Reason is being replaced with the unholy trinity of “me, myself, and I.”     

Humanity has fallen from Reason.  

In 2024 we no longer have facts, even hard-core scientific ones, when it comes to defining the quiddity or essence of a human being.  Imago Dei was replaced by material evolution, and now both have been exchanged for an AI playground where anyone can be anything, simply because they want to be!  Feel like a woman trapped in a biological male body?  Have surgery! Want to be a dog? Spend $14,000 to create a realistic dog costume to live in!  Feel like a baby trapped in an adult body?  Why not live in diapers and be fed and nursed at the age of 31?  (These are all true stories by the way).  The only limitation is imagination.

At least God and religion cannot be blamed for this cultural fiasco.  The sole pursuit of reason kick-started the world we now live in, and popular culture – from music to media - has done nothing but encourage it.  And to what end?  Personal happiness?  Even if that happiness is contingent upon falsehood? 

Is this the next stage of intellectual evolution?

There is a reason we do not allow 13-year-olds to own hand-guns, drive cars, vote, or serve in the military; they are not intellectually mature enough to make sound judgements.  Yet, we have parents and advocates who are encouraging this age group to “explore” their gender and sexuality.  The very least we can do for children is help them reach a point of maturity where they can make an informed decision, not based on juvenile “feelings,” but on objective reflection.  Anything less is a travesty, if not child abuse.

It took a child to point out the Emperor was naked.  Will it take a child to point out the insanity of a now faithless and unreasonable society?