Disease is down. War is down. Poverty is down. Democracy is up (on the timescale of centuries). Photovoltaics are cheaper than coal. This all seems worthwhile to me. If world peace, health and prosperity aren’t worthwhile then what is?
Masters of the contemplative arts are obsessed with compassion. They’re generally supportive of making the material world a better place. The Dalai Lama and Daniel Ingram support scientific advancement.
The QRI is even inventing indicators to quantify weird contemplative stuff. I don’t think there’s a conflict between weird contemplative stuff and making the world better in a measurable way. If the two conflict then you’re doing the contemplative stuff wrong.
Pursuing one kind of good doesn’t invalidate other kinds of good. To the contrary, I think the perceived invalidation is a useful way to distinguish good people from evil. When evil people see good, they try to undermine it. When good people see good, they celebrate it.
Disease is down. War is down. Poverty is down. Democracy is up (on the timescale of centuries). Photovoltaics are cheaper than coal. This all seems worthwhile to me. If world peace, health and prosperity aren’t worthwhile then what is?
These things are worthwhile, but we lack critical stuff. In particular, it does not capture what makes us shudder when thinking of dystopias like the Combine. Which is: how well developed our spirituality is. You can’t pin that down with a number.
I don’t think there’s a conflict between weird contemplative stuff and making the world better in a measurable way. If the two conflict then you’re doing the contemplative stuff wrong.
There is a conflict if the scientistic/materialistic worldview continues its dominance, because that worldview insists only it is valid, and that the spiritual paths provide only psychotherapeutic copes, at best. That state of affairs is unacceptable.
When evil people see good, they try to undermine it. When good people see good, they celebrate it.
How do you think I undermine science? I just point out there is a tenebrous principle currently underpinning it. Science can very easily proceed without that. Science can get back its heart, and its sanity too, probably with increased effectiveness too boot.
Disease is down. War is down. Poverty is down. Democracy is up (on the timescale of centuries). Photovoltaics are cheaper than coal. This all seems worthwhile to me. If world peace, health and prosperity aren’t worthwhile then what is?
Masters of the contemplative arts are obsessed with compassion. They’re generally supportive of making the material world a better place. The Dalai Lama and Daniel Ingram support scientific advancement. The QRI is even inventing indicators to quantify weird contemplative stuff. I don’t think there’s a conflict between weird contemplative stuff and making the world better in a measurable way. If the two conflict then you’re doing the contemplative stuff wrong.
Pursuing one kind of good doesn’t invalidate other kinds of good. To the contrary, I think the perceived invalidation is a useful way to distinguish good people from evil. When evil people see good, they try to undermine it. When good people see good, they celebrate it.
These things are worthwhile, but we lack critical stuff. In particular, it does not capture what makes us shudder when thinking of dystopias like the Combine. Which is: how well developed our spirituality is. You can’t pin that down with a number.
There is a conflict if the scientistic/materialistic worldview continues its dominance, because that worldview insists only it is valid, and that the spiritual paths provide only psychotherapeutic copes, at best. That state of affairs is unacceptable.
How do you think I undermine science? I just point out there is a tenebrous principle currently underpinning it. Science can very easily proceed without that. Science can get back its heart, and its sanity too, probably with increased effectiveness too boot.