Where does today’s society get its sense of identity from? Where does it get its values from?
I suggest that society doesn’t get it from anything very academic. Society gets its values from films, songs and media opinion leaders who speak in fifteen-second sound-bites. I’m reminded of Simon and Garfunkel’s song, Sounds of Silence, in which they sing: “the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls…”
Today’s society, it would seem, lazily absorbs the cultural values taught by films, songs and media opinion leaders who ape the trending values of the day.
Should this be of concern?
Yes and no.
I say “no” because I am very glad society does not go to our university’s philosophy departments for answers about meaning and values.
Why do I say this?
Many Western philosophers have closed their minds to the idea of God and can only see life through the filter of atheism. As a result of this, the art of philosophy has largely died… and philosophy departments have closed in many universities. Hardly anyone in our nation can name a current philosopher who is making a significant impact on the culture of our time.
Why is this?
I’ve had a little peek into the world of modern philosophy, and I don’t like much of what I see. It is a world that has invented its own vocabulary—a secret language that is unintelligible to most other people. But whilst modern philosophy’s inability to communicate itself in common language is a major failing, it is not its main failing. It’s main failing is that philosophers in the last century or so have chosen to put on “blinkers” that stop them seeing the rational, moral, social, philosophic and historical evidence for God. As it is only God who gives humankind any grounds for knowing our identity, meaning, values and hope, modern philosophy has nothing to say. It can only offer silence when it comes to the “big” questions of life.
As a result of this, modern philosophy has been in retreat, and can only do two things:
- It has stopped asking questions about the big issues of identity, meaning and values… and concentrated on bickering about the rules of logical thought. In other words, today’s philosophers have turned philosophy into a sterile academic mind game. And nobody cares much about that.
- The second thing modern philosophy has done as it journeyed down its atheistic rabbit hole, was to come to the inevitable conclusion that life is meaningless; that there is no such thing as truth. Nothing is inherently “good” or “sacred.”
Well… thanks very much you modern philosophers. You are not only incomprehensible, but you are so blinkered that you are completely unable to offer anything to humanity other than meaninglessness… and a philosophy of living that is as mournful as it is destructive.
It is destructive because their thinking boils down to “do your own thing; be your own God.” This, of course, opens the doors to unbridled, self-centred hedonism. This really got under way in 1960’s with the thinking of Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980). He advocated polygamy and had, at one time, four mistresses on the go. His philosophy of “loose-living” and revolutionary ideas perfectly suited the climate of the 60s. Then eventually, all the revolutionaries woke up sexually dissipated, without knowing who they were. And when they grew up a bit more, they couldn’t pass on any meaning or values to their children. Some of the better informed also noticed Jean-Paul’s revolutionary Marxist ideals being played out by Pol-Pot’s murderous regime in Cambodia.
Earlier in history, Friedrich Nietzche (1844 – 1900) had formulated his atheistic philosophy. It was essentially a philosophy of “might is right,” that espoused the need to ape the animal kingdom and compete so that you became strong. Notions of compassion, empathy and self-sacrifice must be scorned in life’s quest to be “superman.” Hitler massaged this philosophy so that it underpinned his Nazi ideals and the horrors of his extermination camps. Sadly for Nietzche, his loose living resulted in him getting syphilis,which was probably responsible for sending him mad for the last ten years of his life.
So… if that’s the best modern philosophy can offer—good riddance.
But there is a part of me that knows that notionally, philosophy should be concerned with ideas of truth, meaning and sound reasoning—and that, surely, is a good thing. I, for one, would welcome truth that was a little more that that written on a subway wall. But if you are to do philosophy well, you will need to take off the blinkers and consider the rational, social, historical and moral evidences that exist for God.
Anti-theism removes reason from existence, and removes what’s sacred from humanity. This has lead to scientific absurdity and the most horrific evils of history. Put simply: The madness of anti-theism has delivered hell on earth. In contrast, authentic Christianity has been civilization’s greatest blessing.
So, when you hear of the love of a man dying on a cross to pay the price for your sins… take him seriously.
Happy Easter.
