No Religion and An End to War
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The Guardian Unlimited published an interesting article entitled, No religion and an end to war: how thinkers see the future
People’s fascination for religion and superstition will disappear within a few decades as television and the internet make it easier to get information, and scientists get closer to discovering a final theory of everything, leading thinkers argue today.
The web magazine Edge asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: “What are you optimistic about?” Answers included hope for an extended human life span, a bright future for autistic children, and an end to violent conflicts around the world.
My thoughts are that information (education) will certainly pull people away from being as superstitious as we have traditionally been, but I seriously doubt that it will remove religion from culture, and I definitely don’t think it will be the end of war.
Superstition and magical thinking (or religious beliefs) are hard wired into our psyche. They are used for survival and help keep us happy and healthy. It’s not as much about beliefs being true or false, instead it’s about our need to find hope and meaning in our existence. Also, as long as there is pride, power, greed, etc…, there will be war.
