At the upcoming meeting of the Silicon Valley Objectivists, I will be giving a short talk on me. You lucky people get to be the first on the block to experience it! It was an interesting exercise writing this -- I encourage others in the tribe to do this too.
Without further ado, I present...
The Quest for Truth
As a child I, like all of you, was dependent on my parents for the basics of life: food, shelter, knowledge. They provided well for me, but they were raised in a religious context, so the knowledge that I acquired from them was mixed with falsehood. Fortunately, I, like all of you, was not dependent solely on my parents for knowledge. I had other means to find data, information, knowledge – my siblings, friends, others outside the family and my own experience and understanding.
The Mystery of Santa Claus and God
Two experiences from my childhood stick with me to this day. The first occurred on a winters night in Baltimore. I shared a bunk bed with my brother, I was on top. We had just been put to bed, but this was not just any night. It was the night before Christmas. My head was filled with all of the usual tales and excitement about Christmas. Santa would soon be arriving to bring us our gifts. But we had to get to sleep or he would never come! I was too excited to sleep. I lay there thinking about the great toys we'd be getting. Santa would bring a big sack in his sleigh, come down our chimney and set them up under our tree. I didn't think much about the fact that we didn't have a fireplace. I'm sure Santa would figure something out.
I turned over and pulled the shade aside. My bed was positioned next to the window, which looked out over the street in front of our house. It was snowing and the snow left a blanket of white on the street and the cars parked outside. I wondered if I'd be able to see Santa's footsteps in the morning? It was snowing pretty hard, hopefully that won't be a problem. The yellow street-lamp outside lit the sidewalk. No one was around. I wondered how the world could be so wonderful that Santa Clause existed!
The other experience occurred in our parish church. We went every Sunday, and it was Long and Boring. Lots of strange things would be said by the priest at the altar. I had no idea. We'd all stand, or kneel or sit, I wasn't quite sure when each would need to be done. Mostly I sat or kneeled looking around at our wonderful church. God lived here, I could tell by the little candle next to the altar. The priest lived here too, he had quite an outfit on! There were statues of Mary and Joseph flanking the altar. The light illuminating them made an amazing effect on them. They cast shadows on either side of the statues making them look like they had wings! Just like angels! At first I didn't realize that the lights were doing this. I thought that it was a special effect that God set up to remind us of Mary and Joseph's holiness.
Lazy or Rational?
My sister was the rebellious one in the family. She was seven years older than me, and was always pushing my father's buttons. As a teenager, she would date boys he didn't like. And she would listen to music he didn't like. And she would stay out late on Saturday and try to sleep through church, which my father REALLY didn't like! She was being too lazy to uphold her duty to attend church. I wasn't lazy and I strove to never be like that. I'd be up and ready for church on time, even though I often thought it would be nice to sleep a little later.
Over time I began to realize that the pieces didn't fit. I studied science in high school and college. I took religion and philosophy classes. I learned the value of measurement, records, observation, analysis. God didn't measure up. My atheistic tendencies started in high school, but developed fully in college. But I was still getting up to go to church with my parents every Sunday. Until one Sunday. I had decided that I didn't want to go to church when I no longer believed in God. It took me a while to work up my courage to tell my father that I wasn't going to go to church anymore. I thought he'd be furious. When I finally did (maybe as a junior in college), all he said was, “okay.”
Life Begins
Okay, so I chucked God, but I know from my philosophy class that I needed a “world view.” Which one? Some other kind of religion? Something from the East? One of the faddish self-actualization schemes that were sprouting up left and right? I did not rush out and pick up another world view just like that. I read. I observed. I compared. I thought. But mostly I lived my life. I was sure I would figure it all out eventually.
Humanism – Others on the Quest
I moved to San Francisco in 1984. At one point I learned about the American Humanist Association, and found out that there was a local chapter in San Francisco. These folks were really cool, they also didn't believe in God. As a matter of fact they often tweaked their noses at religion. I was pretty annoyed at the psychological scars with which Catholicism had left me. We talked about the American Atheists, but agreed that they were a little too far out there. They seemed to be mostly concerned with getting cheap publicity. We Humanists were more serious.
When I read the literature of Humanism, I wasn't quite figuring out what we believed. Corliss Lamont's The Philosophy of Humanism was the touchstone document. Let's just say that it was long and unremarkable. But each time I read The Humanist Manifesto I felt uneasy. It listed a number of pretty clear beliefs about secular society and certain political stands. But the last item in the manifesto said, “We recognize that there are many truths in the world, and that some Humanists may not agree with every belief listed here” (or words to this effect). The big circle of Humanism was a little too big for me.
Stephen on the Road to Santa Clara
My commute was long – 50 miles each way from San Francisco to Santa Clara. I listened to the radio most days, and today I tuned in KQED, which was broadcasting The Ford Hall Forum. The speaker was somebody named Leonard Piekoff. He was going to talk about Religion vs. America. This was going to be good!
And good it was. He talked about the problems with religion that I saw: faith, obedience, self-denial. He talked about the world the way it should be: reason, reality, happiness. The talk was reaching its climax when I pulled into the parking lot of work. I sat in my car and listened attentively as Dr. Piekoff espoused what was clearly Truth.
I sought out his book, Ominous Parallels, which was mentioned on the broadcast. I found a little card towards the back of the book saying I could find more information by mailing it in. I eventually learned about Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Finally, I found the world view I was seeking.
The Next Act: Making the World Safe for Philosophy
Well, what next? I completed my Quest for Truth. Sure, I needed to read and learn more about Objectivism. I spent time debating with the uninitiated. But it seemed shallow. What should be my new quest? What should I spend my life doing?
My first talk at the Northern California Objectivist Club was on the topic “Creating an Objectivist Church and Yacht Club.” I had experienced the value of yacht clubs, as I had just learned sailing and spent some time with others enjoying after-sail discussions and beer at the Berkely Yacht Club. I knew the problems with religion, but they had much to recommend them, and many young families who were otherwise nonreligious were drawn to them: family services, moral teaching, a community. My talk proposed that Objectivism needed something akin to the blending of the fun, beer and social value of a yacht club with the moral affinity, spiritual bolstering and social support of a church.
Since then I have been seeking ways to build Objectivist communities. Perhaps such a system could be created as a for-profit enterprise. Maybe this new fangled Web system could be used to bring together we few and scattered Objectivists. Of one thing I was certain: these informal clubs where there were no affiliations and one guy ran the thing was not what would supplant the iron grip that religion has on the moral high ground of America. We need something that is lasting and that is a beacon for the Truth. I'm still trying to figure out how to build this.
Without further ado, I present...
The Quest for Truth
As a child I, like all of you, was dependent on my parents for the basics of life: food, shelter, knowledge. They provided well for me, but they were raised in a religious context, so the knowledge that I acquired from them was mixed with falsehood. Fortunately, I, like all of you, was not dependent solely on my parents for knowledge. I had other means to find data, information, knowledge – my siblings, friends, others outside the family and my own experience and understanding.
The Mystery of Santa Claus and God
Two experiences from my childhood stick with me to this day. The first occurred on a winters night in Baltimore. I shared a bunk bed with my brother, I was on top. We had just been put to bed, but this was not just any night. It was the night before Christmas. My head was filled with all of the usual tales and excitement about Christmas. Santa would soon be arriving to bring us our gifts. But we had to get to sleep or he would never come! I was too excited to sleep. I lay there thinking about the great toys we'd be getting. Santa would bring a big sack in his sleigh, come down our chimney and set them up under our tree. I didn't think much about the fact that we didn't have a fireplace. I'm sure Santa would figure something out.
I turned over and pulled the shade aside. My bed was positioned next to the window, which looked out over the street in front of our house. It was snowing and the snow left a blanket of white on the street and the cars parked outside. I wondered if I'd be able to see Santa's footsteps in the morning? It was snowing pretty hard, hopefully that won't be a problem. The yellow street-lamp outside lit the sidewalk. No one was around. I wondered how the world could be so wonderful that Santa Clause existed!
The other experience occurred in our parish church. We went every Sunday, and it was Long and Boring. Lots of strange things would be said by the priest at the altar. I had no idea. We'd all stand, or kneel or sit, I wasn't quite sure when each would need to be done. Mostly I sat or kneeled looking around at our wonderful church. God lived here, I could tell by the little candle next to the altar. The priest lived here too, he had quite an outfit on! There were statues of Mary and Joseph flanking the altar. The light illuminating them made an amazing effect on them. They cast shadows on either side of the statues making them look like they had wings! Just like angels! At first I didn't realize that the lights were doing this. I thought that it was a special effect that God set up to remind us of Mary and Joseph's holiness.
Lazy or Rational?
My sister was the rebellious one in the family. She was seven years older than me, and was always pushing my father's buttons. As a teenager, she would date boys he didn't like. And she would listen to music he didn't like. And she would stay out late on Saturday and try to sleep through church, which my father REALLY didn't like! She was being too lazy to uphold her duty to attend church. I wasn't lazy and I strove to never be like that. I'd be up and ready for church on time, even though I often thought it would be nice to sleep a little later.
Over time I began to realize that the pieces didn't fit. I studied science in high school and college. I took religion and philosophy classes. I learned the value of measurement, records, observation, analysis. God didn't measure up. My atheistic tendencies started in high school, but developed fully in college. But I was still getting up to go to church with my parents every Sunday. Until one Sunday. I had decided that I didn't want to go to church when I no longer believed in God. It took me a while to work up my courage to tell my father that I wasn't going to go to church anymore. I thought he'd be furious. When I finally did (maybe as a junior in college), all he said was, “okay.”
Life Begins
Okay, so I chucked God, but I know from my philosophy class that I needed a “world view.” Which one? Some other kind of religion? Something from the East? One of the faddish self-actualization schemes that were sprouting up left and right? I did not rush out and pick up another world view just like that. I read. I observed. I compared. I thought. But mostly I lived my life. I was sure I would figure it all out eventually.
Humanism – Others on the Quest
I moved to San Francisco in 1984. At one point I learned about the American Humanist Association, and found out that there was a local chapter in San Francisco. These folks were really cool, they also didn't believe in God. As a matter of fact they often tweaked their noses at religion. I was pretty annoyed at the psychological scars with which Catholicism had left me. We talked about the American Atheists, but agreed that they were a little too far out there. They seemed to be mostly concerned with getting cheap publicity. We Humanists were more serious.
When I read the literature of Humanism, I wasn't quite figuring out what we believed. Corliss Lamont's The Philosophy of Humanism was the touchstone document. Let's just say that it was long and unremarkable. But each time I read The Humanist Manifesto I felt uneasy. It listed a number of pretty clear beliefs about secular society and certain political stands. But the last item in the manifesto said, “We recognize that there are many truths in the world, and that some Humanists may not agree with every belief listed here” (or words to this effect). The big circle of Humanism was a little too big for me.
Stephen on the Road to Santa Clara
My commute was long – 50 miles each way from San Francisco to Santa Clara. I listened to the radio most days, and today I tuned in KQED, which was broadcasting The Ford Hall Forum. The speaker was somebody named Leonard Piekoff. He was going to talk about Religion vs. America. This was going to be good!
And good it was. He talked about the problems with religion that I saw: faith, obedience, self-denial. He talked about the world the way it should be: reason, reality, happiness. The talk was reaching its climax when I pulled into the parking lot of work. I sat in my car and listened attentively as Dr. Piekoff espoused what was clearly Truth.
I sought out his book, Ominous Parallels, which was mentioned on the broadcast. I found a little card towards the back of the book saying I could find more information by mailing it in. I eventually learned about Ayn Rand and Objectivism. Finally, I found the world view I was seeking.
The Next Act: Making the World Safe for Philosophy
Well, what next? I completed my Quest for Truth. Sure, I needed to read and learn more about Objectivism. I spent time debating with the uninitiated. But it seemed shallow. What should be my new quest? What should I spend my life doing?
My first talk at the Northern California Objectivist Club was on the topic “Creating an Objectivist Church and Yacht Club.” I had experienced the value of yacht clubs, as I had just learned sailing and spent some time with others enjoying after-sail discussions and beer at the Berkely Yacht Club. I knew the problems with religion, but they had much to recommend them, and many young families who were otherwise nonreligious were drawn to them: family services, moral teaching, a community. My talk proposed that Objectivism needed something akin to the blending of the fun, beer and social value of a yacht club with the moral affinity, spiritual bolstering and social support of a church.
Since then I have been seeking ways to build Objectivist communities. Perhaps such a system could be created as a for-profit enterprise. Maybe this new fangled Web system could be used to bring together we few and scattered Objectivists. Of one thing I was certain: these informal clubs where there were no affiliations and one guy ran the thing was not what would supplant the iron grip that religion has on the moral high ground of America. We need something that is lasting and that is a beacon for the Truth. I'm still trying to figure out how to build this.
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