Let's teach religion --all religion --in schools
丹尼特Daniel Dennett 回应华里克 Rick Warren
要点
像理解科学一样理解宗教，开启社会进步
宗教如同家养的牛一样，历经数千年自然选择和人为改造而不断演变。将宗教视为一种自然现象，而非不可触碰的神秘事物，有助于鼓励开放的探究和知情的公民意识。在学校中客观地教授所有宗教，有助于维护民主，打破无知的循环。百万民众聚集在恒河岸边，展现了宗教塑造人类的巨大力量。
• 将宗教视为一种自然现象，有助于进行客观的研究和理解。
• 对所有信仰进行客观的教育，有助于在民主社会中培养宽容和知情同意。
• 宗教传统不断适应和发展，融合了历史、生物学和文化。
• 让儿童远离其他信仰会削弱他们的社会责任感和公民意识。
• 让儿童了解多种宗教，有助于增强批判性思维和社会凝聚力。
Takeaway
Understanding Religion Like Science Unlocks Social Progress
Religions, much like domesticated cows, have evolved over millennia through both natural selection and intentional human redesign. Treating religion as a natural phenomenon, not an untouchable mystery, invites open inquiry and informed citizenship. Teaching all religions factually in schools supports democracy and helps break cycles of ignorance. A million people gathered on the banks of the Ganges shows religion’s immense power to shape humanity.
•Viewing religion as a natural phenomenon enables objective study and understanding.
•Factual education about all faiths fosters tolerance and informed consent in democracy.
•Religious traditions adapt and evolve, blending history, biology, and culture.
•Shielding children from other beliefs undermines social responsibility and civic stewardship.
•Equipping minds with knowledge about many religions strengthens critical thinking and social cohesion.
https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_religions_and_babies
Dan Dennett
Philosopher, cognitive scientist
ase.tufts.edu
丹·丹尼特
哲学家、认知科学家
Do we really want to commit ourselves to engulfing all the other religions, when their holy books are telling them, "Don't listen to the other side, that's just Satan talking!"? It seems to me that that's a very problematic ship to get on for the future. I found this sign as I was driving to Maine recently, in front of a church: "Good without God becomes zero." Sort of cute. A very clever little meme. I don't believe it and I think this idea, popular as it is -- not in this guise, but in general -- is itself one of the main problems that we face.
If you are like me, you know many wonderful, committed, engaged atheists, agnostics, who are being very good without God. And you also know many religious people who hide behind their sanctity instead of doing good works. So, I wish we could drop this meme. I wish this meme would go extinct.
我们真的要投身于消灭其它的宗教 当那些宗教的文献说 “别听他们的，因为那是撒旦的话！” 如果我们这样做 真是前景堪忧 最近我开车到缅因州时，发现了教堂门口的告示 “Good这个词少了God只会剩下0” 挺可爱 很聪明的小模因(meme) 我不接受这种模因所传递的思想，无论它多流行 整体上，这类思想传递是我们面对的大问题之一
如果你像我一样，你知道很多卓越、积极、认真的 无神论者、不可知论者，心中没有神却也是很好的人 应该也知道很多圣徒，在虔诚圣洁的表面下 不做好事 所以，我希望我们能废除这种模因 我希望这种模因最好消失
《上帝的进化》 2009, book by Robert Wrigh ,
The Evolution of God
探讨了犹太教、伊斯兰教和基督教这三大亚伯拉罕宗教中上帝概念的历史演变。
宗教观点
2009年，当比尔·莫耶斯问他上帝是否是人类想象的产物时，赖特回答说：
我认为是的。
当然，我不认为这排除了这样一种可能性：随着人们对上帝的观念不断演变，他们可能越来越接近关于终极目的和终极意义的真相……
显然，很早以前，人们就开始想象因果关系的来源，想象着某种外在事物在推动着一切的发生。早期的萨满教拥有神秘体验，即使在今天，佛教僧侣也会认为这些体验是理解神性或其他事物的有效方式。
但总的来说，认为人们编造故事是为了帮助他们控制世界。
赖特批评新无神论者完全否定宗教，认为这种做法适得其反，宗教的负面影响往往源于对群体利益的威胁，而非其本身的邪恶。
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wright_(journalist)
https://www.nonzero.org/
https://www.ted.com/speakers/robert_wright
《为什么佛教是真理： 关于冥想和开悟的哲学和科学原理》, 2017, book by Robert Wrigh
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment
我们之所以会受苦——以及让他人受苦——是因为我们没有看清这个世界。佛教禅修的核心在于一个根本性的承诺：我们可以学会更清晰地看待世界，包括我们自己，从而获得深刻而合乎道德的幸福。
如何摆脱焦虑、悔恨和仇恨的束缚，如何加深对美和他人的欣赏。还结合神经科学和心理学的最新研究成果，并凭借对人类进化的深刻理解，阐释了这种转变为何有效。
- 随着科技放大风险和回报，认识到命运的共同性变得愈发重要。合作而非冲突，才是人类前进的动力
-Recognizing shared fortunes is increasingly necessary as technology magnifies both risks and rewards.Cooperation, Not Conflict, Drives Humanity Forward
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https://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/82747/202511/23529.html
作者在最后一章，谈到一次冥想的感受，看到思想仿若有了形状和色彩, 感觉自己到达了另一个空间，在那里，最深奥的真理被揭示出来。. “I felt as if I had been ushered into the inner sanctum,where deep truths are revealed. “
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要点
超越自我，方能成就人类最伟大的力量
人类天生具有超越自我的驱动力，有时，当私利消逝时，会感受到狂喜。从神秘体验到战后人群的凝聚力，人们团结起来，超越个体。这种从平凡攀登至神圣的精神阶梯的能力，深深植根于我们的进化历程。当人们围绕共同的价值观聚集在一起时，他们便能激发非凡的合作精神和意义感。
- 自我超越可以源于宗教、自然、音乐，甚至战争。
- 群体仪式和共同的情感能够建立强大的纽带，促进合作。
- 进化偏爱那些能够为了整体利益而克服自私的群体。
- 现代生活常常忽视了我们渴望成为比自身更宏大事物一部分的愿望。
- 寻找人生意义往往意味着寻找能够提升我们超越日常琐碎的事业或社群。
Takeaway
Losing Ourselves Is Key To Humanity’s Greatest Strength
Humans have an innate drive to transcend the self, sometimes feeling ecstasy as self-interest fades away. From mystical experiences to the shared energy of a postwar crowd, people unite and become more than individuals. This ability to climb the mental staircase from the ordinary to the sacred has deep roots in our evolution. When people come together around shared values, they unlock extraordinary cooperation and a sense of meaning.
-Self-transcendence can arise from religion, nature, music, or even war.
-Group rituals and shared emotions generate powerful bonds that foster cooperation.
-Evolution favored groups able to overcome selfishness for the good of the whole.
-Modern life often neglects our craving to be part of something larger than ourselves.
-Finding purpose often means seeking out causes or communities that lift us beyond daily routines.
https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_religion_evolution_and_the_ecstasy_of_self_transcendence
乔纳森·海特: Jonathan Haidt
- February 2012
纽约大学斯特恩商学院任教，著有《幸福假设》、《正义之心》以及与格雷格·卢基亚诺夫合著的《娇惯的美国心灵》。
Social psychologist
anxiousgeneration.com jonathanhaidt.com
我有一个问题问下在坐的各位 你们有宗教信仰吗？ 请你们举下手 如果你认为自己有宗教信仰 让我看下。大概有百分之三或四的人 我没料到在TED大会上居然有这么多信教者 观众大笑 这里还有一个问题 你们认为自己有精神个体么？ 任何种类，任何形式的。请举手 好的，这次是绝大多数
今天演讲的主题就是关于这个问题 的主要原因，或者说是主要原因之一 就是为什么大多数人认为 自己在某些形式上是超越物质的精神个体
因此，我今天演讲的主题就是关于自我超越 这是一个人类最基本的事实 就是有的时候自我意识似乎消失 当这种感觉发生的时候 这种感觉就是忘我的欣喜的境界 我们还可以用“上升和下降”作比喻 来解释这些感觉 我们所说的是一种上升的感觉 或者说是被提
I have a question for you: Are you religious? Please raise your hand right now if you think of yourself as a religious person. Let's see, I'd say about three or four percent. I had no idea there were so many believers at a TED Conference. (Laughter) Okay, here's another question: Do you think of yourself as spiritual in any way, shape or form? Raise your hand. Okay, that's the majority.
My Talk today is about the main reason, or one of the main reasons, why most people consider themselves to be spiritual in some way, shape or form. My Talk today is about self-transcendence. It's just a basic fact about being human that sometimes the self seems to just melt away. And when that happens, the feeling is ecstatic and we reach for metaphors of up and down to explain these feelings. We talk about being uplifted or elevated.
..
...
我们现代生活中的一个重要挑战 就是在纷繁世俗中找到通往更高层次的楼梯 然后做一些善事一些高尚的事情 一旦当你爬到了顶端后 我在弗吉尼亚大学讲学时看到我学生们眼中的这种渴望 他们都想找寻一个诱因或是一个召唤 可以带他们找到这个楼梯 他们都在找寻他们自己的楼梯 这些都给予了我希望 因为人们不完全都是自私的
大多数人渴望克服自己心胸狭窄的气量 成为一个更大组织中的一部分 而下面这句话用了一个简单的比喻 来解释了我们这种特别的共鸣 大约在400年前就已被召唤出来了 “人不是岛 本身并不完备 每个人都是大洲的一部分 是大陆的一块”（John Donne的《沉思录》）
One great challenge of modern life is to find the staircase amid all the clutter and then to do something good and noble once you climb to the top. I see this desire in my students at the University of Virginia. They all want to find a cause or calling that they can throw themselves into. They're all searching for their staircase. And that gives me hope because people are not purely selfish.
Most people long to overcome pettiness and become part of something larger. And this explains the extraordinary resonance of this simple metaphor conjured up nearly 400 years ago. "No man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main."
要点
宗教并非一个单一的概念，无需争论
关于宗教是好是坏的争论往往不得要领，因为“宗教”并非一个单一统一的概念。在某些文化中，人们祈祷旅途平安就像查看天气预报一样自然。犹太教、印度教和佛教等传统宗教挑战了传统的定义，因为它们包含无神论的分支和实践，这些分支和实践并不以神为中心。宗教的概念本身源于特定的历史背景，并受到欧洲人与基督教比较的影响。
- 宗教的定义往往无法涵盖现实世界中信仰和实践的多样性。
- “主要宗教”的列表是在殖民时期构建的，目的是将当地习俗与基督教进行比较。
- 在许多社会中，精神信仰和对自然现象的解释仍然紧密交织在一起。
- 试图对宗教进行概括可能会忽略其文化和历史的复杂性。
-何谓宗教取决于具体情况，而非普世规则或教义。
Takeaway
There Is No Single Thing Called Religion to Debate
Debates over whether religion is good or bad miss the mark, because 'religion' is not a single, unified thing- In some cultures, people may pray for travel safety as naturally as others check the weather forecast- Traditions like Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism challenge common definitions by including atheistic branches and practices that do not center on gods- The very concept of religion comes from a specific historical context, shaped by European comparisons to Christianity-
-Definitions of religion often fail to capture the diversity of real-world beliefs and practices-
-Lists of 'major religions' were constructed during colonial encounters, comparing local customs to Christianity-
-In many societies, spiritual beliefs and explanations for natural events are still deeply intertwined-
-Attempts to generalize about religion risk ignoring its cultural and historical complexity-
-What counts as religion depends on context, not on universal rules or doctrines-
https://www-ted-com/talks/hans_rosling_religions_and_babies
Kwame Anthony Appiah 夸梅·安东尼·阿皮亚
a philosopher, cultural theorist and novelist- His latest book is "The Honor Code," exploring moral revolutions-
是一位哲学家、文化理论家和小说家。他的最新著作是《荣誉准则》（The Honor Code），探讨了道德革命。
TEDSalon NY2014
要点
宗教不再主导全球生育率
世界各地的生育率已大幅下降，平均每位妇女生育约两个孩子，这与主要宗教无关。即使是收入和信仰差异巨大的国家，例如孟加拉国和卡塔尔，如今的生育率也相近。这一全球性变化是由儿童生存率、妇女教育水平和计划生育服务的普及等因素驱动的。尽管人们普遍持有宗教信仰，但与这些社会和经济力量相比，宗教的作用微乎其微。
- 世界已达到“生育高峰”，因此儿童数量不再增长。
-儿童生存率的提高和女孩教育水平的提高加速了家庭规模的下降。
- 高生育率仅在极度贫困和儿童死亡率高的地区持续存在。
- 生育率下降并不一定需要经济增长——机会和资源的获取更为重要。
- 所有主要宗教都在适应并融入这一新的人口结构现实。
Takeaway
Religion Does Not Dictate Global Birth Rates Anymore
Fertility rates around the world have dropped sharply, reaching an average of about two children per woman, regardless of the dominant religion- Even countries with widely different incomes and faiths, like Bangladesh and Qatar, now share similar birth rates- This global change is driven by factors such as child survival, education for women, and access to family planning- Despite common beliefs, religion plays a minor role compared to these social and economic forces-
-The world has reached 'peak child,' so the number of children is no longer rising-
-Improved child survival and education for girls accelerate the decline in family size-
-High birth rates persist only in regions with deep poverty and high child mortality-
-Economic growth is not required before birth rates fall—access and opportunity matter more-
-All major religions are adapting to—and thriving within—this new demographic reality-
https://www-ted-com/talks/hans_rosling_religions_and_babies?user_email_address=f7c7704178cf9e1ea511d3cf6f4300df&lctg=62d1b76a1c794c328c1cbacd
汉斯·罗斯林: 宗教与新生儿
Hans Rosling | Religions and babies
April 2012
Global health expert; data visionary
gapminder-org
要点
普及避孕措施改变家庭和社会
获得避孕措施赋予女性自主选择何时生育以及是否生育的权利，从而构建更健康、更繁荣的家庭。在塞内加尔等地，仅有12%的女性使用避孕措施，许多女性因缺乏避孕途径而面临生命危险。历史表明，当家庭能够计划生育时，经济和社会进步将会加速。确保全球普及避孕措施每年可以拯救数十万妇女和儿童的生命。
- 计划生育使父母能够投入更多资源用于每个孩子的教育和福祉。
- 避孕措施的短缺和社会歧视阻碍了数百万人获得所需的避孕工具。
- 从欧洲到亚洲，规模较小、计划生育的家庭推动了经济增长。
- 赋予女性生育选择权，有助于构建更健康、更公平的社会。
- 全球发展取决于将避孕作为优先事项，而非禁忌话题。
Takeaway
Universal Birth Control Access Transforms Families And Societies
Access to contraception empowers women to choose when and whether to have children, shaping healthier and more prosperous families- In places like Senegal, where only 12 percent of women use contraception, many risk their lives due to lack of access- History shows that when families can plan births, economic and social progress accelerates- Ensuring birth control is available worldwide could save hundreds of thousands of women and children every year-
-Family planning allows parents to invest more in each child's education and wellbeing-
-Shortages and stigma block millions from the contraceptive tools they need-
-Smaller, planned families have driven economic growth from Europe to Asia-
-Empowering women with choices about reproduction leads to healthier, more equitable societies-
-Global development depends on making contraception a priority, not a taboo
https://www-ted-com/talks/melinda_gates_let_s_put_birth_control_back_on_the_agenda
让我们把避孕问题重新提上议程
Melinda Gates
- April 2012