The Realist Manifesto: Part 1

The following is a Herculean attempt to understand humanity as it stands, and to chart out a path to save it. Over time I will add and adapt this philosophy, and I invite you to comment and critique it.


The Realist Manifesto
A pragmatic approach to the world

Marvin Gaye had it right when he crooned three simple words, in response to the growing anxiety American society faced in the early 1970s. "What's Going On?" can equally applied to the situation that we find ourselves in. Half of the world's population are under the age of 25 - that's 3.3 billion young men and women, nervous at what the future holds.

Like any sound philosophy, before we peer into the crystal ball, let me propose some undeniable truths:

1. At our current rate of consumption, the planet will not be able to sustain itself.
2. Information is the most prized and valued commodity.
3. Collaboration at all levels is necessary for success and shared prosperity.
4. Our diversity needs to be celebrated.

The origins of every problem plaguing humanity can be traced to the negation of at least one of these principles. Conflicts arise when basic needs and resources are unevenly distributed or hoarded by a select few; tension and strife are natural reactions when our appetites remain unsatisfied. Power traditionally rests in the hands who control information: chieftains, monarchs, governments; the temptation for abuse leads to corruption and distrust. Human beings are a social animal - we strive for interaction and are remorseful when left alone for too long; separation, isolation and denial fuel desire's flames. Distrust is bred on a diet of perceived differences - skin colour, religious beliefs, social status; when exploited, this fear drives man to commit atrocities on unimaginable scales.

Lack of resources : Power centres : Divisions : Fear : Destruction

This cycle of violence can only be sustained for so long.

We need to address the inequalities that arise from each stage. Doing so means wholly embracing each fundamental axiom I listed above. And like the phoenix rising from the ashes, an alternative holistic system will take shape, one that would hopefully result in a collective consciousness that has evolved beyond our current state.

My distorted reality, Part 1

On the surface, video game enthusiasts, Monday morning quarterbacks, pop philosophers and quantum physicists may not have anything in common. However, once you peel back the superficiality of each label, we reveal a characteristic that infects every human being: overactive imaginations.

Consider Dr. Nick Bostrom's article “Are You Living In A Computer Simulation?” which examines the likelihood of the scenario popularly proposed by the Wachowski brothers. After computing the probabilities of various statements, Dr. Bostrom arrives at the conclusion that one of the following is true:

(1) The fraction of human-level civilizations that reach a posthuman stage is very close to zero
(2) The fraction of posthuman civilizations that are interested in running ancestor-simulations is very close to zero
(3) The fraction of all people with our kind of experiences that are living in a simulation is very close to one.

A neat argument but I was surprised by Bostrom's comment in The New York Times: “My gut feeling, and it’s nothing more than that,” he says, “is that there’s a 20 percent chance we’re living in a computer simulation.” Thanks to his bemused prediction, we are likely to remember Bostrom for posing an intriguing Gedankenexperiment – if we reach a point in history where Statement (3) comes to fruition, we'll merely chuckle and proclaim him to be a great thinker.

Not so for Rob Bryanton unfortunately. This musician-cum-philosopher has been ridiculed for his presumption that there are only 10 dimensions. While quantum mechanic string theory practitioners may gripe about Bryanton's faux-science, simplifying complex concepts without academic rigour, I think the real issue at hand seems to be the flashy animation he uses to explain his theory.

In a nutshell – they are jealous that he has been able to succinctly communicate his ideas. Thanks to the emotions of an exclusive clique of thinkers, the idea that the totality of all possible existences can be represented as a dot on the 10th dimension will probably never be taken seriously.

Shouldn't we praise thinking outside of the vat? Is that not what all intellectual discourse be about? Stay tuned for part 2 – where fictional characters come to life and human beings lose their individuality in the swimming pool of creativity.

Identity Crisis

There is a part of my being that roots for him every night. With bated breath, I join the throngs, eager to witness history in the making. Like horny high school sweethearts, we wonder if tonight be the night. But with the storm clouds of allegations swirling around his stature, he stands at the brink of greatness and infamy. Still, it would be sweet poetic justice if he's forever stuck at 754. No asterisk needed, just another footnote in the long history of the sport.

I'm now sleepwalking the silent streets, chemically intoxicated, but like an unfazed Horatio Caine, I survey the scene: larger-than-life creatures preen and prune themselves, birds of paradise caught in an urban jungle. Hiding behind vapid masks and fumes of machismo, they challenge me to refute their maxim: I think that I am, therefore I am.

The ghost of Descartes is gagging, but the words of Wilber peer through the ether. Our identity is constructed from four distinct and fundamental perspectives: interior, exterior, collective, individual. We are the product a bubbling mixture of images – either forced upon or gladly swallowed. We are a projecting species, not unlike Arctor's scramble suit.

Look in the mirror – do you recognize who you see? I touch the image before my eyes and flinch. Daltrey's primitive howl shatters my visage, and I won't be fooled again.

Good, evil or ambivalent?

Thirty-three million people roared in unison as the country's collective heads swell with pride and hearts sent aflutter. Three straight gold medals at the World Junior Hockey Championships and once again Canadian wombs continue to assure our dominance at this elegant sport.

“Elegant?” one might ask. Consider the goalie's pinpoint hand-eye coordination needed to catch a puck hurtling at speeds of up to 100mph. Or the balance required to burst down the ice and stop on a dime, supported by only a thin steel blade. Basketball may have showboating slam-dunks, and soccer fancy footwork, but nothing quite compares to a dazzling deke. Pure poetry in motion.

“But, but, the violence!” you protest. No doubt there is a brutish element – we'll never forget The Bertuzzi Incident. And the fighting – the only professional team sport where fisticuffs is somewhat condoned. On any other playing field, players land in serious ca-ca, but in the rink, you get a 5-minute major penalty for dropping the gloves.

Like all organized sports, hockey is a perfect example of a moral absolutism in play – strict guidelines and appointed zebra-clad judges to call fair or foul. This particular ethical system succeeds not only because it is organized and happens within a contained environment, but mainly because when you step on the ice, you acknowledge said laws and acquiesce to the system.

(In the heyday of my career as a student of philosophy, my stock answer about my personal ethical system was that “Ethics is a sham.” To be honest, this frivolous response stemmed from the simple reason that I disliked my ethics classes. When pressed to elucidate, I would rely on two key weapons of mass distraction: Olympian language and convoluted logic. Usually sooner, but sometimes later, I would have confounded my opponent such that they forthwith declare to eschew abstract discussions...)

Unlike the world of sports where participants accept their lot, the game of life is a little different. Without a overarching moral scheme in place, humans will endlessly debate over what is good and evil, what one ought to do and what one ought not. In this empty void, many feel compelled to fill it with religion – as many as 75% of the world's population. Religion is rife with moral absolutism; the paramount example the Ten Commandments. Which George Carlin promptly shreds to pieces...a spectacle I had the pleasure of witnessing in Montreal.

So where does that leave us? No closer to the truth than before. Everyone makes their own choices and reacts to situations differently. Still, from the pulpit I preach this two-word maxim:

Be yourself.