Letters to the Editor
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Tosh & Nonsense To Me
Count me in the "woo-woo" clan. I find the "pre-rational" bit wickedly egotistical -- the "I'm enlightened and you're not" rap. I don't think the evidence of evolution shows that evolution has any normative values. So too I don't think one's "spiritual journey" (ugh!) has any "story arc." If most people walk around "pre-rational," but with effort and guidance can become "transrational," that to me implies some sort of progress, some sort of normative value that the "trans" is somehow better than the "pre." Hence "tosh and non-sense."
I'm often struck by how egomaniacal we humans are. The grand scheme that produced wonderful, amazing us! Surely that shows some sort of guidance!
Or, it shows a coupla billions years of trial and error -- basically value-less chance played out over a really, really long time. It makes humans much less consequential, which comes closer to putting us into accurate perspective.
Reason is a wonderful thing. So is the ability of schools of fish to swim in unison. One trait is not "better" than the other.