Origins 20(2):55-58 (1993).
EDITORIAL
Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity describes a futuristic
human society ruled by "The Eternals" — an elite class trained to travel
outside Time (i.e., in "Eternity") to make alterations in the Past, Present, and
Future. The process would begin with the Observers — individuals who would travel
from the Past to the Future and collect data which would be analyzed by a computer. The
"All-when Council" would examine the results and determine the Minimum Necessary
Change to create the Minimum Desired Response (e.g., both natural and man-made
catastrophes would be removed from the past or prevented in the future). A Technician
would then travel to the designated time and place to effect the "Reality
Changes."
The motivation behind these manipulations was the creation of an
idealized human history in which there would be no genocide, famine, or disease. Although
the alteration of time lines would unfortunately eliminate some "innocent
bystanders" from existence, the changes would supposedly benefit society as a whole.
However, according to Asimov's story, humans eventually became extinct because the
systematic selection of time lines offering the best options for security and moderation
also removed all impetus for advancement and exploration. The deletion of aberrations
destroyed the option of experimentation, as well as the potential for triumph over
adversity. In such a society, individuals were no longer burdened by personal
responsibility for the consequences of their decisions or actions; they could settle
comfortably for mediocrity, knowing that the Eternals would erase any mistakes —
along with any potential growth that might develop through learning from those mistakes.
Asimov's story was published in 1955, before the advent of our
"Space Age"; and his futuristic society seemed totally imaginary. The capacity
to travel through time remains an accomplishment only in the realm of science fiction,
although the concept is being published in respectable scientific literature. The reader's
initial horror over the possibility of his or her time line being eliminated by an
impersonal council for the greater good of present-day society or "future
history" is quickly replaced by the comforting realization that this potential has
not yet been fulfilled.
Upon further reflection, we must ask if a bright future for humanity is
guaranteed, so long as time travel cannot be achieved. Is this the only way in which human
history ran be altered? We are aware that it is not necessary to travel forward in time in
order to create the best-possible future; our present choices certainly determine our
futures. We are told so continuously through a variety of media, e.g., chain letters
threatening the receiver with bad luck if the chain is broken; advertisements claiming
that health, beauty, popularity and happiness are impossible without certain products; and
political candidates who warn of the gloomy future that will arise if their opponents are
elected.
Despite such widespread emphasis upon our choices and their possible
consequences, have we made, and are we making, choices that will jeopardize our future?
Apparently the answer is yes. Doomsday forecasting is not a specialty of science-fiction
writers, marketing specialists, and politicians. We are also being bombarded by warnings
based on intellectual premises. Sociologists, philosophers and educators1 have
expressed concern for an impoverished educational system in the United States, fearing
that if the present trends continue, the result will be a nation of illiterates. What has
caused this present crisis of ignorance? Is it possible that our "past" is being
altered by some culprit which is destroying our chances for a hopeful future?
According to the group which has been collectively termed the
"Religious Right" by the public media, intellectual decline is equated with the
yielding of Christianity to secularizing influences. Adherents to this viewpoint deplore
the decay of moral values, a trend which they believe will lead to the inevitable downfall
of civilization.2 In response, opponents such as philosopher Paul Kurz, editor
of Free Inquiry and architect of the Humanist Manifesto II, cite the resurgence
of dogmatic authoritarian religious (i.e., irrational) groups which thwart the potential
for secular humanism's greatness.3 The tension between the extremes of
religious fundamentalism and secular humanism seems unresolvable, with each blaming the
other for stifling investigation and limiting the availability of information.
A cursory examination of the arguments apparently favors secular
humanism. It seems plausible that religious groups, given their preoccupation with eternal
time lines, would be more concerned with censoring (limiting) information that does not
support their worldview. For example, legislative attempts during the 1980s to ensure the
inclusion of creation-science in public-school science classes (reported in previous
issues of ORIGINS) were portrayed by their opponents as attempts to impose
intolerant (i.e., one narrow viewpoint) religious convictions upon society. Warning that
the creation of a "theocracy" would necessarily hinder academic freedom, they
proposed that religious ideas, while inappropriate for science classes, should be
presented in the context of "history of religions" or the social-studies
curriculum. Thus far the U.S. judicial courts have agreed with such reasoning by striking
down "creation-science" legislation.
And yet, one wonders if the dominance of secular humanism in the
educational process has led to an open forum of ideas which will ensure our best-possible
futures. Is it possible that secular humanism also restricts freethinking? Are some
"past time lines" being removed? Investigation reveals that, as social studies
have been revised to harmonize with current popular opinion, religion has been determined
to be inappropriate also to this curriculum. For example, Catherine Millard4
has compiled an awesome list of instances in which America's historical records
(especially those which deal with the Founding Fathers and indicate a Christian foundation
which does not support the current secular views) have been rewritten, reinterpreted, or
removed. In its examination of elementary-school-level textbooks, the Calvin Center for
Christian Scholarship5 describes one series:
Man is always at the center of the picture the authors paint. What this picture reveals is more than just an absence of God or the Christian religion. It asserts an optimistic faith in the ability of man to both create and shape the world he lives in and to solve his own problems. Like the adherents of naturalistic humanism, the authors seem to believe that man is autonomous.
Another analyst of socio-religious trends6 reports that:
Writers and publishers of textbooks on American history have systematically excluded information about religious motivations, for example in the founding of this country, in the campaign against slavery, in the civil rights struggle, and in the opposition to the Vietnam War. One book on world history omits all mention of the Reformation. A textbook that lists 300 important events in American history includes only 3 related to religion, the last of which was in 1775.
As can be seen by the above examples, the secularization process has nearly succeeded in erasing the religious "time line" from history. Some would protest that religion has not disappeared and insist that traditional Christian views have merely become transformed into new manifestations. According to this viewpoint, because of humanity's innate need for the "sacred," society has created new saviors through the process of "sacralization."7 Among these alternative paths to "salvation" are materialism, technology, sociopolitical revolution, and psychology.8 The British sociologist David Lyon9 observes. "People, things, events and processes are bestowed with 'sacred' status, even as the tide of Christian influence ebbs from Western societies." Unfortunately, these idols, in which mediocrity and ephemeral values are glorified, are inadequate, dissatisfying substitutes, and the specter of a gloomy future continues.10 In the words of Allan Bloom:11
Our old atheism had a better grasp of religion than does this new respect for the sacred. Atheists took religion seriously and recognized that it is a real force, costs something and requires difficult choices. These sociologists who talk so facilely about the sacred are like a man who keeps a toothless old circus lion around the house in order to experience the thrills of the jungle.
In Asimov's scenario, as noted in the beginning of this editorial, attempts to create the best future by altering the past led to total disaster for humanity. There is a danger of creating a foreboding future; not through the manipulations of time-travelers, but through diluting, withholding, or misrepresenting information in order to appease a secular bias. The worldview created by traditional Christianity, in both personal application and public policy, has shifted from an influential, enriching factor to a sociological curiosity that is no longer necessary in today's world. The spiritual/religious dimension has vanished or been diminished to the role of an atavistic aberration. This situation is deplorable. Our best decisions are based upon complete, accurate information. Without adequate knowledge about our past — including our beginning —, we shall indeed impoverish our future.
ENDNOTES
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Geoscience Research Institute. All rights reserved.
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