4. Self-fulfilling Apocalyptic
Story of Self-Annihilation
A Secularist could argue that there is
no need for an apocalyptic story because Nature,
itself, will eventually move beyond the human species. The end
of the species may come through an evolution
to another humanoid life form, or simply evolve into a genetic dead-end
and become extinct.
What is critical to
Earthfolk is that the
Secular vision made creatively imagining
the atomic bomb possible.
While the Abrahamic has
an apocalyptic vision of the End of Time,
it is mainly a story about the "return of
the
gods" or a specific God. They see this as also a final
punishment by the angry Father God. Over time, Abrahamics
have developed war guidelines—the Just
War theory—to curb humanity's sinful bent
and essential bestiality. Ultimate "precious
violence" belongs to their god—the End of Time
is
His story. Moreover, since no one know's God's time
table, it is difficult to live in the everyday world
totally freaked out by a distant apocalypse.
The Scientism vision
basically looks backwards to creatively imagine stories
about the origins of the Earth, the universe and humankind. Empirical
methodology, obviously, cannot conduct "future experiments."
Yet there is a general theme of Evolution annihilating
the human species, simply because that is what happens to all
species—they come, they go. Like the Abrahamics, the
Scientism timeline is immense, discussed
in terms of millions to billions of years. When the sun finally dies,
when asteroids might hit the Earth again, or when a new Ice Age will
begin, if discussed, is on a time scale that does not cause
most humans to anxiously pause each morning, wringing
their hands and sweating profusely in dreadful fear.
Continue—Annihilation
