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The Universe Waking Up: A Useful Idea for Atheists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2022

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BRUCE MILEM*
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STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT NEW PALTZ milemb@newpaltz.edu
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Abstract

Some writers have described human beings as participating in the universe waking up or serving as the means by which the universe comes to know itself. In this paper I argue that this idea can be given a straightforward explanation with minimal metaphysical commitments. As long as one grants that the universe has a kind of unity and that human beings are conscious, it is possible to see human beings as vehicles for the universe's consciousness and knowledge of itself. I also argue that this idea can be useful for atheists because it can satisfy what Thomas Nagel calls ‘the yearning for cosmic reconciliation’ (2010: 3) better than secular humanism can.

Keywords

atheismsecular humanismuniverseconsciousnessmeaning of life
Type
Article
Information
Journal of the American Philosophical Association , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2024 , pp. 135 - 152
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the American Philosophical Association

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Footnotes

For their comments on this paper, I thank Jeffrey Fisher and Karmen MacKendrick. I am also very grateful to the journal's two anonymous reviewers. Their generous criticism and suggestions were invaluable to me when revising this essay. Finally, thanks to Sabine H. Seiler for the excellent copyediting and great last-minute suggestions. All remaining flaws are my responsibility.

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