Humanist Association of Orange County - Newsletter for November 2005 
Issue #96 ( HTML format ) 
Editor: Benito Franqui
Associate Editor: Dave Silva

Send submissions and membership renewals to:
HAOC
2609 Fernside St.
Orange, CA 92865
benfranq@earthlink.net

Articles submitted for publication in the newsletter
must be received no later than 10 days before the
next HAOC meeting.
The Humanist Association of Orange County ( HAOC) is a chapter of the American Humanist Association.
Please visit our website at http://www.ochumanists.org

HAOC Board
President: Pete Anderson
Vice President: Dave Silva
Treasurer: Harry Becker
Secretary: Jerry Parks
Member at large: Carl Mariz
Member at large: Benito Franqui

Next HAOC meeting
Sunday, November 20, 1:30 P.M.
Dr. Lou Regal will talk about "A Humanistic Rational Philosophy in Psychiatry". 

Does INEVITABILITY follow from DETERMINISM?           
By Juan Bernal   (November, 2005)
(  Abridged — complete text can be found at http://www.ochumanists.org/Freeact2.htm  ) 

Someone claims: “If you accept determinism, you must accept “ultimate inevitability” of all that happens. 

Response:   Yes, if you frame the concept of ‘determinism’ in a particular way. But why should we allow that such is the correct version of ‘determinism’? 
      Determinism ---as the metaphysical view that the universe, at least the physical universe, is causally deterministic--- can be traced to different historical roots, some related to religious doctrine, but the more interesting type related to what can loosely be called “scientific” thought. This is generally the view that the world is deterministic in the sense that all events can be analyzed or investigated as resulting from prior events or conditions.  This is the position of much classical, empirical science which generally seeks to explain an event ‘E’ in terms of the causes and conditions that lead to ‘E’*.  This is the picture of reality that a rational, ‘scientifically-minded’ deterministic philosopher like Spinoza assumes as true.  Given conditions Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, ....E occurs. 
      An objective of empirical science is to gain some knowledge and understanding of some aspect of the world. According to one version of empirical science, the scientific investigator assumes a general picture of reality in which there are causal conditions for the phenomenon or event that is being investigated, designated as ‘E’.  Accordingly, the investigator gains understanding of E when he finds that Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, . . . are the underlying causes/conditions for E to occur.  This implies that we learn which prior conditions are causally sufficient for the occurrence of E.  But we should also be able to identify the set of conditions without which E would not occur.  In other words, the aim of our “scientific” inquiry is to identify both the necessary and sufficient conditions for the occurrence of ‘E’.
      Accordingly, the scientific statement would be one that tells us that given  Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, . . E occurs. But this does not imply that E was inevitable, unless it can be shown that the conditions leading to E were inevitable, and the same for the conditions leading to the first set of conditions.  Science does not make such claims. In many (if not most) cases scientists and rational investigators are interested in the range of conditions that result in E, and the conditions whose absence would lead to not-E. For example, de-forestation and consequential loss of plant and animal food sources led to the collapse of civilization on a Easter Island.  Had the environmental conditions and cultural practices been such as to preserve the forests, the Easter Island culture would not have collapsed as it did. This would constitute scientific explanation of the event; it does not require that the investigator prove that the event (e.g., collapse of Easter Island society) was inevitable.
       [As additional evidence against the claim that causal explanation implies inevitability consider that evolutionary biologists explain the evolution of specific forms of animal life (e.g. mammalian life) by citing the conditions that resulted in the animal form in question (viz. give causal explanation); but definitely deny that such evolution was inevitable (see Gould or Dawkins on the question of “re-running the tape” of evolution.)] 
     The claim that everything that happens, [E, Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, ...] is inevitable is a metaphysical claim, which is not required by a scientific picture of reality and the accompanying concept of ‘determinism.’ Many philosophers have made the straight move from ‘C causes E’ to the conclusion that ‘E’ was inevitable.   But the proposition that ‘E is caused by events Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, ...’ is a distinct claim from the metaphysical claim that E was inevitable [and distinct also from the claim that Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, ... were inevitable.]  Both claims call for analysis.
     It is not clear how the ‘inevitability’ claim could be defended.  It is not an empirical claim.  At best it follows from a specific concept of ‘determinism,’ but this is an optional concept, and there is not much reason for holding that it is definitive or correct. 
*This ‘deterministic’ picture of reality in which scientific explanation proceeds in terms of causal connections applies only to some sciences.  It is not the governing methodology in such sciences as theoretical physics, particle physics and other such physical sciences.  In some scientific areas, mathematical analysis and application of theoretical models play a greater role than the assumption of causal connections and a ‘deterministic’ universe. 

     A minimal, working definition of causal relation of A causes B: 
· A is causally necessary for B;
· A is causally sufficient for B;
· A is temporally prior to B;
· A and B are distinct events.

 From Whence Cometh God?
By Norman Abshear
( from the November 2005 issue of Rational Alternative, the newsletter of Atheists United )
      Haven't you always wondered where God came from? In this essay I will explore the possible origins for the myth of a supernatural deity. In most religions god is characterized with many if not all of the following attributes: All-knowing, All-powerful, All-seeing, Merciful, Just, Righteous, Loving, Wrathful... and the list could go on for some length. Also in most religions god is also the entity that created the sky, stars, planets, all forms of life especially man. God also dictates human behavior according to most religious traditions. According to the Christian religion God will reward the poor, comfort the grieving, right all wrongs, etc.
       Needless to say there is no tangible, testable evidence or data to support the existence af any type of deity. I will also point out here that some of the attributes of a deity that I listed above are contradictory to the human condition as currently experienced by large segments of humanity, For example, if any one type of deity is merciful then how does one explain the periodic famines that overwhelm various nations on the African continent, that kill at least a million people at each occurrence? How does one explain human criminal activity? How does one explain the various genocides that have taken place within the last 70 years such as the exterminations of the Jews during World War 2, Pol Pot exterminating the educated in Cambodia in the 1970's, and the genocides in Rwanda and Burundi in 1994?
       Given the lack of evidence for a deity and the contradictory attributes assigned to this mythological entity, one is given to wonder where and how the myth ever originated and why it keeps coming back. It is those two questions that I shall attempt to now answer.
        In his book Good Natured, Frans De Waal recounts his observations of bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas over the previous three decades. Some of his observations might help explain the origins of the god myth: I should note here that the primates which De Waal observed over three decades are those that are closest to humans in terms of evolution. The presumption therefore is that the behaviors exhibited by today's chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas were also present in ancestral humans. The difference being that ancestral humans took these behaviors and for reasons of survival evolved them into what we see today.
        As I previously mentioned some of the mythical deity's attributes are that it is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful. In addition, this deity will comfort the grieving, enrich the poor, and right all wrongs. These attributes are very useful for any entity that needs to exercise some type of social control. The needs to right all wrongs, enrich the poor, and comfort the grieving are usually the results of some type of social injustice.
       In his book Good Natured, Frans De Waal notes some of these same qualities among Alpha Males of various primate groups he has studied.
       One of the things De Waal makes clear in his book is that the role of the Alpha Male is to maintain order within the social group: The Alpha Male will do this by impartially breaking up fights between members of the group. Some Alpha Males were even noted to take the side of the more disadvantaged party in order to maintain social equity within the group. Other Alpha Males were noted to be quite adept at anticipating trouble and actually preventing confrontations before they started. De Waal also notes how In chimpanzees, the primates closest to humans, the male filling the role of Alpha Male requires the cooperation and acceptance of the rest of the group. Therefore it can be said that chimpanzee society is somewhat egalitarian.
       In their book The Way We Think, Giles Fauconnier and Mark Tumer refer to a type ot generic frame of thought that is employed by all humans. For example the term "Father" typically means male biological parent. Into this generic frame you put the picture of your own father. It becomes a little clearer now how the all-powerful Alpha Male of a primate group could , with a little cooperation from the rest of the group, seem to be all-knowing and all-seeing as well. It then becomes possible to see how the Alpha Male evolved into the group chieftain, head warrior, king, etc. It is also no great extension of the above idea to think that the forces of nature are deliberately being controlled by some entity when they happened to work greatly for or against the group. What the human mind would be attempting would be to put a specific picture into the description "An Entity more-powerful, with vaster knowledge, further seeing than our Alpha Male."
       In conclusion the myth of god originated due to the way the human mind evolved. The myth of god keeps coming back for this very reason as well. However it should not be completely hopeless.
        Education can reduce the god myth to precisely that which it is, a fantasy invoked by charlatans, scam artists and those who deliberately choose to be and remain ignorant.

Bibliography:
Good Natured: the Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals
by Frans De Waal: Harvard University Press: 1996

The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending and the Mind's Hidden Compexities
by Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner; Basic Books; 2002

The Population Bomb Has Exploded!  ( abridged )
by John Seager, president of Population Connection
( www.populationconnection.org)
       On September 1, 2005, the population bomb exploded onto the front page of every daily newspaper in the country.
      The death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina led the news. Page One stories also covered soaring gas prices, a one-day death toll of nearly 1,000 Iraqis, and the abandonment of science by the Bush Administration.
      And we've all been reading about the famine in Niger, the threat of a global avian flu epidemic, the AIDS pandemic, and unprecedented global warming. Can there be any doubt whatsoever.
     Paul Ehrlich was right!
     In 1968, Dr. Paul Ehrlich and other visionaries founded Zero Population Growth, now POPULATION CONNECTION. They understood that we were rushing headlong into a global catastrophe.
     More than three decades have elapsed since Paul Ehrlich - a respected member of the Stanford University faculty, then and now - first stepped forward to warn the world:

     The Population Bomb is real. It's destroying land, water, air, and people's lives every single day.
     Today, we need zero population growth - more than ever.
      Look at what's happening. Global warming threatens our very planet. We're witnessing species extinctions not seen since the days of the dinosaurs. One billion people live on less than $1/day. Overpopulation kills 20,000 children every single day.
     Today, we have a national government that denies science at every turn. George Bush has embraced the know-nothing crowd, a bunch that opposes sex education, wants to ban contraception, and believes in creationist nonsense.
      In 1968, the world needed Zero Population Growth. Americans reacted with lightning speed. They set up chapters in hundreds of towns and cities. Campuses became instant hotbeds of population activism.
     Today, signs of overpopulation strain are everywhere:
·  Deforestation
·  Global warming
·  Threats to biodiversity
·   Depletion of natural resources
·   Enormous human suffering
     And yet we're increasing our population as if Earth's resources were infinite.   Unless we take action now to reverse current trends, the world's population will continue to soar.
     Since our founding in 1968, we've worked to educate and motivate people to meet the global population challenge - and to understand the impact of our consumption habits and lifestyles on our fragile planet. 

Sound the Population Alarm
      There is no social or political problem in the world that is made better by adding more people to Earth's population. That's why we work tirelessly every day to sound the population alarm.
       Our Population Education Department has an award-winning school curriculum covering environmental and population issues. We reach thousands of teachers and millions of students every single year. Our World Population video - the "dot video" - is the most effective population educational tool ever made.
       And we're getting our message out through the media. When news organizations fail to report the facts about overpopulation, we challenge them and encourage our members to write to demand fair reporting.

Make the Environmental Connection
     We recognize that stopping population growth alone will not solve the problem. We must also tackle the issue of consumption.
     One U.S. citizen consumes about 30 times as many resources as a citizen of India. If everyone lived like the average North American, it would require four more earths to sustain us. Because the United States is the chief consumer of the world's resources, slowing our population growth is disproportionately important when it comes to protecting the global environment.
       We work closely with other population and environmental organizations. Our goals: reducing consumption, conserving energy, protecting natural resources, and altering our "disposable society" lifestyle.

Restore Funding for Successful Population Programs
     From Day One, President Bush has ignored the population connection and has made clear that family planning has no place in his vision of the world.
     Bush imposed the odious Global Gag Rule. And, despite overwhelming evidence of the program's success, President Bush cancelled all funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
     In 2002 alone, the UNFPA funding withheld by the U.S. could have prevented:
· 2,000,000 unwanted  pregnancies
· 4,700 maternal deaths
· 70,000 infant and child deaths
      Here at home, Bush has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into incomplete, inaccurate, and ineffective abstinence-only programs. And the Bush FDA is ignoring the unanimous advice of its own scientists by refusing to remove roadblocks to easier access to emergency contraception.
      We're determined to end the Bush Administration's harmful population growth policies.
      We are the grassroots voice for population stabilization, for zero population growth.
      But we depend on. you. We get no government support of any kind. And we never tailor our materials or message to suit the demands of any politician or bureaucrat - from the White House on down.
     In the aftermath of the latest human and natural disasters it's clear. There really is a population bomb. And virtually every global  problem is made worse by population growth.
     If we want a stable, peaceful world, we must ensure that people everywhere are able to control their own personal lives by limiting the size of their families.