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20
Dec
You might be a deist without knowing it
Joemar

A large portion of the population of established religions today are nominal members (i.e.  members only by name). Most of them still attend worship/church services but some never go to church at all. Most of these nominal members believe in the essential doctrines of their religion specially those that seem to be right in their judgment. But, when the teachings of their religion go against their common sense and rational thinking, they reject them.

In my observation, many Catholics in the Philippines (I can only speak of my fatherland), especially those who are highly educated, are of this type. They choose which doctrines to believe and which doctrines to reject; a reason why they are referred to by Catholic authorities as “cafeteria-style” Catholics. I presume that nominal members of other religious groups do the same. And also those nominal members of many religions around the world.

Without knowing it, these people are actually placing much value on personal reasoning and judgment over and even against the teachings of their religion. So, without being conscious about it, they are actually rationalists in matters pertaining to religion. Some may question many teachings of their religion and others may just dismiss them as baseless. Generally though, they find the existence of God to be a very reasonable idea by merely observing the beauty and complex designs of nature.

If this is so, they actually subscribe to a set of beliefs that is basically deist. The Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary defines a deist as “one who believes in the existence of a God or Supreme Being but denies revealed religion, basing his belief on the light of nature and reason.” The deist is the person and the religious philosophy is called deism.

I was in a much the same situation before. I didn’t know that such a religious philosophy had a name and history. It was a very popular philosophy back in the 17th and 18th centuries and there were attempts to institutionalize it (like in France and in the US) but the efforts failed partly due to the individualist nature of deism. But it was revitalized with the advent of the internet and now, according to a survey done by the National Survey of Religious Identification (NSRI ), deism or a simple belief in a Deity is the fastest growing religion in the United States with an astounding estimated growth of +717% from 1990 to 2004.

To my fellow deists, I think its about time to go out of our shells and to be seen as what we are and to show the rest of the world that we are not just nominal Christians, or nominal Jews, nominal Muslims or nominal whatever. We have a religious philosophy of our own. We are deists!

Reference cited:

Survey of Religious Identification (NSRI ). 2001. American Religious Identity Survey (ARIS): Top Twenty Religions in the United States. Accessed on September 21, 2006 at adherents.com

Note: This is a revised version of the article by the same author that was published at Relijournal.com, the link to the article is http://www.relijournal.com/Religion/You-Might-Be-a-Deist-Without-Knowing-It.6071.

Category: Philosophy  Tags:  Comments
12
Dec
What is deism?
Joemar

The pure and simple belief in God — the Uncaused Cause and Designer of all things — without the added baggage of unreasonable and unsubstantial claims of special revelations (i.e. ancient sacred books) is what defines deism. A deist’s knowledge about God is based on reason, nature and his own conscience.

It has been remarked so many times that the God of deists just set the universe running with its predetermined laws and then left. But, that is not an essential component of deism. Some deists do believe that God may intervene or may have intervened at some point in history in some places and some people but it is a deist’s firm stand that these interventions were not intended to be used as stamps for a supposed message from God.

For one thing, these interventions (classically called miracles or suspensions of the natural laws) can hardly be proven. When the person or persons who were witnesses of such miracles (if it really happened) relate this to other people, those who will receive their message would have to rely on their words for anything that they will have to say.

Thus, modern deists do not out rightly claim that miracles are impossible to happen. They can occur by God’s will, but they are miracles or maybe revelations only to those who have witnessed it first hand. Any revelation/miracle that comes from second hand sources becomes unreliable and is not anymore obligatory for any reasonable person to believe.

Secondly, people can easily be deceived by what they see or perceive. The prevalence of ghost stories show that even in modern times, people are still prone to deception. As David Hume rightly commented, it is more possible that the person who reports a miracle is lying or is deceived than that a miracle has really happened . The rationale is that we see so many people in our lifetime being deceived and/or lying but very rarely or none at all do we see miracles occurring.

Note: This is a revised version of the article by the same author that was published at Relijournal.com, the link to the article is http://www.relijournal.com/Religion/What-is-Deism.6095.

Category: Philosophy  Tags:  Comments
17
Nov
Top 10 lessons I learned from my graduate thesis
Joemar

After two and a half years of graduate study for my MS degree in microbiology, I can say that I learned a lot of things, not only on academics but also about life in general. I know the deepest struggles of graduate students, especially those who are currently doing their thesis. In addition to logistic and theoretical burdens, internal negative forces like depressions, frustrations and even (maybe) hatred have to be faced and defeated in order to emerge victorious. For those who are about to do their thesis and even for those who are doing it now, I’d like to share the top 10 lessons that I learned from doing my thesis, which I hope can help you to be better equipped.

1. Doing a thesis is not as easy as thinking about it.

This is common sense and does not only apply to doing a thesis. However, graduate students (including, of course, myself) tend to think that everything will be smooth and things will just fall in the right places at the right time. This is not the case. Often, experiments need to be done a couple of times in order to generate good and reliable results and sometimes materials are not available at the time that you need them the most. Always give an allowance for such circumstances; otherwise, you will just be frustrated.

2. Doing an experiment for the first time has a 99% chance of error.

This is one of the most valuable lessons I learned in my thesis. Never ever expect a complete and successful experiment when you are doing it the first time. So, there’s no reason to be depressed once this happens. Just make sure you knew where things gone wrong. Do not repeat the experiment without making any changes.

3. You’ve got to love troubleshooting.

Words always fall short in expressing ideas. So, protocols are not always so comprehensive. Some words and phrases are open to many interpretations. Hence, be ready to get lost along the way even when you think you understand the procedures in detail. Some references, like Nature Protocols have troubleshooting guide but others do not offer such convenience. Procedure troubleshooting is the ultimate test of your understanding of the principles behind the methods you are using.

4. There are no failed experiments, only unexpected results.

This is an exaggeration but the point that I’d like to make is that sometimes researchers are stuck to a certain set of results that will favor their objectives to the point that all results that run contrary to the expected are considered erroneous and the experiment considered a failure. However, results are sometimes really just unexpected. A change in perspective is sometimes necessary to appreciate the implications, which may have even surpassed your expectations. Most breakthrough discoveries were unexpected, so think twice.

5. Sharing and discussing your topic, results and experiences with like-minded friends are lots of help.

The good old saying that friends are treasures is always valid in whatever situation you are in, including when you’re doing your thesis. Discussions with like-minded friends and colleagues about your thesis will be a lot of help, more so if there are critical but constructive comments about your topic. If Christians have Bible sharing sessions, I believe graduate students should also have thesis sharing sessions.

6. Feel like a scientist and think like a genius, always.

Research is a work of scientists. If you feel that you’re just a struggling student, meeting deadlines and making your way out of a difficult situation, then your thesis life will be a lot more difficult. You have to feel the passion of a scientist and think like a science genius.

7. Make use of your connections or your adviser’s connections.

Limitations in logistics or unavailability of some materials or pieces of equipment are a very common situation. Always think of where you can get what you need and don’t be afraid to invoke the power of connections. If one equipment is available in another laboratory, you can invoke your adviser’s power of connections to gain permission from that lab’s superior.

8. Be open to surprises and changes.

Research is a very dynamic field. As such, the life of a researcher is full of surprises. Thesis work is not something that will work exactly according to plans; so never get so obsessed with what you have wanted to do because you might need to change them later. Sometimes it takes a complete 180-degree turn, sometimes a few changes will do, and sometimes it’s a dead end.

9. Always set targets and deadlines.

We all hate deadlines. However, setting deadlines is one of the most efficient ways of hitting your targets. Make sure that your decision to set deadlines is something you really intend to meet, or else it’s useless. It’s common to break deadlines but it’s allowable as long as you tried your best to meet it. When this happens, set your next nearest possible deadline and equally strive to meet it like it’s your first time. Keep doing this until your work is done. (You’ll be more effective though if you meet your first deadlines.)

10. A personal lab notebook is indispensable.

After reading all the nine lessons above, you can get a feel of how complicated doing a thesis is (if you are not in it yet). Therefore, logging EVERYTHING (from plans to mistakes committed) in all stages of thesis work is indispensable. Your logs in your lab notebook, which should include even the most trivial matters about your thesis, will be one of your most valuable possessions.

Category: Science, Studies  Tags: ,  Comments