Possibilianism
Encyclopedia
Possibilianism is a philosophy which rejects both the diverse claims of traditional theism
and the positions of certainty in strong atheism
in favor of a middle, exploratory ground. The term was first defined by neuroscientist David Eagleman
in relation to his book of fiction Sum. Asked whether he was an atheist or a religious person on a National Public Radio interview in February, 2009, he replied "I call myself a Possibilian: I'm open to...ideas that we don't have any way of testing right now." In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, Eagleman expanded on the definition:
In a New Yorker profile of Eagleman--entitled "The Possibilian"--Burkhard Bilger wrote:
Sam Harris
(one of the four most prominent new atheists) has attacked possibilianism as intellectually dishonest, and its description of strong atheism as a straw man
. Harris writes that the position Eagleman espouses "is, simply, atheism."
An adherent of possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism
in its active exploration of novel possibilities and its emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and intellectual humility in the face of "the known unknowns."
According to the Dallas Morning News and MSNBC
, the possibilian concept -- including various spellings (e.g. "possibillion") and modifications (e.g. "possibilitarian") -- has become popular on the internet. By November 2009, The List Magazine wrote:
Articles about possibilianism are found in the major news outlets around the globe -- for example, in the Daily Monitor of Uganda, The Economic Times of India and New Scientist.
In an article in the New Statesman, the atheist author Philip Pullman
declared himself a possibilian, as did Wired magazine
founding editor Kevin Kelly in an interview in the LA Times. By April, 2011, "close to a thousand Facebook members had switched their religious affiliation to Possibilianism."
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
and the positions of certainty in strong atheism
Strong atheism
Positive atheism is a term popularly used to describe the form of atheism that maintains that "There is no god" is a true statement. Negative atheism refers to any other type of non-theism, wherein a person does not believe in the existence of any deity, but does not explicitly claim that the...
in favor of a middle, exploratory ground. The term was first defined by neuroscientist David Eagleman
David Eagleman
David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, where he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. He is best known for his work on time perception, synesthesia, and neurolaw...
in relation to his book of fiction Sum. Asked whether he was an atheist or a religious person on a National Public Radio interview in February, 2009, he replied "I call myself a Possibilian: I'm open to...ideas that we don't have any way of testing right now." In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, Eagleman expanded on the definition:
"Our ignorance of the cosmos is too vast to commit to atheism, and yet we know too much to commit to a particular religion. A third position, agnosticism, is often an uninteresting stance in which a person simply questions whether his traditional religious story (say, a man with a beard on a cloud) is true or not true. But with Possibilianism I'm hoping to define a new position -- one that emphasizes the exploration of new, unconsidered possibilities. Possibilianism is comfortable holding multiple ideas in mind; it is not interested in committing to any particular story."
In a New Yorker profile of Eagleman--entitled "The Possibilian"--Burkhard Bilger wrote:
Science had taught him to be skeptical of cosmic certainties, [Eagleman] told me. From the unfathomed complexity of brain tissue—"essentially an alien computational material"—to the mystery of dark matter, we know too little about our own minds and the universe around us to insist on strict atheism, he said. "And we know far too much to commit to a particular religious story." Why not revel in the alternatives? Why not imagine ourselves, as he did in Sum, as bits of networked hardware in a cosmic program, or as particles of some celestial organism, or any of a thousand other possibilities, and then test those ideas against the available evidence? "Part of the scientific temperament is this tolerance for holding multiple hypotheses in mind at the same time," he said. "As Voltaire said, uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one."
Sam Harris
Sam Harris (author)
Sam Harris is an American author, and neuroscientist, as well as the co-founder and current CEO of Project Reason. He received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Stanford University, before receiving a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA...
(one of the four most prominent new atheists) has attacked possibilianism as intellectually dishonest, and its description of strong atheism as a straw man
Straw man
A straw man is a component of an argument and is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position, twisting his words or by means of [false] assumptions...
. Harris writes that the position Eagleman espouses "is, simply, atheism."
An adherent of possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
in its active exploration of novel possibilities and its emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and intellectual humility in the face of "the known unknowns."
According to the Dallas Morning News and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, the possibilian concept -- including various spellings (e.g. "possibillion") and modifications (e.g. "possibilitarian") -- has become popular on the internet. By November 2009, The List Magazine wrote:
"Googling 'possibilian', the position Eagleman invented to explain his belief system, throws up the beginnings of a worldwide movement."
Articles about possibilianism are found in the major news outlets around the globe -- for example, in the Daily Monitor of Uganda, The Economic Times of India and New Scientist.
In an article in the New Statesman, the atheist author Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman
Philip Pullman CBE, FRSL is an English writer from Norwich. He is the best-selling author of several books, most notably his trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, and his fictionalised biography of Jesus, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ...
declared himself a possibilian, as did Wired magazine
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
founding editor Kevin Kelly in an interview in the LA Times. By April, 2011, "close to a thousand Facebook members had switched their religious affiliation to Possibilianism."
External links
- Poptech talk on possibilianism
- The possibilium
- Lecture: On Uncertainty, delivered at the School of Life, London, UK, May 23, 2010.
- Beyond God and atheism: Why I am a possibilian, David Eagleman, New Scientist, Sep 27, 2010.
- The Possibilian: David Eagleman and the Mysteries of the Brain, The New Yorker, Apr 25, 2011.