Andy smiles like no one else. Seriously. Some people say that this person or that person's smile is contagious, but Andy's smile reaches from ear to ear. And if he is smiling, the Grinch is surely smiling too. When he laughs, his whole upper body moves- almost like a very cool happy dance. I have known Andy for four or five months. We met at a juice bar that I worked at, and he has a Bachelors in Philosophy and Psychology. We were both pretty happy to find mutual nerds in one another. This is Andy's Interview.
Astrid: Do you have a title of the metaphysical kind?
Andy: To most people I say I am a Metaphysical Naturalist or Humanist. Most people associate Atheist with bad things and I don't want that reputation.
Astrid: What does your system of beliefs entail?
Andy: I don't believe in anything supernatural. Theoretically everything can be explained through natural law. If we don't have the answer now, we will have the scientific answer some day.
Astrid: Some people think Atheism or Humanism is very different from other system of beliefs. How would you describe it?
Andy: I believe my system, like others, runs on emotions like love and fear. I believe these emotions are primal and crucial to happiness. And many people think Atheism is Nihilism and that's just not the case. Spirituality is the acknowledgement of something bigger than the self. That greater thing for me is Nature. I love to back pack and be in the presence of 200 year old trees. The vastness of the Universe and it's existence is inspiring. The fact that the conditions on earth were such that humans came to be sentient and conscious is astonishing and it definitely puts me into a state of aw. Natural selection is an amazing thing.
Astrid: What is your background and how has that affected who you are or what you believe now?
Andy: I was raised Catholic. I was confirmed and Baptized. During middle school I experienced the hypocrisy and the immoral actions of people who called themselves Christians. It really discouraged those beliefs. The problems that I found later became debilitating. The teaching that I should pray instead of act in a problematic situation and the fact that my beliefs about abortion and homosexuality were not parallel to the church were irreconcilable. I then became a Philosophy major and I did not have a reason to keep a label that I did not identify with.
Astrid:What are some influential people in your life or education/.belief system?
Andy: I really respect Daniel Dennett and his work in Consciousness and Religion.
http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/incbios/dennettd/dennettd.htm.
I also really admire Richard Dawkins, he is a Zoologist, but reading his material was helpful in finding what I believe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins
Astrid: So you don't believe in Heaven or Hell? What would you say to people who have had really awful lives? Say there is a person who had the life of a slave or just a disease that causes them to be in pain all the time?
Andy: I do believe in the 2nd theory of thermodynamics: matter is never created nor destroyed. When someone dies they leave their conscious, sentient self and are never that person again. The up side is if they were in pain they are not in pain anymore. If someone has a really hard life, they have a choice to see the good in it. Life is life and we should be thankful. Whether people decide to believe in God or in Natural selection- I don't know why random selection has less meaning or is less precious. I think science makes it more precious.
Astrid: What do you like most about your set of beliefs?
Andy: I have personal or existential freedom. I can create the situation I need and I am not dependent on an external source. Regardless of my situation, I can make the most out of my life with my own positive actions.
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