Naturalistic pantheism

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Naturalistic pantheism (also called scientific pantheism) is a naturalistic form of pantheism that encompasses feelings of reverence and belonging towards nature and the wider universe, but is realist and embraces rationalism and the scientific method. It presupposes metaphysical naturalism and as such it affirms the nonexistence of supernatural beings, forces, realms or afterlives.^[1]

History

The term "Naturalistic Pantheism" is a neologism, probably first used in the pages and email forums of the World Pantheist Movement.^{[citation needed]} The term “pantheism" is derived from Greek words pan (Greek: πᾶν) meaning "all" and theos (θεός) meaning God, in the sense of theism. The term pantheism was coined by Joseph Raphson in his work De spatio reali, published in 1697. The term was also used by Irish writer John Toland in his 1705 work "Socinianism Truly Stated, by a pantheist" who described pantheism as the "opinion of those who believe in no other eternal being but the universe."^[2]

Beliefs

The core of naturalistic pantheism is reverence and respect for nature and the wider universe, as progressively revealed by the scientific method and rational interpretations of sensory information. Thus naturalistic pantheism does not believe in any Creator-deity distinct from nature, but rather that nature itself is the self-originating source of all being. This implies that anything referenced to as God or Deity within naturalistic pantheism can equally well be associated with an impersonal physical process.

Some versions of naturalistic pantheism, including that of the World Pantheist Movement, embrace some notion of natural rights, concern themselves with the welfare of humans and all living beings, and promote care for the environment (see secular humanism); while others regard all human instincts and behaviors as part of the natural world, and thus do not adopt ethical and environmentalist attitudes (see amoralism or moral nihilism).

Although naturalistic pantheism does not include belief in a personal afterlife, believers often promote ideas and even rituals to make the life and death process socially meaningful. These include the promotion of the ideas of genetic inheritance, persistence through memories and the results of actions. Additional solace is gained by the assertion that the matter which composes the human organism is neither created nor destroyed and is recycled into other forms upon death.^[1]

Naturalistic pantheism and classical atheism

Since there is no deity of a personal nature in naturalistic pantheism, some argue that it is in essence atheistic. Differences from atheism mainly come from the emotional and esthetic responses to nature and the universe, rather than differences in the beliefs themselves.^[3] Naturalistic pantheism is defined to be consistent with modern science, although science is purely a base and provides no moral interpretation.

Metaphysical Naturalism

The key aspect of Naturalistic Pantheism is its metaphysical naturalism. Metaphysical naturalism, also called ontological naturalism and philosophical naturalism is a strong belief in naturalism, a worldview with a philosophical aspect which holds that there is nothing but natural elements, principles, and relations of the kind studied by the natural sciences, i.e., those required to understand our physical environment by mathematical modeling. In contrast, methodological naturalism is an assumption of naturalism as a methodology of science, for which metaphysical naturalism provides only one possible ontological foundation.

Metaphysical naturalism holds that all properties related to consciousness and the mind are reducible to, or supervene upon, nature. Broadly, the corresponding theological perspective is religious naturalism or spiritual naturalism. More specifically, it rejects the supernatural concepts and explanations that are part of many religions.

Organizations

The primary naturalistic/scientific pantheist organization is the World Pantheist Movement. The WPM website^[4] defines Naturalistic Pantheism as having the following characteristics:

• Reverence, awe, wonder and a feeling of belonging to Nature and the wider Universe.
• Respect and active care for the rights of all humans and other living beings.
• Celebration of our lives in our bodies on this beautiful earth as a joy and a privilege.
• Realism - acceptance that the external world exists independently of human consciousness or perception.
• Strong naturalism - without belief in supernatural realms, afterlives, beings or forces.
• Respect for reason, evidence and the scientific method as our best ways of understanding nature and the Universe.
• Promotion of religious tolerance, freedom of religion and complete separation of state and religion.

The widest known complete expression of Naturalistic Pantheism is the belief statement of the World Pantheist Movement.^[5]

See also

• Materialism
• Metaphysical naturalism
• Moral universe
• Naturalism (philosophy)
• Neutral monism
• Panentheism
• Pantheism
• Physicalism
• Quantum field theory
• Quantum mind
• Reductionism
• Religious naturalism
• World Pantheist Movement

References

External links

• Scientific Pantheism: Reverence of Nature and Cosmos
• World Pantheist Movement
• Naturalism.org