I started to think about this after watching A.I.. POSSIBLE SPOILERS
I’m serious here
Ok, at the end, the robots are very excited about finding David, because he is their only link to the extinct Humans. The Robots are superior beings, not only do they have logic and intelligence, but because of the work on David, they also have emotions and feelings. But they want to know everything they can about Humans, because (and this was my interpretion), if the robots are so advanced, their creators must be moreso, correct? Well, it’s obvious that humans were not superior to the advanced robots.
And that made me start thinking. Does the concept of God only exist because human beings on the whole can not possibley fathom the possibility that homosapians are not the best, most advanced race? Often time I hear the justification, “Well, there must be a God, otherwise, how could we be so perfect?” (Or, if you are in a C&E debate, how else could the eye form? :rolleyes: )
So, did we invent the concept of God and religion because we are just so wonderful that we must have a Creator that’s even better? I always assumed that religion was created as a way to explan natural phenomenon (ie the story of Noah and the rainbow being God’s promise). But now I wonder, is it just a way to collectively pat ourselves on the back? “Look how amazing we are. The only thing capable of being more amazing is an omniscient, omnipotent invisible Being.” And since that Being can’t be proven to exist, than our place at the top of the Life Hierarchy is assured.
Hmmm, does all that make sense. I know what I want to say, but I’m not nearly as articulate as some of my peers here in Great Debates.
I think that atheists can be just as arrogant, thinking they are the best because of various factors just as easily. Religion is too complex to be reduced to a single point and say “thats why everyone does it”.
Also I think that simply anyone would be excited at finding their history. Humans were the robots history and the robots wanted to know it.
I think religion was invented by man to explain a world he did not understand. We’re talking about humans who don’t really have a basic grasp of biology and things like evolution. If I was made in my mother’s belly, and my father in his mother’s belly, then where did the first man and woman come from?
**
There’s no real evidence that we aren’t the top of the heap. I think maybe there might be some desire for some people to believe that there is something bigger and more vast then us. Some people believe that God created everything and others believe that powerful alien beings give rural Arkansans anal probes.
The simple fact is that religion is going to piss someone off somewhere. It is always going to happen. Everything in this world is bound to piss someone off. In this case, not everyone has the same religious beliefs (look at the history of Christianity).
While religion has been used as a justification for arrogant behavior, I don’t think it’s a manifestation of arrogance. It is instead, IMO, a manifestation of human ignorance, to the nth degree or otherwise.