Why religion is literally false and metaphorically true | Bret Weinstein | Big Think

Why religion is literally false and metaphorically true
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BRET WEINSTEIN:

Professor Bret Weinstein has spent two decades advancing the field of evolutionary biology with a focus on adaptive trade-offs. He has made important discoveries regarding the evolution of cancer and senescence as well as the adaptive significance of moral self-sacrifice.

He applies his evolutionary lens to human behavior in order to sketch a path through the many crises we face as a species. By confronting emerging authoritarianism, and abandoning the archaic distinction between political right and left, we can discover a new model of governance that frees humanity to seek a just, sustainable and abundant future.
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TRANSCRIPT:

Bret Weinstein: We have minds that are programmed by culture that can be completely at odds with our genomes. And it leads to misunderstandings of evolution, like the idea that religious belief is a mind virus, that effectively these beliefs structures are parasitizing human beings and they are wasting the time and effort that those human beings are spending on that endeavor rather than the more reasonable interpretation, which is that these belief systems have flourished because they have facilitated the interests of the creatures involved. 

Our belief systems are built around evolutionary success and they certainly contain human benevolence, which is appropriate to phases of history when there is abundance and people can afford to be good to each other. The problem is if you have grown up in a period in which abundance has been the standard state you don’t anticipate the way people change in the face of austerity. And so what we are currently seeing is messages that we have all agreed are unacceptable reemerging because the signals that we have reached the end of the boom times, those signals are everywhere, and so people are triggered to move into a phase that they don’t even know that they have.

Despite the fact that human beings think that they have escaped the evolutionary paradigm they’ve done nothing of the kind, and so we should expect the belief systems that people hold to mirror the evolutionary interests that people have rather than to match our best instincts—when we are capable of being good to each other because there’s abundance, we have those instincts and so it’s not incorrect to say that human beings are capable of being marvelous creatures and being quite ethical. 

Now I would argue there’s a simple way of reconciling the correct understanding that religious belief often describes truths that, in many cases, fly in the face of what we can understand scientifically, with the idea that these beliefs are adaptive. I call it the state of being literally false and metaphorically true. A belief is literally false and metaphorically true if it is not factual but if behaving as if it were factual results in an enhancement of one’s fitness. To take an example, if one behaves in let’s say the Christian tradition in such a way as to gain access to heaven one will not actually find themselves at the pearly gates being welcomed in, but one does tend to place their ...

[azazel]

Metaphors do more harm than good when people take them literally.

[WSHong-oebg]

It's hilarious when all the Muslim and Christian dudes start arguing. Their conversation is basically 'You are wrong. My book is better. No questions."

[PlexusCaeruleum]

The problems with organized religions begin when people take the holy books literally and not metaphorically

[searchforserenity]

Religion should have helped us move past tribalism, but instead became just another tribe.

[angelr]

I remember when I would refuse to go to church and started becoming more rebellious my mom thought it was the devil slowing entering my soul lmao. Couple years later, I'm still a good kid, im not "possessed" or need religion to feel happy

[marco-xcpx]

My man speaking like an essay that I wrote for English class

[cyrusccclxix]

It’s literally false because all books were written by humans none just fell out of the sky

[reps]

The mystery of life isn’t a problem to be solved, but a reality to experience.

[qvviuzf]

can we all just agree that life is life

[finding_aether]

I tell kids religion is like light and salt. A little bit is nice, too much will give me hypertension.

[matrat]

As an agnostic I’d put religion as good and bad thing it can be helpful but it can also be used for harm. I just think that religion is a way of trying to explain the world before we became for scientific in our finding. It could also be a way of coping and finding meaning

[AtamMardes]

"Religion was invented when the first con man met the first fool."
MT

[wasabi]

Greetings to the humans who are enlightened with the truth of the universe.

[akusueky]

My religious mom thought I was possessed even though I’m acting just like other teenagers going through puberty
Just because someone is always mistakened to be hurting someone important to you doesn’t mean they’re possessed, lmao.

[christophernash]

I am an atheist, but I was once a devout Christian of 17 years who was a pastor and I had a seminary education. I'm thankful for my religious upbringing because I approached religion with the desire to grow in true spirituality, compassion, and enlightenment in the most humble way.

Though I do not believe in any higher power now, I still live like a religious person in healthy ways. I live like I'm going to be judged by a fair god. Too many religious people live immorally even according to their religion, but they have so much faith that God loves them no matter what. And there are too many non-religious people who live immorally. To me trying to live ethically is what brings meaning to life. What's the point of living if I only live for myself selfishly? Nihilism and religious hypocrisy and religious dogma are viruses on this earth, but finding some version of enlightenment and personal growth is important in finding meaning in life.

[sylviahouston]

Even as a kid my instinct told me that a story does not have to be factually true but can hold a valuable message or wisdom. Why is that so hard to understand? Stories transcend minds not the manuals.

[kobebriansantos]

I’m a confused individual who is seeking for answers, like everyone who’s here

[dantederi]

I called myslef muslim. But i can't deny i often question it. But the things i hate most about religion is the followers. Most of them don't even follow the instructions correctly, then attack someone for not believing in their ways. They don't even question things that sometimes seen as blatantly and morally wrong as false or strange.

[Splintzy]

The fact that people see burning in hell as an option for anyone is so, so sad

[Cynthiagirouard]

Recently I watched a video on how the world was created, and I said. "You know what? It's WAY more believable that the world was created by science, and humans were created from evolution than the world being created by some big dude in the sky". That's it.

There's so many religions, Christians believe that only their religion is right. While other religions believe Christianity is wrong. Which proves that at different times in different places people said "I don't want to die and just disappear from the world forever, I want to go to a good place" and that shit turned into religion.

How come "praying" never works? How come some people are born into wealthyness and live their life full of glamour and without ever having to do anything? How come some people work hard all their life but never reach their hopes or dreams no matter how much they believe in God?

Honestly, I feel really overwhelmed. It's so difficult going from a church girl to someone who has discovered the truth. I don't want to stop celebrating Christmas. I love giving gifts and I love getting them. I like Easter. I have an entire family of Christians. I can't stop thinking about this but I've made my decision. Life is life. Your life matters the most so have a good life. And make other people's lives better. I'm gonna keep this a secret because fuck does it matter? I wanna give people gifts on Christmas. I think I will be fine. If anyone else can relate to this, we can chat in the replies :) hope the truth doesn't shock anyone else too much.
Btw I haven't said my age yet... I'm only 12 years old