Secularism as a proxy for religion.
Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2022 7:03 pm
I, like others who pay attention, notice the religiously inclined have employed “scientism” as a sort of passive-aggressive term to show Liberals or Leftists are just as, if not more, dogmatically adherent to their ‘religion’ as any faithful person might be. This is actually a pretty interesting thought exercise, attaching a religious devotion to a non-religious philosophy, but I think there’s merit in this line of reasoning.
Until a few months ago I owned a home (three homes to be exact - the other two were reserved for a SIL <- RIP and a niece) in Salt Lake City, which is among the nation’s hottest markets. SLC is the central city along the Wasatch front, where the metropolitan statistical area lists the population at around 1.3 million or so. If you Google “best cities to live in the USA”, SLC is typically within the top 30 or 50 or so depending on the metrics. If it weren’t for the air quality, the homeless, and home scarcity I’m sure it’d be higher, but that’s not really the point.
The amenities of SLC and the surrounding are, both public and private, along with its fabled ‘outdoor recreation opportunities’ are reasons why SLC is a sought-after market. Here’s the thing that’s a little surprising to non-SLC residents, the population is fairly urbane and diverse; it’s a city that consistently punches above its weight for cultural experiences and or intellectual pursuits. The city has a symphony, ballet, half a dozen music venues, parks, a good if not great trail system, and excellent dining for what it is. As such SLC, and by extension the Wasatch front, as a high’ish ranked per-capita IQ (I forget the article I read on that claim, so don’t hold me to it too strictly). The U of U is respected, the school system consistently produces an educated class of worker bees, and the Wasatch front is quickly becoming a tech center and transportation hub with the Inland Port.
I could get into more stats or whatever, but the crux of the point I’m laboring to make is that SLC, like many urban cities in Red states, is a blue dot in a red sea, and boy do they know it, and they love to know it and crow about it. By any metric, I should’ve wanted to live the rest of my life in SLC. For much of the time we lived there, my wife and I felt that way. All of these benefits are enough to make anyone question whether they should ever leave. We loved SLC for what it offered, but something started to change around 2016 or 2017, if I had to put an approximate date on it.
When we moved to SLC, all of the qualities I described were there, and it was still, I don’t know if this is a compliment or not, but nice in a decent way. There was a culture of politeness that permeated every interaction, from grocer to gas station, and expressing a controversial opinion, in real life, especially without knowing your audience, wasn’t in the social fabric of the place. I lived all over the place while in the Army, and as far as ‘institutionalized narcissism’ goes, SLC was a nice reminder that decent places still existed unlike the hardened big cities that might come to mind.
Anyway, I began to notice a change in that culture around 2016 or 2017, as the area’s prominence grew, and a sort of more-enlightened-than-thou attitude started to move from online forums into the in real life fabric of local interactions. What was somewhat tempered by our city’s Utah roots and blue-collar-adjacent demographic mostly found on our west side, has given way to a highly educated, upper-middle-class’ish technocracy coupled with the timing of political polarization in our country. Much like on this forum, because I’m dedicated to radical centrism, my feelings of being a foreigner in my own city were exacerbated to a point where I became ever conscious of my philosophical status, on multiple fronts.
Being somewhat well-read, as much as my middling brain can read and retain knowledge (I’m saddened to say I’m on the lower end of people who can retain learning) in the intellectual interests of history, psychology, religion, totalitarian governments, ‘science’, and everything in between, I had to purposefully hold my tongue when neighbors on what’s supposed to be a kindly neighborhood social platform openly declared themselves to be a Communist or a democratic socialist or a Trumper. There isn’t that much difference between a Communist and a Nazi when they manufacture a disgusting excuse for putting a bullet in your head. I had to hold my tongue, lest we lose friendly neighborhood relations over political disagreements fomented by a small percentage of partisans, who often consisted of the people I described a moment ago.
So, to my point. The religious fervor of people on the Left have matched that of people on the Right, in my opinion. I had a buddy who, upon disagreeing with a colleague who openly expressed joy over a peacefully demonstrating, far-right group being violently attacked (his then ACLU-supported position was that, in America, even Nazis have the right to peacefully march), it resulted in HR being told that he was “promoting white supremacy in the office”. There was nothing he could do to convince them otherwise. He ended up moving to another company as a result. Extreme, activist politics have infiltrated offices, schools, and local politics. One isn’t allowed to offer a respectful, contrary opinion without incurring professional injury. This goes both ways, in case anyone is starting to feel butthurt right now.
But I think it was COVID that really blew off the lid in my community and related institutions in general. I discovered that I was surrounded by extremely intelligent people who lacked practical wisdom. They were experts at ingesting current orthodoxy as the “correct answer”, like students preparing for an exam, but they were completely inept at using varying data to form their own heterodox opinions. They used faith in their ‘religion of secularism’, and boy do they not like it when you don’t toe the line.
My wife and I spent much of the last two years reading and talking about the science of the pandemic, trying to stay up to date on emerging information, carefully attempting to build a daily routine that balanced the ever-updating information with consideration for our neighbors, while not compromising our values. But I think a lot of the people who consider themselves to be atheistic/agnostic elevated science and politics to religious status. You couldn’t go for a drive in any neighborhood in SLC without seeing many “In This House We Believe… Science is Real” or “Hate Has No Home Here” yard signs or some variation of a LGTBQ+ flag (sometimes overly degenerate ones). While I agree with the self-evident essence of these statements, I’ve flown a Pride Flag myself for a few days in June (and when did Pride Day go to Pride Week to Pride Month, wtf?) for the people who take the time to purchase these public demonstrations of devotion, “science” is what the doctor on TV says and “hate” is any differing political opinion. To believers of this secular religion, dissent from the dogma equals “to the right of me”, and “to the right of me” equals evil.
SLC had come to embody the worst type of “White Liberal city” where two Mayors in a row wouldn’t hire a man for their staff unless he was requisitely Gay or a minority, or in the aftermath of the George Floyd’s rioters had the tacit blessing of the city’s intelligentsia because “the movement was more important than the property damage”. Hell, our city allowed one of its own buildings to be covered in murals of criminals killed by the police, where candlelight vigils would be held, and people would literally pray in front of them as if they had been canonized by some sort of socialist Vatican.
Back to the COVID issue, when my wife (who faithfully wore either surgical mask or N mask) shared an academic study demonstrating the utter ineffectiveness of cloth masks, something that even CNN now finally admits, she was told by a friend, “You’re not a scientist. You need to trust the experts.” Never mind who was well-read on the matter using legitimate sources for information; the paper she shared was written by scientists, members of the supposedly infallible, priestly class. “You need to trust the experts,” was coded language for, “you need to conform to the entities I have surrendered my critical reasoning to or you will be excised from my tribe.” The herd mentality by the Left, equals, if not surpasses in some cases, of the Right.
In December, after making our way back to SLC we went to a restaurant. It was in one of the trendier parts of the city. The place was packed despite ominous warnings of Omicron looming. As we sat at our table, my wife informed me that she was having a moment of anxiety, as was I, because of how near all of the tables were to each other. COVID fatigue had clearly set in, not just with us, but with all the ‘smart people’ in SLC. What happened to “I trust the science?” And now Omicron is wreaking havoc across the nation, but it seems science has taken a back seat to entrees. I’d posit that for people who claim to believe in the science, just as it is with people who claim to love Jesus, it’s more often about groupthink and social compliance than it is about the message and living by it. It’s a religion to be used as a cudgel and for redemption. It’s also to be ignored when it’s inconvenient.
- Doc
Until a few months ago I owned a home (three homes to be exact - the other two were reserved for a SIL <- RIP and a niece) in Salt Lake City, which is among the nation’s hottest markets. SLC is the central city along the Wasatch front, where the metropolitan statistical area lists the population at around 1.3 million or so. If you Google “best cities to live in the USA”, SLC is typically within the top 30 or 50 or so depending on the metrics. If it weren’t for the air quality, the homeless, and home scarcity I’m sure it’d be higher, but that’s not really the point.
The amenities of SLC and the surrounding are, both public and private, along with its fabled ‘outdoor recreation opportunities’ are reasons why SLC is a sought-after market. Here’s the thing that’s a little surprising to non-SLC residents, the population is fairly urbane and diverse; it’s a city that consistently punches above its weight for cultural experiences and or intellectual pursuits. The city has a symphony, ballet, half a dozen music venues, parks, a good if not great trail system, and excellent dining for what it is. As such SLC, and by extension the Wasatch front, as a high’ish ranked per-capita IQ (I forget the article I read on that claim, so don’t hold me to it too strictly). The U of U is respected, the school system consistently produces an educated class of worker bees, and the Wasatch front is quickly becoming a tech center and transportation hub with the Inland Port.
I could get into more stats or whatever, but the crux of the point I’m laboring to make is that SLC, like many urban cities in Red states, is a blue dot in a red sea, and boy do they know it, and they love to know it and crow about it. By any metric, I should’ve wanted to live the rest of my life in SLC. For much of the time we lived there, my wife and I felt that way. All of these benefits are enough to make anyone question whether they should ever leave. We loved SLC for what it offered, but something started to change around 2016 or 2017, if I had to put an approximate date on it.
When we moved to SLC, all of the qualities I described were there, and it was still, I don’t know if this is a compliment or not, but nice in a decent way. There was a culture of politeness that permeated every interaction, from grocer to gas station, and expressing a controversial opinion, in real life, especially without knowing your audience, wasn’t in the social fabric of the place. I lived all over the place while in the Army, and as far as ‘institutionalized narcissism’ goes, SLC was a nice reminder that decent places still existed unlike the hardened big cities that might come to mind.
Anyway, I began to notice a change in that culture around 2016 or 2017, as the area’s prominence grew, and a sort of more-enlightened-than-thou attitude started to move from online forums into the in real life fabric of local interactions. What was somewhat tempered by our city’s Utah roots and blue-collar-adjacent demographic mostly found on our west side, has given way to a highly educated, upper-middle-class’ish technocracy coupled with the timing of political polarization in our country. Much like on this forum, because I’m dedicated to radical centrism, my feelings of being a foreigner in my own city were exacerbated to a point where I became ever conscious of my philosophical status, on multiple fronts.
Being somewhat well-read, as much as my middling brain can read and retain knowledge (I’m saddened to say I’m on the lower end of people who can retain learning) in the intellectual interests of history, psychology, religion, totalitarian governments, ‘science’, and everything in between, I had to purposefully hold my tongue when neighbors on what’s supposed to be a kindly neighborhood social platform openly declared themselves to be a Communist or a democratic socialist or a Trumper. There isn’t that much difference between a Communist and a Nazi when they manufacture a disgusting excuse for putting a bullet in your head. I had to hold my tongue, lest we lose friendly neighborhood relations over political disagreements fomented by a small percentage of partisans, who often consisted of the people I described a moment ago.
So, to my point. The religious fervor of people on the Left have matched that of people on the Right, in my opinion. I had a buddy who, upon disagreeing with a colleague who openly expressed joy over a peacefully demonstrating, far-right group being violently attacked (his then ACLU-supported position was that, in America, even Nazis have the right to peacefully march), it resulted in HR being told that he was “promoting white supremacy in the office”. There was nothing he could do to convince them otherwise. He ended up moving to another company as a result. Extreme, activist politics have infiltrated offices, schools, and local politics. One isn’t allowed to offer a respectful, contrary opinion without incurring professional injury. This goes both ways, in case anyone is starting to feel butthurt right now.
But I think it was COVID that really blew off the lid in my community and related institutions in general. I discovered that I was surrounded by extremely intelligent people who lacked practical wisdom. They were experts at ingesting current orthodoxy as the “correct answer”, like students preparing for an exam, but they were completely inept at using varying data to form their own heterodox opinions. They used faith in their ‘religion of secularism’, and boy do they not like it when you don’t toe the line.
My wife and I spent much of the last two years reading and talking about the science of the pandemic, trying to stay up to date on emerging information, carefully attempting to build a daily routine that balanced the ever-updating information with consideration for our neighbors, while not compromising our values. But I think a lot of the people who consider themselves to be atheistic/agnostic elevated science and politics to religious status. You couldn’t go for a drive in any neighborhood in SLC without seeing many “In This House We Believe… Science is Real” or “Hate Has No Home Here” yard signs or some variation of a LGTBQ+ flag (sometimes overly degenerate ones). While I agree with the self-evident essence of these statements, I’ve flown a Pride Flag myself for a few days in June (and when did Pride Day go to Pride Week to Pride Month, wtf?) for the people who take the time to purchase these public demonstrations of devotion, “science” is what the doctor on TV says and “hate” is any differing political opinion. To believers of this secular religion, dissent from the dogma equals “to the right of me”, and “to the right of me” equals evil.
SLC had come to embody the worst type of “White Liberal city” where two Mayors in a row wouldn’t hire a man for their staff unless he was requisitely Gay or a minority, or in the aftermath of the George Floyd’s rioters had the tacit blessing of the city’s intelligentsia because “the movement was more important than the property damage”. Hell, our city allowed one of its own buildings to be covered in murals of criminals killed by the police, where candlelight vigils would be held, and people would literally pray in front of them as if they had been canonized by some sort of socialist Vatican.
Back to the COVID issue, when my wife (who faithfully wore either surgical mask or N mask) shared an academic study demonstrating the utter ineffectiveness of cloth masks, something that even CNN now finally admits, she was told by a friend, “You’re not a scientist. You need to trust the experts.” Never mind who was well-read on the matter using legitimate sources for information; the paper she shared was written by scientists, members of the supposedly infallible, priestly class. “You need to trust the experts,” was coded language for, “you need to conform to the entities I have surrendered my critical reasoning to or you will be excised from my tribe.” The herd mentality by the Left, equals, if not surpasses in some cases, of the Right.
In December, after making our way back to SLC we went to a restaurant. It was in one of the trendier parts of the city. The place was packed despite ominous warnings of Omicron looming. As we sat at our table, my wife informed me that she was having a moment of anxiety, as was I, because of how near all of the tables were to each other. COVID fatigue had clearly set in, not just with us, but with all the ‘smart people’ in SLC. What happened to “I trust the science?” And now Omicron is wreaking havoc across the nation, but it seems science has taken a back seat to entrees. I’d posit that for people who claim to believe in the science, just as it is with people who claim to love Jesus, it’s more often about groupthink and social compliance than it is about the message and living by it. It’s a religion to be used as a cudgel and for redemption. It’s also to be ignored when it’s inconvenient.
- Doc