My thoughts ran back to a book I'd read over
40 years ago, when I was attending Dallas Theological Seminary. One of my assignments in Theology 101 was to
read three books and analyze the theology of each author, with the
understanding that everyone has a theology - a concept of God and/or
reality. One of the books was to be a
non-evangelical non-fiction. I chose a
book that was at the time a best-seller - Beyond Freedom and Dignity by
B. F. Skinner, 1971. Skinner was the
great behavioral psychologist of his day and this book was, according to the
blurb, considered to be a "stunning, detailed plan for change that
challenges many of Western man's most sacred ideals and personal
freedoms."
I have reproduced my 40-year-old brief paper
here (typed by Uni on her Royal electric typewriter) for those who may be
interested in where dehumanizing thinking can lead.
2 comments:
" I kept coming back to the consequences of denying our humanity."
Not sure who denied our humanity. It's plain we're human.
"Where does this lead ethically and morally? To question the existence of a Deity seems to be one matter, but its corollary - to question the humanness of man - could lead to bizarre, even frightening consequences, not only in our thinking but also in our behavior."
I hear this often but rarely do they expand on this thought. Some people pronounce that there will/would be dire consequences if we turn away from deity(s) but what exactly are these consequences you fear?
I'd sincerely like to hear more about that.
(Reta, thanks for your comment. When I went to post it, it got rejected. So I did it this way. Bill)
Thanks for your BlogSpot and for writing.
RETA@http://evenhaazer.blogspot.com
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