Lucifer and Me

Summary

The article reflects on the concept of intelligent design, questioning the necessity of a sentient creator and suggesting that human intelligence and social tendencies have led to the invention and perpetuation of the idea of god as an explanation for the synchronicity of life and the universe.

Abstract

"Lucifer and Me" is a contemplative piece that begins with a moment of morning reflection between the author and their dog, leading to thoughts about intelligent design. The author initially considers the possibility that intelligent design refers to the symbiotic relationship between species, such as humans and dogs, rather than a conscious deity. As the article progresses, the author critiques the human need to personify the concept of a designer or creator, equating the evolution of the god concept to the creation of superhero stories, both of which require mental acrobatics to sustain belief. The piece examines the human propensity for complex thought, imagination, and the creation of narratives, which, while capable of inventing entities like Superman and god, also has the capacity to distinguish fiction from reality. The author points out that the intelligent design argument is often used by those who seek alternatives to evolution, yet evolution itself could be seen as an intelligent design process. Ultimately, the article suggests that the concept of god may have originated from early humans' attempts at storytelling and entertainment, which were then misinterpreted as fact.

Opinions

Intelligent design could be interpreted as the result of evolutionary processes rather than the work of a conscious entity.
The human social nature and intelligence lead to the creation of a sentient god figure, a concept not shared by other social species like dogs.
The mental effort to believe in a traditional god is compared to the suspension of disbelief required to enjoy superhero fiction.
The article posits that the original creators of the god concept might not have intended for it to become a widespread belief system.
It is suggested that the god concept might have begun as a form of entertainment or storytelling that was later mistaken for reality.
The author acknowledges that some intelligent individuals perform complex mental gymnastics to reconcile their belief in god with scientific evidence.
The piece implies that the division among people caused by religious beliefs could be alleviated if humans thought less and focused more on tangible problems.
The author identifies themselves as an overthinker and emphasizes that their critique is not a comment on intelligence but rather on the human tendency to create and believe in complex narratives.

Lucifer and Me

I woke up this morning thinking about god.

Wait, no, that’s not true at all.

I woke up this morning with my usual stupid morning thoughtlessness and then my Dog climbed up beside me. I mindlessly scratched his head and, as we cuddled together, I thought about how two such different species coexist so perfectly. And the words intelligent design popped into my head. What do those words even mean? Is this what people assume to be god or is it just another way to say evolution? So I hopped on my favorite search engine. And there it is:

in·tel·li·gent de·sign

noun

the theory that life, or the universe, cannot have arisen by chance and was designed and created by some intelligent entity.

Proponents of intelligent design say that theories Other Than Evolution must be considered.

Why though? Isn’t evolution intelligent design? Does intelligence mean conscious? What if god is really just the system in which we all live so perfectly together? Our ecosystem, in other words, which developed over so many billions of years to become this quite perfect picture of synchronicity. Why do we require it to be something else? Is it the social nature of the human which makes us need for that thing that made us to be sentient so we can talk to it? But dogs are social and I’ve never seen a dog church. Why do we need that when no other creature does? And it’s obviously not our intelligence.

Why am I even thinking about this at 7am instead of rolling over and going back to bed? I’m tired.

But when I get a thought in my head, I can’t stop myself. And maybe that’s what it’s about. We humans think too much. We imagined a being not unlike ourselves but… well, better. So in a way, god is just, like, the original superhero. But maybe when we came up with the concept, we didn’t have a full grasp on fiction versus reality yet? So we thought this being we invented must be real. Or perhaps those who first imagined god didn’t even intend for it to snowball so out of control. They shared their tales of adventure with others and a story of fiction was misconstrued and believed to be real. And now, here we are, all these years later, thinking this being exists in the real world.

The mental gymnastics required for those of us equipped with intelligence to believe in a thing called god is no short of amazing. It’s easy enough to outright reject all scientific evidence in lieu of god but it requires much more brainpower to twist that evidence to fit our preconceived notion of what is and isn’t real. Those of us who enjoy superhero movies are able to suspend our disbelief for long enough to enjoy such things. When watching a movie or reading a comic, the characters must be believable or the story cannot be enjoyed. It takes a lot of thought to make these imagined creatures real. The average human has a mediocre imagination. It takes a great mind to imagine a being such as Superman or god. But it doesn’t take a great mind to believe it. Nor does it require very much thought to outright reject. We pride ourselves on being able to distinguish fact from fiction but today’s human is far different from those that existed in the days before the creation of god. The one who created god may have been exceptional for his time but maybe he was just trying to entertain his friends. And what really is the difference between Superman and god other than the terms we use to describe their umm… “abilities”? And if it’s just a matter of terminology, and considering the evolution of language, and the fact god today has so many names, is it fair to say that god and Superman are just two of the same fantastical beings we want so badly to believe in simply because they are so wonderful? I don’t know. I’m not that smart. I just never believed god was more than a fictional story that some fools decided was real and then took the whole thing way too far. And now we allow this silly story to divide us. And I know, you’re going to say I’m horrible because I’m essentially calling all believers fools. But then you’re wrong, aren’t you? Because I clearly mentioned intelligent believers above and the mental gymnastics required for them to exist so I know there are some very, very smart believers out there. Much, much smarter than me. I know. I’m not that smart. I simply think way too much. Much like any regular man. You could call me Regular Man, or umm, well… Regular Human. To be clear, when I say man, it’s not a gendered thing, don’t jump on my dick (I don’t even have a dick).

I think a lot of our problems would be easier to solve if we didn’t think so much. I know that seems counterintuitive because we have so many complex issues that need solving. And they are complex because we are complex. And we can’t change that. We can’t simplify humanity. Humans are complicated and difficult and we think too much. This whole rant is further evidence of that. I should be asleep but I’m not and it’s all my dog’s fault. Maybe there’s more to that little guy than meets the eye.