Writer Alan de Botton just released a list of Ten Commandments for Atheists, which is a flashy title for what boils down to a non-religiously based list of ways to be less of a dick to other people. I particularly like the entries for “humour” (BRITS!) and “politeness.”
My favorite definition of “a sense of humor” still belongs to Dave Barry: “A sense of humor is a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge.” Botron’s on to something too, though, with “disappointment optimally channelled”:
Humour
Seeing the funny sides of situations and of oneself doesn’t sound very serious, but it is integral to wisdom, because it’s a sign that one is able to put a benevolent finger on the gap between what we want to happen and what life can actually provide; what we dream of being and what we actually are, what we hope other people will be like and what they are actually like. Like anger, humour springs from disappointment, but it’s disappointment optimally channelled. It’s one of the best things we can do with our sadness.
And it’s nice to see “politeness” on the list. Hipster culture has really done a number on politeness; at some point self-describing as “awkward” became not just permissible but “adorkable,” a mea culpa thrown out by girls in large sweaters to excuse their unwillingness to make conversation with people who aren’t exactly like them. (I will be sending my children to finishing school.)
Politeness
Politeness has a bad name. We often assume it’s about being “fake” (which is meant to be bad) as opposed to “really ourselves” (which is meant to be good). However, given what we’re really like deep down, we should spare others too much exposure to our deeper selves. We need to learn “manners”, which aren’t evil – they are the necessary internal rules of civilisation. Politeness is very linked to tolerance, the capacity to live alongside people with whom one will never agree, but at the same time, can’t avoid.
Read the whole piece over here.
So, they weren’t really commandments, for atheists or anyone else. They were more like The Foundation For A Better Life billboards.
“Resilience.” It’s a good thing. Sure it is, Alan. But what are you going to say to the inevitable next question, which is “why? Why should we keep going if there’s no afterlife?” Me, I’m fine with it, but lots of other people are definitely not.
And if you’re going to call something “Ten Commandments for Atheists,” maybe you should shoehorn in a couple of specific suggestions for how to be a good atheist as opposed to the asshole stereotype.
How about this: “Don’t evangelize! That’s one of the two major problems with religion. Besides, it’s silly to think that other adults haven’t been asking themselves these same questions and haven’t -long ago- reached some fairly solid conclusions. So don’t preach: that’s what the people you don’t want to be like do.”
Got another one! “Don’t let emotions rule your life! They will anyway, so the real challenge in this world isn’t to ‘get in touch with your feelings’ so much as it is knowing when to tell your feelings to shut the fuck up because logic has a job to do, too.”
Ahh! Gimme a book contract!
Philosophy.
As a list of universal virtues, it’s fine. I wouldn’t necessarily consider it an improvement on Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues, but I suppose Botton’s version is a bit more modern.
The title is very problematic, however. Penn Jillette’s Ten Commandments for Atheists is more apt. He takes the ten commandments and finds the universal principle in each in order to adapt them to nonbelievers.
By taking a list of higher order, universal virtues and framing it as a decalogue for non-Judeo-Christians, Botton is insinuating that religion is already teaching its followers patience, tolerance, respect for other beliefs, etc. and that atheists are lacking and in need of direction in that regard.
If anything it’s the other way around. He should call this ten new and improved commandments for believers. Or better yet, refrain from judging whether its believers or atheists that are more in need of a reminder to be nice and just market his list to all society, as Benjamin Franklin did.