Anthropocentrism

Has humanity replaced God with itself? René Stockman examines the legacy of the Enlightenment and its impact on morality, technology and the modern world Since the advent of the Enlightenment, the world – and humankind as the centre of the world – has undergone a major transformation. We read about it in philosophy, we see it in art, and we also observe a shift taking place in theological thought. It is a process that has been underway for several centuries, with moments that sparked a revolution and others when it continued its course unnoticed, yet steadily, like an underground lava flow. Today, this lava flow has found new openings through which to continue its journey with full force and without restraint, thereby influencing many areas of social life from within. The Enlightenment has not remained a movement that expressed itself solely as a new philosophical approach to humanity and the world, but has become firmly established in society, bringing about a profound cultural shift. Whilst at the outset of this new philosophical trend humanity was given a more central place, without completely pushing God aside, it is now that very same humanity that has entirely taken God’s place. Theocentrism has given way to anthropocentrism, and this in its most radical form. In the West in particular, Christian thought has been successfully relegated to the background, and with it an entirely new history of humanity is being written. On the opening pages of this new historical narrative, we read that humankind created God as an ideology that enslaved humanity for centuries, and from which it is now completely liberated by crowning itself as a god. The consequences of this new conception are enormous, first and foremost for humanity itself, which henceforth regards itself as the absolute master of its own life and that of others. There is no longer any authority above humanity that can prevent it from deciding how to shape its life, nor whether its own life and that of others should continue. Humanity has literally seized all power in this sphere for itself. Absolute self-determination, as an extension of absolute autonomy and, indeed, absolute freedom, has elevated humanity to lord and master over life. Whilst during the French Revolution the demand for liberty and equality was still linked to fraternity, today this third principle is scarcely mentioned and has therefore been sacrificed on the altar of absolute liberty and equality. The logical concern and care for the well-being of one’s fellow human beings, which is called for by fraternity, has, just as with Cain after the murder of his brother Abel, completely disappeared from view. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9) – I heard these words spoken not long ago by someone who was holding a farewell party because he was due to undergo euthanasia the following week. This was, of course, as always, widely publicised in the media and almost celebrated. The question of what this act meant for his family and friends, and the grief it would cause them, was brushed aside by him with the blunt statement that he felt no responsibility for it whatsoever. He did not believe he was his brother’s keeper. This extreme anthropocentrism also leads to moral relativism. When there is no longer any authority above humanity, it is humanity itself that determines what is good and what is evil. Humankind has become its own compass and is, for the most part, guided by its own feelings. In doing so, it has brought the healthy functioning of its conscience to a halt and silenced that voice within itself which was previously regarded as the voice of God. People now listen only to what their feelings tell them and align themselves with what the majority in society says and thinks. Any critical reflection is thereby stifled and regarded as a hindrance to the attempt to conform completely to the masses. People believe they have thereby discovered their own identity, but in fact the exact opposite has happened: they are allowing themselves to be swept along by the crowd. Instead of developing and flourishing as unique persons, people have become trapped in a stifling form of individualism, in which they fixate on their own narrow existence and allow themselves to be guided by what others think of them. Paradoxical as it may sound, the person who, driven by extreme individualism, demands absolute autonomy simultaneously allows himself to be swept along by the crowd and focuses his thoughts and actions on what and how the people around him think and act. The media and advertisers eagerly capitalise on this, as it were intoxicating people with services and goods they feel virtually compelled to buy in order to meet the expectations of the “average person”. The entire consumer culture is geared towards this, from which, of course, industry reaps the benefits. By holding out the illusion of freedom, people ultimately become slaves to this consumer society. Even schoolchildren are already being swept up in this trend and succumb to the social pressure to wear certain trainers and designer clothes, just like everyone else, for fear of being ostracised from the group. Moral relativism, of course, has even greater implications than simply being swept along by others when it comes to lifestyle choices. Increasingly, serious ethical problems are emerging, with the boundaries of what is ethically acceptable shifting ever further. Ever-evolving technology is opening up possibilities that were previously unthinkable and belonged more in the realm of science fiction. With artificial intelligence, we are still only at the beginning of a dizzying evolution, and it is already becoming apparent how difficult it will be to keep it under control, to manage it and to ensure that it does not take on a life of its own. Once again, it sounds like a paradox: drawing on its ever-increasing technical capabilities, humanity believes it can control and bend more and more to its will, whilst at the very same moment it risks becoming both the victim and the slave of that very technology. Humanity is increasingly controlled and manipulated by the very systems it has developed itself. It is becoming ever more difficult to put a stop to this, partly because those who control these systems are among the wealthiest in the world and therefore possess the means to realise their wildest dreams, over which ultimately no one will have any control. Ethics committees across the various disciplines must continually adjust their boundaries in line with the new possibilities that are being created. What was previously deemed ethically unacceptable is now considered acceptable, ostensibly because one does not wish to hinder or block further evolution. These are subtle shifts that become increasingly apparent when one compares reports over the years. Experiments involving nascent human life that are taking place today were technically unfeasible and ethically irresponsible only ten years ago. Ever-advancing technologies, and everything associated with them, have become the new idols. Humanity imagines itself to be the Creator, having surpassed God in His creation. The story of the Tower of Babel (cf. Gen. 11:1–9) is repeating itself, and people live under the delusion that there will be no limits to this endeavour. In their pride, people allow themselves to be swept up in this dizzying progress, and some even dream of a journey to Mars to create a new world there, of which humanity itself will be the creator, as a sign of its supreme power. Instead of channelling energy into improving the lives of people here on Earth, they look away from this and become insensitive to the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. That is someone else’s problem, for the drive for power and prestige has completely consumed them. Despite all this technological progress, we cannot paint a positive picture of the world in which we live today. It is a world dominated by the violence of war, which in so many places has led to a virtually hopeless situation, with billions being spent on armaments and hostility seemingly increasing even further. It is this same drive to be first and best that pits countries against one another and drags entire peoples into destruction and misery. The very bodies created to maintain world peace watch powerlessly as both their appeals and their warnings are ignored. The stories from the opening pages of the Bible are endlessly repeated: that of the first man who wanted to become his own god, and that of Cain who, out of jealousy, killed his brother Abel. In both stories, humanity seeks to sever itself from God and ultimately ends up as God’s rival and, by extension, as the rival of fellow human beings. Homo homini lupus . The shared task of stewarding creation ends in selfishness and the hoarding of what was once given as a gift to be made into something beautiful together, in imitation of the One who created everything in perfect harmony. It seems we find ourselves in a rather sad story, and there is only one path out of this dead end. This is when, as human beings, we once again become who we truly are and let go of all vain pursuits of personal power. We must dare once more to place ourselves under God’s protective and guiding hand and entrust ourselves to Him anew. Then we shall become not less, but more human, because the image that God has placed within us of Himself will be allowed to blossom anew. As long as we banish God from our lives and from the world, and seek to rule over this world as gods ourselves – sometimes even in the name of God, whose name we then grossly abuse – we shall continue to wander like sheep without a shepherd, or follow false shepherds who seek only to enslave us. Fortunately, there is God, who continues to wait patiently until we turn back to Him. It is a comfort to us that He, as our God, will never forsake us, even when we have forsaken Him, for He continues to love His creation despite everything. Just as, after the Flood, He caused a rainbow to appear in the sky as a sign of His covenant with us: “Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth… never again shall the waters swell into a flood that destroys everything and everyone” (Gen. 9:12, 15). These are comforting and hopeful words, but it is up to us to leave the first and last word on humanity and the world to God, rather than, blinded by our own abilities and power, presuming to speak for Him ourselves. Otherwise, we may bring about a new flood ourselves.