Does It Matter If God Exists?
Yes? No? A deep question to ponder. Existentialism has an answer.
This post was taken from the Jordan Peterson Archive Instagram account and features a Jean-Paul Sartre quote, and an elaborate caption, courteous of me. I have decided to create a short post about this and will continue to do this with posts from the JPA Instagram as well as my personal Instagram.
This quote right here sums up my absolute philosophy of life. I didn’t, or couldn’t, is a better word, find a way to summarise what I felt about how to frame life as an individual. This did it for me.
I do not deny God exists. I will not argue with you if you tell me your views and beliefs. It is what it is in your eyes and that brings you comfort, who am I to argue with that?
If you ask me, I actually think God exists, metaphorically, as potential in all of us.
Jordan says if we act as if God exists, then the world will be a better place. But does it really matter if he exists or not? Do you and would you not use God as a scapegoat? Many do. Many also use him as a source of inspiration and as a moral center to act better. The question is not if God exists for me personally, although it is an interesting one.
I think we have many challenges as individuals to face and acting with a degree of self-respect, saying no, and having your own interests put first is something that can have a positive effect on the world; But this is not a way of acting which causes pain and disregard for others. I don’t think Selfishness is the correct wording or way to think about it but having the ability to say Yes & No to things of your choosing, depending on the benefit to you and the wider community, is a good thing.
The point I am trying to make is that if we can take responsibility for our actions, try to progress and be a better person, and not get caught up in what we cannot control, we may find things a little bit easier to handle.
I wrote a post on my personal account recently (@LewyConvery) which covers the idea of how we are a ‘Multiplicity of selves’ and I mention that we are all an amalgamation of information. Perhaps, just like every other book we read, every video we watch, and each piece of advice we listen to we should use what we find useful to us, as individuals, and act this out in the world without fully taking on one viewpoint and one set of particular beliefs.
Lewy, good job on the forum first of all.
To react to your proposition: i think it only matters if god exists on a subjective level and if you find peace within this idea. The problem with “god” as an entity is clearly that pure potential (as you describe god if i may paraphrase) as a rule isn’t pure potential anymore it became a rule which can become dogmatic. The bible itself became an idol for which it warned us. I believe this is what Nietzsche in part said when he wrote “God Is Dead”.
My point being: when we make God absolute and a weapon to tell the “objective truth” it immediately loses its meaning for its meaning is to be found in the subjective.
Joost