© Chris Port, 2011
'Just as human consciousness is an 'emergent property' of particles and processes which are, in themselves, insentient, might 'God' be an emergent property of human consciousness? The 'sacred' is an abstract concept, not a physical 'reality'. But so is 'love'. Does love 'exist'? Most people would accept love's existence as an axiom of humanity, even though its substance, nature and meaning (or even 'truth') are subject to much doubt and debate. If we replace the term 'God' (with its connotations of a supernatural creator, omnisicent and omnipotent) with 'a sense of the sacred', we may be closer to finding the 'meaning' of life. Meaning is in art and aesthetics, not in unquestioning dogma. Art as entertainment distracts us from reality. Art, as a sense of the divine, brings us closer to it. We need both. Now more than ever. A collaborative, surreal, satirical, tragicomic piece of musical political theatre about a gullible martyr would seem to be a fine way of linking the two. As the Chinese politely curse, "May you live in interesting times..." We do...'
Extract from The ‘Meaning’ of Life
'Just as human consciousness is an 'emergent property' of particles and processes which are, in themselves, insentient, might 'God' be an emergent property of human consciousness? The 'sacred' is an abstract concept, not a physical 'reality'. But so is 'love'. Does love 'exist'? Most people would accept love's existence as an axiom of humanity, even though its substance, nature and meaning (or even 'truth') are subject to much doubt and debate. If we replace the term 'God' (with its connotations of a supernatural creator, omnisicent and omnipotent) with 'a sense of the sacred', we may be closer to finding the 'meaning' of life. Meaning is in art and aesthetics, not in unquestioning dogma. Art as entertainment distracts us from reality. Art, as a sense of the divine, brings us closer to it. We need both. Now more than ever. A collaborative, surreal, satirical, tragicomic piece of musical political theatre about a gullible martyr would seem to be a fine way of linking the two. As the Chinese politely curse, "May you live in interesting times..." We do...'
Extract from The ‘Meaning’ of Life
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