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My degree is in Religious Studies (which I actually think has been more useful to me in my software career than CS). I don't know who the author of the article
by tombh 4y ago
My degree is in Religious Studies (which I actually think has been more useful to me in my software career than CS). I don't know who the author of the article is, or what the overall theme of the website is, all I can see is that it's an email newsletter?
On the one hand I like that William James is mentioned, he's one of the fathers, some even consider him the father, of Religious Studies. The Varieties Of Religious Experience was the first serious academic attempt to _describe_ this extraordinary human aspect that we call, not for want of a better term, Religion. What had tended to happen up till then, and indeed what continues to happen, is that academia tries to _explain_ Religion. Religious Studies isn't fundamentally opposed to explaining its subject matter per se. But rather it is more fundamentally concerned with, well, _studying_ Religion. Which of course does mean at least being open to theories, such as the ego one in the article, but ultimately it's primary concern is more to create a dedicated space in which Religion can _present its case on its own terms_. Humanity _needs_ Religious Studies, just because Religion is Seriously Fucked Up™, doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve serious academic attention, quite the opposite.
So, on the other hand I'm a little hesitant about this article, because it is both invoking Religious Studies and trying to explain Religion in the same breath. I actually like the ego-control theory, I have no bones with that. And we were certainly not discouraged from coming up with our own theories at university. But what I took the most inspiration and value from during those undergraduate years was the sheer power of dedicating the entire weight of an academic discipline to the uncompromising _study_ of a subject matter _without_ the explicit agenda of trying to explain it away. Like I said, that does not at all mean that Religious Studios wouldn't welcome an overarching Grand Unified Theory of Religion, it's just to say that, if you learn anything about Religious Studies today, it's that a GUT is way, way down the list of Religious Studies' priorities.
- golemotron 4y ago> But what I took the most inspiration and value from during those undergraduate years was the sheer power of dedicating the entire weight of an academic discipline to the uncompromising _study_ of a subject matter _without_ the explicit agenda of trying to explain it away. And that's the religion of academia (I don't mean that pejoratively).
- v-erne 4y ago>> My degree is in Religious Studies (which I actually think has been more useful to me in my software career than CS). That's interesting. Care to elaborate?
- tombh 4y agoIt's basically the ability to deal with the strongly held thoughts, feelings and beliefs of other people (other people could be our colleagues, but also, the open source community and even just documentation in general). Now, the most interesting part of this is that I very much consider myself one of those "other people", whether that's my past self or the ulterior motives of my subconscious. Having the tools to effectively understand other people, without diminishing either their value or human warmth, has been a fundamental factor in my productivity in professional settings. Thanks for asking.
- superb-owl 4y agoGlad you found some aspects of the article useful! I'm definitely not trying to "explain away" religion, or provide a GUT. Just trying to show one potential lens on the subject.