Nimrod
Legend places Nimrod, great-grandson of Noah, in opposition to monotheism. Nimrod, the king and hunter, is represented as a rebel against the God of Noah. He encourages his people to build the Tower of Babel, from which, in some legends, he shot an arrow at Heaven. He unifies them in a common language. His defiance against an all-powerful, patriarchal God in favor of uniting all the people of his kingdom causes the retribution of that God, who baffles the people by taking away their commonality, their common language. They are cast into chaos, speaking seventy-five different tongues.
Perhaps humanists are the ethical Nimrods of our time. Perhaps all scientists are. Or, perhaps those who promote progress through information technology, united largely on the Web by a common language, English, are aiming an arrow at God in His sky.
I often wonder if the apparent human fear of worldwide unity and harmony is based in an animal instinct to promote biodiversity for the sake of genetic evolution and survival. Is this a manifestation of the frontal-lobe-vs-animal-brain conflict? Human beings genetically modify plants and animals enthusiastically for the greater good. Yet, they recoil from any intentional genetic improvement of their own species. Laws are passed against stem-cell research and cloning with resounding applause. Is this rooted in the animal brain? Is it a conditioned response, stemming from religious indoctrination?
And what of our Tower of Babel? Will it be built for the common welfare? Or, will it be built to house an elite at the top, served by the proletariat at the bottom?
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| 'Little"Babel by Pieter Bruegel, the Elder |
I often wonder if the apparent human fear of worldwide unity and harmony is based in an animal instinct to promote biodiversity for the sake of genetic evolution and survival. Is this a manifestation of the frontal-lobe-vs-animal-brain conflict? Human beings genetically modify plants and animals enthusiastically for the greater good. Yet, they recoil from any intentional genetic improvement of their own species. Laws are passed against stem-cell research and cloning with resounding applause. Is this rooted in the animal brain? Is it a conditioned response, stemming from religious indoctrination?
And what of our Tower of Babel? Will it be built for the common welfare? Or, will it be built to house an elite at the top, served by the proletariat at the bottom?
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