{"id":61,"date":"2006-12-11T20:59:02","date_gmt":"2006-12-11T20:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/statement-of-beliefs\/"},"modified":"2006-12-11T20:59:02","modified_gmt":"2006-12-11T20:59:02","slug":"statement-of-beliefs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/statement-of-beliefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement of Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"

metaphysics<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m a skeptical empiricist. On my reductionist side, I’m a materialist that thinks quantum physics is very Zen. On my holistic side, I am fascinated by the phenomenon of emergence, and I wonder if the universe is conscious of its own existence. <\/p>\n

If you want simpler terms, you can call me an atheist or an agnostic or a rationalist or a freethinker. I base my beliefs on the best available evidence, and I am free to change my mind without notice upon further review.<\/p>\n

ethics<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. with love and logic<\/a><\/p>\n

2. in accordance with the three jewels of the Tao<\/a>: compassion, moderation, and humility<\/p>\n

3. following the golden rule<\/a>: treat others the way you wish to be treated.<\/p>\n

4. using Virian<\/a> ethics, virtues(reason,empathy,vision), sins(dogmatism,apathy,hypocrisy)<\/p>\n

5. keeping in mind the Toltec Four Agreements<\/a>: be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, always do your best.<\/p>\n

values<\/strong><\/p>\n

the welfare of people, knowledge, truth, wisdom, and happiness<\/p>\n

books that have informed my personal philosophy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig<\/em><\/p>\n

The Moral Animal by Richard Wright<\/em><\/p>\n

Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan<\/em><\/p>\n

Joseph Campbell<\/em><\/p>\n

Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins<\/em><\/p>\n

Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis<\/em><\/p>\n

Godel, Escher, and Bach: The Golden Braid<\/em><\/p>\n

Job by Robert Heinlein<\/em><\/p>\n

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu<\/em><\/p>\n

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey<\/em><\/p>\n

Life 101 by Peter McWilliams<\/em><\/p>\n

Wishcraft by Barbara Sher<\/em><\/p>\n

Age of Reason by Thomas Paine<\/em><\/p>\n

roles I occupy<\/strong><\/p>\n

relationships – husband, father, friend, son, brother, uncle, etc.<\/p>\n

householder – housekeeper, cook, handyman, gardener, launderer, pet owner<\/p>\n

financial manager – career, budget, working towards financial independence.<\/p>\n

hacker – work, learn, skilled technical professional<\/p>\n

community member – neighborhood, city, county, state, country, planet<\/p>\n

self-maintenance – physical (diet, exercise, rest, stress), mental (education and mental exercises), spiritual (writing, volunteer service, meditation), emotional (friendships and connections)<\/p>\n

individual – self-development, recreation, play<\/p>\n

politics<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a political compass, I’m located a moderate located somewhere between the liberal and libertarian points of the compass. I believe in the republican (lower-case R) form of government, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.<\/p>\n

Being a good member of the community involves:<\/strong><\/p>\n

vote in all elections<\/p>\n

public service<\/p>\n

energy conservation<\/p>\n

reduce\/reuse\/recycle<\/p>\n

give blood<\/p>\n

use alternate energy sources<\/p>\n

know your neighbors<\/p>\n

get politically active<\/p>\n

lead on issues where knowledgeable<\/p>\n

take public transit<\/p>\n

neighborhood improvement<\/p>\n

join PTA<\/p>\n

be involved with a spiritual community<\/p>\n

don’t be a burden – stay in good health, save for retirement<\/p>\n

pay taxes<\/p>\n

obey laws<\/p>\n

give to charity<\/p>\n

be punctual<\/p>\n

practice safety<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

metaphysics I’m a skeptical empiricist. On my reductionist side, I’m a materialist that thinks quantum physics is very Zen. On my holistic side, I am fascinated by the phenomenon of emergence, and I wonder if the universe is conscious of its own existence. If you want simpler terms, you can call me an atheist or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-61","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/trentdouthat.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}