Chapter Content
Okay, so, let's talk about faith. It's a big topic, right? And honestly, as someone with a background in physics, I've always been a little skeptical of the whole "faith" thing. But, like, what is it really? I'm not looking for some fluffy definition or a philosophical debate. I want a real, solid, evidence-based explanation.
And more importantly, why should we even care? I mean, seriously, how does faith affect your everyday life? You know, getting up, going to work, dealing with, like, annoying co-workers, figuring out what's real and what's not on the news? Does faith even play a role?
Well, I'm here to tell you that it totally does. Actually, everything in your life hinges on faith. Your decisions, your relationships, your happiness, everything. It all comes down to this thing called faith.
So, where does faith even come from? I'm gonna, like, guide you to the source of faith, like an explorer leading you to the headwaters of the Amazon. We're gonna look at the, uh, the hidden app that empowers you to believe in things you can't even see or prove or imagine. Sounds crazy, right? But trust me, it's there.
First, we need to understand that there are different kinds of faith, right? There's misguided faith and enlightened faith. Now, some people think all faith is misguided. You know, like, "believing in the improbable." But that's just not true.
So, misguided faith? That's believing in things we know aren't true, or things that have been proven wrong. Enlightened faith, on the other hand, is believing in things that are consistent with the evidence, even if that evidence is kind of, you know, sketchy.
And within those categories, we've got two types: IQ-based faith and SQ-based faith.
IQ-based faith is about believing in simple, logical truths, things we can see and prove. You know, like "six is an even number." True, but kinda obvious, right?
SQ-based faith, though? That's where things get interesting. That's believing in profound truths, things you can't see or prove, things that are almost beyond our understanding.
So, think of it like this: Misguided IQ-based faith? Believing Fido the dog has four legs when some dogs don't. Misguided SQ-based faith? Believing in the Tooth Fairy, something we know isn't real. Enlightened IQ-based faith? Believing the sky is blue, plain and simple. And enlightened SQ-based faith? Believing in things like the Quantum Vacuum, or even the concept of God – things we can't prove, but that haven't been disproven and might be supported by evidence.
What you believe in shapes your worldview. What you believe in shapes how you interpret everything that happens to you. Like, you know, take that TV show "The Crown". In one episode, Prince Philip loses his faith and he falls into this deep depression. He describes faithlessness as, like, finding nothing but desolation on the moon. What you believe truly dictates how you see life. Believing is seeing. How you see things then dictates how you react to everything around you. Seeing is reacting.
The dangerous worldviews come from misguided faith. The best worldviews are powered by enlightened faith. So, where do these different kinds of faith come from? Why are we wired for both? That's the big question.
Well, get this: I once held a human brain. It's, uh, pretty wild, you know? The human brain has two lobes that communicate through the corpus callosum. And these lobes? They're like fraternal twins. They're different, they compete, but they also work together.
The left hemisphere is all about logic, speech, numbers. It likes details. The right hemisphere is more about intuition, sounds, imagery. It likes the big picture. The left hemisphere sees the trees, the right hemisphere sees the forest.
Now, there was this popular idea that people are either right-brained or left-brained, but that's been totally disproven. We all use both sides of our brain. They just give us different perspectives on the world.
The left hemisphere tends to have a physical worldview that's focused on matter, energy, and logic. The right hemisphere tends to have an intangible worldview that emphasizes images, intuition, and feelings.
For example, if you're stranded in the wild, the left hemisphere helps you spot the poisonous berries. The right hemisphere is constantly scanning the surroundings for danger. And those two perspectives working together? That's how you survive.
And here's the cool part: These two halves of the brain are the source of our different kinds of faith. So, during the 60s and 70s, doctors started doing these "split-brain" surgeries to help people with epilepsy. Basically, they severed the corpus callosum, and it had some crazy side effects.
For example, there was this guy named Joe. If you show Joe's left hemisphere a picture of a frying pan, he can see it, no problem. But if you show it to his right hemisphere, he sees nothing. But then, if he closes his eyes and draws, he instantly draws a frying pan! It's wild.
The left hemisphere sees the world consciously and can describe it. The right hemisphere knows about the world unconsciously and can only describe it nonverbally.
This discovery is huge. It proves that "seeing is believing" is wrong. It's "believing is seeing." If you only believe in what you can see and name, you're literally being half-brained. You're only using your left hemisphere. You're ignoring the realities that your right hemisphere can somehow perceive. These are translogical realities.
Translogical realities are things you can’t see, prove, or even imagine. You can experience them with your intelligence and spirituality. And you can believe in them with enlightened faith.
So, there's this old saying that, "By night, an atheist half-believes in God." Well, neuroscience kind of proves that. Even an atheist's right hemisphere is unconsciously aware of things invisible to the eye.
And get this: The two hemispheres don't always get along. Often, they're fighting. Some neuroscientists even think the corpus callosum is there to stop one hemisphere from dominating the other.
One split-brain patient described how her hands would fight each other in the supermarket. Another struggled to arrange blocks because her two hands were fighting over who knew what they were doing.
And that competition, that arrogance, that belief that one's own perception is the most trustworthy? That's the biological root of all faith. IQ-based faith, SQ-based faith, misguided faith, and enlightened faith.
The left hemisphere loves logic and facts, which is essential to IQ-based faith. The right hemisphere is all about unconsciousness and qualitative impressions, which are essential to SQ-based faith.
Misguided faith happens when you let one half of your brain bully the other. If you let your left hemisphere dominate, you end up ridiculing the idea of God because it isn't logical. If you let your right hemisphere dominate, you end up wishing on a star and thinking it will come true.
Enlightened faith is when you make your brain halves get along. You insist they "play nice!" Enlightened faith is when you use your intelligence and spirituality; when you put on the 3D glasses.
Now, some people think logic is superior to faith. They think logical, computer-like reasoning is the most intelligent way to think. These are the people who let their left hemisphere bully their right hemisphere. This is the great catastrophe.
It's misguided IQ-powered reasoning that says: "Logic is superior to faith. Science is based on logic, religion is based on faith. Therefore, science is superior to religion." But that's just not true. Science is guided by faith, just like religion.
In fact, Einstein himself said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." He wasn't an atheist. He valued the intuitive, metaphorical mind. He saw the rational mind as "merely a faithful servant."
Valuing logic over faith is like valuing apple pies over apples. Faith is a natural gift, logic is a clever invention. Faith doesn't depend on logic, logic depends on faith. In reality, faith is superior to logic.
So, why should you care about faith? Because it's powerful. At its best, it's mightier than anything your brain can imagine.
Enlightened faith is more powerful than gravity, electromagnetism, and every other force in the universe, because it's the foundation of science and technology, which has empowered us to control those forces.
Enlightened faith inspired us to invent the rocket ship, dynamite, the X-ray machine, and the nuclear bomb. It's the genius that declares "Believe!" and lets us move mountains.
If you've never thought about faith this way, start now. It's not just philosophical. Your joy, your purpose, your very life, depend on what you believe. And that depends on how well your brain's fraternal twins get along.
And if you're still skeptical, the next few chapters will explain how wrong you are. We're gonna talk about the scientific method, mathematics, physics, and astronomy—all subjects that, surprisingly, rely on faith.