.cross.wired.mind.

With the passing of Rosa Parks we have lost a living connection to the birth of the modern civil rights movement. Her simple act of defiance was a spark that led to a firestorm of change. But did things change enough? One need look no further than the LA riots of 1992 and the recent results of hurricane Katrina to see the outward signs that racism is an unresolved issue.

Many people would like to think that racism has gone away. They pay lip service to diversity. They eat food from different cultures, enjoy a ride through “It’s a Small World“, and might even have some [insert racial minority] friends. They think that they are not racist because they do not hate anyone because of the color of their skin. Racism is not always about hate. Racism can also be about apathy and a lack of true appreciation of our common humanity.

Yes, the civil rights movement created great progress, but mostly in a legal sense and then only at the most basic level. We now have legal equality, but that has not resulted in the systemic change required to create true justice for the victims of racism. The clear lack of government action in response to hurricane Katrina is the clearest indication that institutionalized racism continues to plague human relations.

That is the key - its all about human relations. As individuals we lack a sense of justice, a willingness to demonstrate respect, and an ability to express brotherly love when it comes to those whose skin color, accent, or social class does not match our own. Racism is a disease of the spirit. It is an attitude that lives in our subconscious. It is fed by the media and spreads like a virus in our culture of fear.

When faced with the reality of racism and the continued pain it inflicts on my fellow human beings I cannot help but mourn for all of humanity. I feel compelled to act. I try to do what I can do. I participate in diversity activities at work. I serve on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday committee for my community. None of that helps. The only thing that does help me is to act everyday to be mindful of race and the part it plays in our lives. I remember the words and deeds of the Central Figures of my faith, and I am encouraged to press on. I see the words and deeds of the people that stood up for civil rights and I see that determined acts, even very simple ones, can make a difference.

This is why Rosa Parks was so important. She was a person who simply stood her ground when the forces of hate and separation tried to force all people of color into a place of second class citizenry. She was an example of a human being who placed justice above all else. I am glad that she has become the first woman to ever lie in state in our nation’s capitol. Her life and her courage are an example for all of us. Let’s hope that this, her final act of defiance, can be another spark.

Andrew Hinton posted his reation to an interview with Jonathan Haidt (The Believer - Interview with Jonathan Haidt). I posted the following response (plus I have a few additional thoughts tagged on at the end):

It was a very interesting and thought provoking interview to be sure but I guess the whole premise of his experiment bothers me, and not because of his evolutionary take on moral reactions.

The example of his experiment, the whole brother/sister thing. It presents a situation that may not actually be factual. Can a brother and sister have sex without any negative psychological impact? Even with two forms of birth control is that still 100% effective? He says that they do it once and never again. Can desire be flipped on and off like that? He assumes that sex has no emotional component.

Basically he has set up an example to nullify all possible reasoned objections to what most would perceive as an immoral act. In that regard his work is significant and worthy of consideration.

But then there is the blink factor. What if our moral judgments happen the same way rapid cognition happens. Throughout Malcolm Gladwell’s survey of rapid cognition we saw many examples of individual who could not rationally explain their judgments and yet those judgments were often accurate (with the exception of the “Warren Harding error”). Perhaps there is a relationship between rapid cognition and rapid moral response.

Perhaps our moral education (formal as well as culturally influenced) and our life experience informs a moral “blink” response?

I guess they way I see things is a combination of evolutionary biology and our creation by God. I know, I know. Some of you may not like the idea but hear me out.

I fully believe that this planet and all of the life upon it came into being following the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, and all of the other hard sciences. Because of my belief in science I have no problem with a biological explanation for our morality. It is a part of the human experience. It is part of human nature. The same holds true for the blink response and rapid cognition. We are a part of a biological world. We have the same basic building blocks as every other form of life and are subject to the same evolutionary process.

I happen to also believe that we are a product of a divine creation. But creation does not mean that we suddenly popped into existence fully formed and fully physically human. I believe that science is just a way to examine the details of God’s handiwork.

Oh, and BTW - I do not like the idea of intelligent design and I do not support it being taught in schools. The idea that complexity is proof of a creator is faulty logic. To force the school system to teach a statement of faith as fact is never a good thing.