Moral Believing Animals by Christian Smith - Essay Example

Moral Believing Animals Human beings are described as being unique compared to other animals by Christian Smith inhis book ‘Moral Believing Animals’. He asserts that human beings have morals and are able to comprehend the facts and truth and subsequently make informed choices. He explains that the morals of the human beings should be founded on factual issues irrelevant of their desires, needs, and preferences. He also recognizes that humans have the limitation of getting to the bottom truth and will in most cases be relying on the narratives to draw conclusions and to make informed choices thereof. In this regard, he documents that human beings have a common ground that they all shares and that is the ability to believe irrespective of what the belief is, he asserts that all human are believers and have the moral guidance highly entrenched in their deeds. The three attributes that the writer has given human beings i.e. morals, believing and narrating animals makes them much distinguished from any animals on earth. In the book narratives have been considered the underplaying human personhood though it is recognized that they differ from one community to the next and this explains his point that humans are animals with inescapable spiritual dimension and ingrained morals. In this sense the author recognizes that human beings lives are shaped in one way or the other by the sacred narratives and that it is in the narratives that we can construe what is significant, good and real for us. The narratives here is a supplement of the inability of the human to unearth all the true position of the events chronologically and thus it is tin the narratives that they are able to explain some of the mysterious occurrence that is able to make them much informed and to remain within the moral track. In this respect, the author, Christian Smith in chapter four has widely talked about the living narratives that affects informs the choice and they way human thinks and reason. These narratives are able to explain to man the past event and in so doing they are able to make up their mind with regards to the information that is obtained. The narratives he explains tend to demystify thing like how man came into being, the existence of the supernatural beings and so on. These are of course the traditional perception and points of view. In the recent past modern technology has also contributed in to the explanation of the several narratives through scientific studies and has documented much informed information. These narratives have the direct effect on the way the humans behave and in that sense dictate what moral values to be upheld in the society. By narratives being able to directs our morals, they by default able to construct and gives the meaning in regard. In corroboration f his position on the narratives regarding bringing forth morals, Smith advanced the following narratives in his book; the capitalist prosperity Narrative, the Scientific enlighten narratives, the progressive socialism narratives, the expressive romantic narratives, the militant Islamic resurgence narratives, the American experiment narrative, and finally the Christian narratives (Smith, 71). In the summery part regarding the significance of the narratives, it doesn’t matter weather one is aware of or not, recognizes or not, can clearly articulate or not their part of the sacred stories, every human being’s life is highly entangled in the historical roots, cultural context and the shared orientation of the narratives One of the narratives that the author has widely mentioned is the American experiment narrative. In the narrative, the author explains how the concept of the narrative has led to the sharpening o the human morals ands beliefs. In the narrative, he explains that the forefathers and the ancestors lived in a very oppressive society that was governed by oligarchs and aristocrats. The period was characterized by the scarcity of land and of course infringed human rights to the extent that basic freedoms were denied making the people then to be disillusioned. The kind of oppressive regime that reign did not deter the foresighted and the dedicated people like Christopher Columbus to cross oceans and to open up to the world of freedom where equality, human rights and hope were the fundamentals of humanity and the driving force of the society (Smith, 74). This step was a hallmark in the sense that it allowed the freedom forefathers to establish a totally new civilization. It is in this narrative that it is believed that through resilience, protracted struggle, determination, and bravery the forefather established a more accountable and human respecting system that allowed for sensible mode of governance in which all wee given equal rights to thrive and even the peasants son could endeavor to be the president of the land. In the same breadth, freedom of worship was dramatically enhanced; people could strive to be rich through morally accepted maneuvers (Smith, 78). This lead to the establishment of America that has for the centuries towered high in terms of democracy to which the rest of the world could emulate. The gains attributed to the brave forefathers in establishing the freedom and democratic nation should be honored and should be jealously be defended to perpetuate the practicing the gains that have been realized in the struggle. The other narrative the author discussed is the scientific enlightenment narrative. In this narrative the author, Smith first appreciates the way people for along time have been cycling in the darkness making and relying on the much uninformed decision. The driving force in life was constant fear and superstitions were the order of the day with priest and the lords playing their part of trying to reverse the trend (Smith, 80). Over the years, inventive people at very enormous cost have tried to discern more about their world so as to make the people have informed choices regarding their society. Through these endeavors to know much of the nature for a period of centuries, much information has been garnered and this has tremendously and radically causes revolutions in understanding nature. The information people rely in on today is a summation of objective, rational and balanced observation, empirically weighed facts and rational analysis. In this doing, over the decades people have consumed this gradual scientific changes and revelation to a critical point that they affect our understanding of the society, ourselves i.e. bodies and minds. Through science the author asserts, life can be prolonged, fortified, and suffering alleviated (Smith, 82). This is close to concluding that in science, one is privileged to understand and familiarize with the secrets underlying what seems to be unfathomable operation of life. Even with the remarkable development of science to this extent, the forces of traditional beliefs and values are still alive pull the gains of science. It is advisable that these retrogressive forces be dealt will and ignored with the contempt they deserve as embracing them will only work in back pedaling the gains that have been acquired in the long and protracted scientific liberation. The scientific narrative is thus in a constant endeavor to revolve the wheels of obtaining much information regarding life. Lastly in the third narrative, the Christian narrative Smith enumerates how Christianity has influenced the way people live there life. Christian values require faith and that explains the reference of faithful. In sense, one is not suppose to question the teachings of the Christianity and all what is required is the absolute faith (Smith 94). This has also remarkably changed and shaped the way people relate, acts, and make decisions and this can be summarized as redirecting the morals of the society. In the Christianity, ones assume certain behavior orientation that finally affects their way of life. Work Cited Smith, Christian. Moral, Believing Animals: Human Personhood and Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Read More