On Religion
2011-06-20 · letter vlog · John · 3:32 · watch on YouTube
Topic: Philosophy & meaning (also: Personal life) · mode: Personal essay · tags: community lore, punishment or challenge
John argues that people of all faiths and none live in functional nihilism yet all feel called to meaning; debating whether God exists avoids the deeper question of how to bring meaning to human life, which religion and secular humanism both answer.
What is said
The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).
00:00:00 — Why the brothers avoided religion; John's chaplaincy and divinity school enrolment
- ★★ Nerdfighters often ask whether the brothers are religious; they have been reluctant to discuss it because the quality of internet discourse about religion is atrocious. — 00:00:01 · Nerdfighteria
- ★★★ A decade ago John worked as a chaplain at a children's hospital, and he was briefly enrolled in, though never attended, the University of Chicago's divinity school. — 00:00:10
00:00:29 — Functional nihilism: we act like nihilists but feel called to meaning
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★★★ John submits that almost all human lives are lived in functional nihilism: very few believe life is meaningless, but almost all act as if they did. — 00:00:29
“functional nihilism”
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★★ John could use his mind for cancer research, novels or quantum mechanics and his body to plant trees or fight wildfires, yet spends free time on TV, games and lols. — 00:00:47
- ★★★ Christians, Muslims and atheists alike share this worldview: almost none would give up comforts to help others, so judged by actions humans look like nihilists. — 00:01:16
- ★★★ But we are not nihilists, John says, because everyone feels called to make the world better, understand the universe, make art and contribute; everybody wants their life to matter. — 00:01:32 · meaning of life
00:01:44 — Why John won't debate God's existence: the fire analogy; religion and humanism answer the call to meaning
- ★★★ That call to meaning founds religious and successful secular worldviews alike, which is why John doesn't care to debate the existence of God. — 00:01:44
- ★★ Analogy: woken by smoke and an invisible voice shouting that the house is on fire, John wouldn't care whether the voice was God or a fireman; he'd just leave. — 00:01:56
- ★★★ For John, debating the mere existence of God is a way of avoiding the deeper, more devastating question of how to bring meaning to human life. — 00:02:12 · meaning of life
- ★★★ John says that, broadly speaking, religion is essentially a response to revelation calling us to embrace meaning, or create it if it doesn't innately exist; the same holds for atheistic humanism. — 00:02:21
- ★★★ Everyone faces the same question, what to do with our consciousness: fight poverty, climate change, disease or war, or spend everything on a perfectly manicured, weed-free lawn. — 00:02:32
00:02:46 — Aside: John's neighbour and the lawn
- ★ John is on a lawn kick because his next-door neighbour is unhappy that John left the country for two months during lawn-growing season; the lawn is full of dandelions. (playful) — 00:02:46
00:02:58 — Balancing meaning with funny stuff; Nerdfighteria asks these questions through many lenses
- ★★★ John: how to balance the urge to be more than nihilists with blunting consciousness's sharp edges through funny stuff like Paula Deen riding Paula Deen riding him, or Humpy Hank. — 00:02:58 · Hank Green
- ★★★ Nerdfighteria has discussed these questions for years, some through a religious lens and some through a secular one; the lens interests John less than the questions. — 00:03:10 · Nerdfighteria
00:03:20 — Baby rhinoceros, 36 sandwiches as penance, sign-off
- ★★ Apologising that the video had few jokes, John shows a baby rhinoceros and, as penance, says he will eat 36 disgusting sandwiches on Friday (24 June 2011). (playful) — 00:03:20 · Punishment
In the description and comments
- ★★ In the description John invites viewers to continue the conversation about religion in Your Pants (yourpants.org). — video description
Threads in this video
- asked · John invites viewers to continue the conversation about religion on Your Pants (June 2011) — John's description invites viewers to continue the conversation about religion in Your Pants. (video description)
- restate · Does human life have real meaning, given oblivion, cosmic scale and an indifferent universe? — John: judged by actions humans look like functional nihilists, but everyone feels called to meaning, and how to bring meaning to human life is the deep question. (00:01:32)
- refine · Does God exist, and is religious faith worth having? — John declines to debate God's existence: it avoids the deeper question of meaning, which religion (a response to revelation) and atheistic humanism both answer; the lens matters less than the questions. (00:02:12)
- update · John's two-month move to the Netherlands (April 2011) — John's next-door neighbour is unhappy that John left the country for two months during lawn-growing season; the lawn is full of dandelions. (00:02:46)
- callback · John: Tumblr is the top destination for images of Paula Deen riding him (2011) — John cites 'Paula Deen riding Paula Deen riding me' as funny stuff that blunts the edges of consciousness. (00:03:01)
- accepted · John: punishment earned by Nerdfighters getting Helen Hunt to see Hank's Helen Hunt video (2011) — John says that, as penance, he will eat 36 disgusting sandwiches on Friday. (00:03:24)
- accepted · John: punishment for not posting a video on Wednesday (May 2011) — John's commitment to eat 36 disgusting sandwiches on Friday (24 June 2011) joins Hank's two proposed punishments (a 35-plus-part video and gross sandwiches), so it also accepts this one. (00:03:24)
- retold · John's time as a student chaplain at a children's hospital (c. 2000) — A decade ago John worked as a chaplain at a children's hospital, and he was briefly enrolled in, though never attended, the University of Chicago's divinity school. (00:00:10)
Where the stories that moved here went next
- John invites viewers to continue the conversation about religion on Your Pants (June 2011) — asked in 2011; no response reported; last: reminder, 2011-06-24
- John: punishment for not posting a video on Wednesday (May 2011) — changed, no report it was done (2011–2026)
- John: punishment earned by Nerdfighters getting Helen Hunt to see Hank's Helen Hunt video (2011) — changed, no report it was done (2011–2026)
- John's two-month move to the Netherlands (April 2011) — told 2×, last update 2012; last: retold, 2012-03-27
Mentioned
Central: existence of God · meaning of life · nihilism · religion
Also: People: Paula Deen
Organizations: University of Chicago Divinity School
Rituals: Punishment
Concepts: atheism · Christianity · consciousness · Islam · lawn · revelation · secular humanism
Only in the description or credits: Your Pants
Also centred on existence of God: Do You Believe in God? · My Religion
Also centred on nihilism: Against Nihilism
Also centred on religion: On Iran, Islam, and Amazingly Stupid Comments · On Religion (Redux) · Religion and Gay Marriage · Death, Love, and John's Religion: The Big Questions Take Over Question Tuesday
Later videos replying to this one
- 2011-06-23 · Do You Believe in God? (Hank) — continues (new on Does God exist, and is religious faith worth having?) — Hank declines to give his own answer: he is no authority, each person must answer the question for themselves, and he will share his beliefs only once people know how he lives. (00:01:51)