The "Evolutionary Psychology"

For the past several months, I have been immersed in a complex puzzle of the existence of the Almighty or God. It was an inner struggle, where my mind constantly engaged in a battle of logic and argument with itself. After a prolonged period of hesitation and restlessness, I have finally arrived at my own understanding or solution, which I am presenting to you today. This thought or philosophy of mine is not to belittle any established religious belief or hurt anyone's feelings; rather, it is just an expression of my personal search for truth and insatiable thirst for knowledge. The path to truth can be found in different ways for each person. Therefore, while reading the text, you should put aside all prejudices and enter this world of my thoughts with an open and impartial mind.

The Seven Stories of Faith: From Fear to the Search for Cosmic Unity

Column 1: The true face of fear (reality vs. fantasy). The main condition of reality is its polarity. For example, a pen or air, whether light or darkness, its existence does not change. Because they are objectively true, but 'fear' is not objective, but rather a situational reaction. We are usually more afraid of darkness than light. The reason for this is scientific. In scientific terms, the human brain always makes decisions based on 'Information'. When there is light around, the brain can see all the information clearly and remains calm. However, darkness means the brain lacks information. When a vacuum of information is created before our eyes, for evolutionary reasons, our brain develops the most terrifying fantasies (such as ghosts or some evil force) to fill that void. This was actually a survival strategy of primitive humans - to be cautious due to fear of the unknown. Therefore, fear is not a real external force; rather, it is an 'illusion of informationlessness' created by the brain in the absence of light. The brain draws the biggest picture of fear from what it cannot see.

 

Match/Dismatch (in one word reason):

· Islam: Partial match; Although fear is seen as a warning, the existence of jinn or evil forces is considered real, not imaginary.

· Hinduism: Partial match; Although fear is called 'maya' or an illusion of the mind, the influence of evil forces is recognized.

· Buddhism: Match; Because in Buddhist philosophy, fear is called human ignorance (avidya) and mental projection.

· Christianity: Partial match; Fear can be mental, but they believe in the influence of the devil as a real entity.

· Philosophical/Secular: Match; Modern psychology and science say that fear is basically a survival response of the brain.

 

Column 2: God—The Antidote to Existence. This unknown fear of darkness can paralyze people mentally. To escape from this extreme terror, the human brain creates problems (fear) and also finds its own solution. That solution or antidote is 'God'. When a person feels extremely helpless or alone, they need an 'absolute refuge'. This need is so intense that even a staunch atheist, when facing death or extreme danger, subconsciously seeks help from some invisible force. This is called 'Foxhole Atheism' (everyone is a believer when in danger). From the point of view of science, this is a 'Coping Mechanism' of the brain. If fear is poison, then the thought of God is its antidote. When a person believes that some great force is protecting him, the hormones 'Dopamine' and 'Oxytocin' are released in his brain, which gives him courage and keeps his heartbeat normal. In other words, people imagine God to be mentally 'safe'. Without this imaginary protection, people would lose their mental balance in the cycle of fear they have created.

 

Match/Dismatch (in one word reason):

· Islam: Dismatch; Here God is considered a refuge to protect in danger, but He is not called a 'fantasy' or 'need' of man.

· Hinduism: Partially match; Although devotion is called a path to mental peace and security, God is not considered only a creation of man.

· Buddhism: Dismiss; Because Buddhism does not believe in a creator God, but emphasizes self-power.

· Christianity: Partially matches; God is considered the ultimate refuge, but He is not considered a psychological antidote or a fantasy of man.

· Philosophical/Secular: Match; Philosophers like Freud or Carl Jung saw God as a 'mental projection of man's insecurity'.

 

Column 3: The Destruction of Mankind Without Faith (An Evolutionary Argument) If we erase entirely the idea of 'supreme power' or God from society entirely, then humanity will very quickly move towards destruction. This is not an emotional statement, but an evolutionary truth. It has been seen in the history of civilization that when people were divided into small groups, they did not have any central rules. But to build a large civilization, a 'Universal Law' or rule was needed that would bind everyone together. The fear of God or a Higher Power works as that invisible police. Human instinct is selfishness. If there is no fear of a 'supreme judge' or 'supreme power', then each person will give their own logic a place above all others. This will create thousands of ideologies in society, which will create extreme chaos or 'anarchy'. When a person thinks that no one is watching him, his suppressed animality comes out. That is, whether God is real or not, this 'Shared Belief' or collective belief is essential for the stability and cohesion of civilization. This belief serves as the foundation for our morality and safeguards society from fragmentation.

 

Agree/disagree (in a word, why):

· Islam: Partially agree; Islam believes that God is saving the world from destruction and that His law is the source of Unity.

· Hinduism: Partially agree; Here, society is said to survive through the struggle between 'Dharma' (order) and 'Adharma' (chaos).

· Buddhism: Agree; Although there is no direct God, they talk about saving society from destruction through the discipline of 'Dharma' (Dhamma) and 'Sangha'.

· Christianity: Agree; They believe that fear of God and following His commandments save society from sin and destruction.

· Philosophical/Secular: Agree; Philosophers like Voltaire said, "If God did not exist, we would have to invent him," so that society could be orderly.

 

Column 4: The existence of money and the power of belief (a collective protocol). If you judge objectively, a 100 taka note or a 500 taka note has no value of its own—it is just a printed piece of paper. But we buy food and live with this piece of paper. Why? Because we all have a 'collective belief' in our minds that this paper has a specific value. Money has no natural power; its entire power comes from the collective consent of our brains and society. Now imagine, if tomorrow morning for some reason this belief breaks and everyone says that "this paper is worthless", what will happen? In an instant, the whole world will cry out. Even those who have crores of taka will not be able to buy a handful of rice. Looting, violence, and terrible riots will begin. Society will instantly return to a primitive anarchy (Chaos). In other words, it is not this 'paper', but our 'belief' in this paper that has made us civilized. The concept of God is the same; It is a collective belief that keeps human civilization alive and well. Civilization is not based on material things, but on 'faith'.

 

Matches/dismatches (in one word, why):

· Islam: Partial match; In Islam, money is only called a medium of exchange, but faith is what sustains society—their 'deposit' and discipline match this argument.

· Hinduism: Partial match; Lakshmi or wealth is called a form of power, but that too ultimately depends on human actions and faith.

· Buddhism: Partial match; Although they call worldly objects impermanent, they recognize the importance of rules and faith for the order of society.

· Christianity: Partial match; Faith is given greater importance than worldly wealth, which matches your 'faith is the real power' argument.

· Philosophical/Secular: Matches; Modern sociology (such as Yuval Noah Harari) says that money, religion, and law are artificial 'imagined realities' that drive civilization.

 

Column 5: God of Gods and Monotheism (Single Controlling Power). Now, a big question may arise - if God is the creation of our faith, then billions of people should have billions of different gods. And if this were the case, there would never be peace on earth because everyone would claim their own God as the best and attack others. The idea of ​​'monotheism' or one person was born to avoid this possible chaos. If we think logically, it can be seen that just as a country would become unworkable if it had more than one president, similarly, if this universe had many different controllers or gods, the entire system would be destroyed. If there were many different imaginary gods, the differences between people would increase. Therefore, the most logical solution is to think of one 'supreme power' or one God at the root of everything. This single idea holds all the people of the world on a common platform or in one place, which is essential for maintaining the balance of society.

 

Matched/not matched (in one-word reason):

· Islam: Matched; The main premise of the Quran is 'Tawhid' or monotheism, which is the only way to maintain the order of the universe.

· Hinduism: Partially similar; Although there are many gods and goddesses, according to the 'Advaita Vedanta' philosophy, at the root of everything is one Supreme Soul or 'Brahman'.

· Buddhism: Not similar; They do not believe in any theism, but rather focus on karma and nirvana.

· Christianity: Similar; They believe in one God (with a Trinity) and consider him the sole director of the universe.

· Philosophical/Secular: Partially similar; Philosophers like Voltaire or Spinoza spoke of one God or a single natural force for the sake of the Unity of the universe.

 

Column 6: Evolution of time and limitations of history (relativity of knowledge). The basis of any belief is human knowledge, which evolves. Science has proven today that dinosaurs ruled the earth billions of years ago, and humans (Homo Sapiens) arrived long after their extinction. When dinosaurs ruled the earth, there were no humans, let alone any present language or social system. When various religious scriptures and systems of life were written approximately 1400 or 2000 years ago, humans had no knowledge of 'fossils' or 'palaeontology'. Humans cannot include in their beliefs what they do not know. Therefore, there is no direct mention of dinosaurs in the religious scriptures of that time, because dinosaurs were not part of the people's understanding at that time. This proves that our religious scriptures and the world of beliefs were essentially limited to the knowledge, culture, and needs of the people of that time. As human knowledge increased, the world of their imagination also expanded. This historical truth about dinosaurs teaches us that the 'absolute truth' of past generations was merely the sum of their limited information.

 

Match/Dismatch (in one word):

· Islam: Partial match; The Quran states that humans know very little, but there is no direct reference to specific prehistoric animals like dinosaurs.

· Hinduism: Partial match; Although the fish or worms of the incarnation theory are not exactly dinosaurs, they give a glimpse of evolution, although there is no specific historical reference.

· Buddhism: Partial match; They say the world is impermanent and evolving, but the history of dinosaurs is absent from their texts.

· Christianity: Partial match; Although the Bible mentions some giant animals (Behemoth/Leviathan), it does not fully match the description of dinosaurs by modern science.

· Philosophical/Secular: Match; Modern science and history directly prove that human knowledge is dependent on contemporary discoveries, not on any divine or eternal knowledge.

 

Column 7: The Imperishability of Life and Cosmic Connection (Transformation of Energy) The ultimate realization of my philosophy is that life actually has no death. Science has taught us an irrefutable truth, which is the 'Law of Conservation of Energy'; energy is never destroyed, it only changes from one form to another. Our body and life are also a special force in the universe. Death does not mean being dissolved or lost forever, but rather breaking the limitations of this small body and reuniting with the vast Universal Energy. We are all actually made of the same cosmic material. Just like a wave in the ocean thinks of itself as separate, but in fact it is part of the ocean; when the wave breaks, it does not die, but merges with the vastness of the sea. The existence of life is the same. Death is actually just a transformation, which takes us back to that 'single source'. Only by understanding this oneness or connection can the fear of death be removed, and man can know that he is an inseparable and indestructible part of this infinite universe.

 

Agree/Disagree (in one-word reason):

· Islam: Partially agree; Death is not the end but a return to the next life (afterlife), but there the emphasis is on the judgment of the soul rather than the transformation of energy.

· Hinduism: Agree; The Gita says that the soul is indestructible, which leaves the old body and takes on a new form—this is exactly what your 'transformation of energy' argument is all about.

· Buddhism: Agree; They believe in reincarnation and the continuous flow of energy, where death is just a change.

· Christianity: Partially agree; The soul is considered immortal, but it is seen more as a destination for heaven and hell than merging with the cosmic energy.

· Philosophical/Secular: Agree; Modern science (physics) and the philosophy of Panpsychism believe that everything in the universe is connected in a single connection, and energy exists forever.

 

Finally, the above analyses are solely the result of my long-term personal thoughts, soul-searching, and rational understanding. The purpose of my philosophy is not to belittle any established religion or anyone's personal beliefs. Instead, I wanted to highlight the vast and undeniable contribution of 'faith' behind the preservation of human psychology and social cohesion from a different and rational perspective. Truth (Logic) and devotion (Faith) can complement each other. If God is the protector of our existence, then that faith is the lifeblood of our civilization. At the end of the day, no matter which path we follow, our destination is the same, and we are all an integral part of that ultimate 'cosmic unity'.