"In Progress Is Humanity"

The Rev. Bruce Russell-Jayne
April 13, 2008
Northern Hills Fellowship

In the last fifty years, devices like semiconductors have shrunk exponentially until today chemists, biologists, physicists and engineers are inventing new materials using nanotechnology. “Nano” which comes from the Greek nanos meaning dwarf, is used by scientists to mean one billionth. A nanometer is the width of 10 hydrogen atoms. For comparison, a human hair is 90,000 nanometers wide. When things get that small, they get weird; materials in the nano realm take on strange properties governed by quantum physics that have lead to some fantastic applications.

For example, researchers are growing semiconducting nanocrystals, called quantum dots, some as small as 1.5 nanometers, which when put in front of a laser emit almost pure white light. These may soon be used in real LED lights. Quantum dots could help replace incandescent lights thus saving billions of dollars in lighting costs and enabling a big reduction in CO2 emissions produced in electricity generation.

Every parent is familiar with staying up at night with a child who has an infection worrying if the fever will go too high and necessitate a trip to the Emergency Room. Using quantum dots doctors can now diagnose children’s respiratory viruses within an hour of infection, which should reduce the time a child waits in a hospital bed and save parents a lot of worry. Nano research is causing much excitement in business; engineers think this stuff is really sexy. This is only one of the latest amongst a great multitude of advances we have witnessed in our lifetimes. What a fantastic world we live in.

There is little doubt that for most people in the world’s developed countries, the standard of living is much better than it was a hundred or even 50 years ago. Vanderbilt University philosophy professor John Lachs believes humanity has made much progress. He asserts, “Life today is strikingly easier, safer, richer in choices, more diversified, healthier, more just, longer and more satisfying than ever before. We eat better, suffer less pain, are ravaged by fewer diseases, exercise greater control over our environment, face brighter prospects, have a better chance of enjoying worthwhile experiences, and live more peaceful lives than any previous generation.” Who can “deny that ingenuity, inventiveness, and sustained labor have made human life immeasurably better?”

And its not just science and engineering which have created progress; there have been advances in many fields of human endeavor. Our current recession notwithstanding, through modern economic practices and with some luck, we may never have to live through another great Depressions as did people several times in our nation’s history. Legal codes which have evolved over centuries protect us from capricious abuse by the rich and powerful, giving us many improvements in personal security. Our understandings of how people think and how children develop give teachers so many more tools and insights and have revolutionized the field of education. And the list of human advancements goes on and on. A comprehensive assessment of human progress from the time of our ancestors would give us a sense of just how utterly complete has been the transformation of the way we live in the world.
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Before I begin to sound like Steve Jobs, telling you how Apple next computer or Ipod or Iphone will make your life complete, I have to take a step back from these claims of technological advances and ask about moral progress. As a minister, I can’t look at the world only through an engineer’s eyes anymore. I’ll grant we seem to be better off, but are we better? We have more material possessions, but are we happier? Were our predecessors who had to struggle to live more likely to sacrifice for their families? Has the price we have paid for progress been a regression in caring about each other?

For all our progress, the last century was full of examples of how horrible people can be to each other. We haven’t been able to stop the atrocities of war and genocide. In fact, the strategies of warfare seem to have gotten progressively worse. We have come to the point where every person or location on earth is a potential target for decentralized hackers and terrorists or conversely by strikes from the highly sophisticated military weaponry of the advanced nations. To the victims of dictatorship, political disappearances and torture, claims of human progress seem like humbug.

There is a “psychic chasm” in America, a huge division in our society where the rich live in so-called gated communities while “the government uses nonviolent drug offenses to fill prisons with [our] poorest, most damaged and most desperate citizens.” To the poor and downtrodden of America, moral progress may be hard to believe. And, I’m sure those whose intellectual method is unbridled skepticism see claims of human progress as exaggerated and serving the interests of the people trying to sell us something.

For centuries now, we have held on to the promise of progress. With ever growing knowledge humans would scientifically organize all the ills out of our societies. New discoveries have often lead to revolutions in thinking and changes in whole cultures. However, for all the promise of science and new technologies, we have not yet ended suffering or carnage in the world. In fact, with the advent of things like the atomic bomb, we have to question the whole idea that science and technology will ultimately be to our benefit. Science and technology have unprecedented power to impact human society and the environment. The knowledge and power of science has brought humanity to the point of dominion over nature and at the same time to the brink of its own destruction.

The traditional role of science was simply to uncover new facts, and it was assumed developers of new technologies would be guided by a commonly held desire to improve human life. However, considering the vast potential scientific discoveries have to be used for good or ill, it is no longer an option for scientists to remain aloof from the consequences of their discoveries. Neither is it an option for those of us who use them. Human actions have such tremendous reach we must transform our ethics to consider the dramatic impacts humans have on the entire natural order.
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That we are part of the interdependent web of all existence is not news to UUs. We are accustomed to thinking about the global impact of our personal actions. We have a long history of working to end the oppressions in our world. We are used to pushing the causes of justice uphill. Unfortunately, some of these hills seem to go on forever. It makes us question whether our goals are attainable, and after long struggles we even begin to question our values. We accept that progress is a more realistic goal than perfection, but, we really do need to see some progress to fortify our spirits and to sustain our efforts. Therefore, this morning, I want us to know that, in spite of the misery that still remains in the world, we have made significant moral progress over the course of human history.

As I said earlier we have better health, more control over our environment and brighter prospects than any previous generation. With a much more accurate understanding of the human body and mind, the development of technologies for better living, and the spread of democratic values and human rights, our lives are better in a myriad of ways. “The best summary of these blessings is to note that they improve the human lot by increasing the range of our choices… [Having] such choice means we can determine our own good.” This has changed ethics in a fundamental way. Morality is no longer based on learning a set of prescribed rules and conforming to them. Now our actions are judged by whether they have produced more love, beauty or peace in the world. Given the freedom to choose, people have not abandoned virtue. Instead we have demonstrated a propensity to help others giving generously of our time and money. For example, “Individual generosity has placed 12 percent of our vast national wealth at the permanent service of education, the arts, and the helping professions.”

Our increased connectedness with people through rapid transportation and instant communications has promoted virtue by making us participants in the lives of others all over the world. More understanding of people is the basis for building compassion and caring for people who are different from us. Television and the internet help us imagine the plight of the victims of a Tsunami and to put ourselves in their position. People we have never met become interesting companions in our lives. Their fates are important to us, and we admit them into our conceptual community. The awakening of compassion in our heart and soul is the very essence of spirituality, and through expanded compassion people are learning to care for the well-being of the entire world.

The best example of this I know is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted 60 years ago by the United Nations after the effective advocacy of Eleanor Roosevelt. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or UDHR for short, sets forth the inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms of each and every person on the face of the earth. Since its inception, the world community has adopted a host of treaties and conventions meant to solidify and protect the rights specified in the UDHR. It is a cornerstone in humanity’s ongoing struggle to recognize, promote, and protect human rights and freedoms. The United Nations and many Non-governmental organizations diligently work to expand human rights all over the world. Using human rights as our guide star, we have become more moral, and more human.
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As humans we have not and may never become “good” in absolute terms. We can work toward an end to hunger and undue suffering, but we will face reversals again and again in the future. Progress is not inevitable or driven by immutable force. It is our choice whether to further the moral progress of the world. It is up to ordinary people like us in this sanctuary today to find the time, money and energy to create a more just world. When we choose to work for peace, extend social justice and to sustain our environment, we elevate what it means to be human. When we choose to contribute to the moral progress of humanity, we can “feel the tides of decency rising and see shafts of light to guide our actions and to feed our hope.”

Human beings are the highest form of intelligence and compassion yet produced by evolution. Humanity is an amazing expression of the consciousness of the universe. We are endowed with an awesome set of capabilities which can be used to bless of the earth. I don’t believe that no one really cares about anyone but themselves, and we will always be stuck in some version of the current mess. I believe we can eventually eradicate wars, poverty and starvation. I believe when we spread a hopeful message we will begin to do more of what the planet needs to flourish and to remain a source of awe and wonder for innumerable future generations. No matter how overwhelming the powers of global materialism and selfishness might seem right now, the human capacity for hope can enliven us to work together to change the world. What experiences have you had that give you hope?
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I conclude with the Benediction from Rebecca Ann Parker’s book, Blessing the World: What Can Save Us Now:
Your gifts
whatever you discover them to be
can be used to bless or curse the world.
The mind's power,
The strength of the hands,
The reaches of the heart,
the gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing, waiting.
Any of these can serve to feed the hungry,
bind up wounds,
welcome the stranger,
praise what is sacred,
do the work of justice
or offer love.
Any of these can draw down the prison door
hoard bread,
abandon the poor,
obscure what is holy,
comply with injustice
or withhold love.

You must answer this question:
What will you do with your gifts?
Choose to bless the world.
The choice to bless the world is more than an act of will
a moving forward into the world
with the intention to do good.
It is an act of recognition,
a confession of surprise,
a grateful acknowledgment
that in the midst of a broken world
unspeakable beauty, grace and mystery abide.
There is an embrace of kindness,
that encompasses all life,
even yours.
And while there is injustice,
anesthetization, or evil
there moves
a holy disturbance,
a benevolent rage,
a revolutionary love
protesting, urging, insisting
that which is sacred will not be defiled.
Those who bless the world live their life
as a gesture of thanks
for this beauty
and this rage.
The choice to bless the world
can take you into solitude
to search for the sources
of power and grace,
native wisdom, healing, and liberation.
More, the choice will draw you into community,
the endeavor shared,
the heritage passed on,
the companionship of struggle,
the importance of keeping faith,
the life of ritual and praise,
the comfort of human friendship,
the company of earth
its chorus of life
welcoming you.
None of us alone can save the world.
Together—that is another possibility,
waiting.

O’Brien, Dwayne. “Small Wonder: Nanotechnology is Tiny, Weird, and the Next Big Thing,” Vanderbilt Magazine, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN: Spring 2008) 31-33.
Lachs, John. “Both Better Off and Better: Moral Progress Amid Continuing Carnage,” Vanderbilt Magazine, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN: Fall 2001) 34-35.
Writing Staff of “The Wire” “Saving Cities, and Souls,” Time magazine (March ? 2008) 50.
Compton, John. “Knowledge and Power: Some Social Consequences of Scientific and Technological Progress,” Vanderbilt Magazine, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN: Fall 2001) 38-39.
Lachs, 34.
Lachs, 34.
Lachs, 35.
Lerner, Michael. “Tikkun Passover Supplement 2008,” Tikkun magazine, (Berkeley: March/April 2008).