This article consist of notes concerning the philosophy of Solarism, as a starting point for further development.
Solarism as a concept is drawn from the following :
Cosmism This is a broad concept, but here the focus is on the idea of humanity moving beyond Earth out into Space, settling the planets or, which may be a better idea, creating habitats in space to live in. It also considers the ultimate fate of humanity and the cosmos itself. The related concept of astroecology considers life in space and cosmoecology takes this further and considers the fate of life in the Universe as a whole, over the course of the Universe's existence.
Transhumanism often examines computers and artificial intelligence and a key point here is “the Singularity”; a future event in which artificial intelligence outgrows the human level and in so doing is able to create further intelligences of an even higher level. This cascading effect makes it impossible for humans to predict or even conceive of what might happen next – hence its name. A similar approach is taken to other advanced technology including genetics, nano-technology, cybernetics and the possibility of mind uploading – that is uploading your consciousness into a computer. Greatly enhanced life extension is another interest. Whether or not there is a Singularity, it is clear that the ever accelerating rate of technological change is here to stay and we need to think about this and the effect it has on our lives.
Naturalism is a philosophical approach that rejects any kind of belief in the supernatural. At every stage, according to naturalism, the universe has only ever changed due to natural laws, as opposed to supernatural or spiritual ones. Accordingly, there is no place for gods, spirits, angels, demons or other such entities or for magic, divine intervention or other supernatural mechanisms. It does not suggest, for example, that science is always right, but rather that science is the best way we have for understanding the cosmos and the reality around us.
Futurology The study of the future and in particular considering possible, probable and preferred future developments. Studying trends in the past can reveal possible future outcomes, although there is always uncertainty. A consideration of history reveals that often entirely unforeseen events play a significant role in shaping our world. Yet, the consideration of a range of possible futures and the broadening of the mind this entails is of value, especially as new insights are sometimes revealed. In retrospect, future studies are often a more accurate representation of current concerns rather than the future itself, but that in itself is of value.
Hedonism Often mischaracterised as basic pleasure seeking, hedonism is the philosophy that pleasure and happiness are the ultimate aims of life. Joy, bliss, ecstasy - the fulfilment of living beings in happiness is the aim. It can also be seen as a perhaps more practical approach in reducing and ultimately eliminating pain, distress, discomfort, disease and, one day, death itself. Hedonism suggest that life itself is worth living for its own sake.
Altrusim Without wanting to get into a formal definition, here the concept is of being as good a person as you can be. Why? Life experiences suggest that this can show remarkable benefits over time, not just for others but also for ourselves. Think how much better life would be if people strived for the good. Perfect altruism is only a mental concept of course and in practise we all have limited resources of materials, time and money, but we all know that we have the power to do much more for others. Reciprocal altruism is a powerful concept in practice, as I know very well from my own family and social life.
Personal Parameters
So, that is the big concept. Yet, what does this mean at an individual level? How can we go about implementing these ideas right now, in our daily lives? Here are some initial points from my own personal thoughts on this. You may not agree with all of it and have your own way, but this is to encourage thought and ideas.
- Really good health. Here, let us strive to be the best that we can be, for our own sakes and also for those we love. There are so many resources around us to help with this, especially in the digital age. As well as thinking about how to improve health, it is just as important to avoid activities or substances that harm health. New discoveries are made all the time; let's keep up to date so that our health is as good as it can be. If we are healthy, we have more capacity to help others, especially our loved ones, and not be a drain on their time and resources.
- Exercise is a key aspect of this. Regular exercise has been shown to be vital for good health. It has been found to be a very powerful factor in relieving stress and avoiding illness. It also makes you feel really good! There are a wide range of options for personal taste, with all sorts of gyms, exercise routines and sports to choose from. I enjoy working out at the gym and my goal is to become as fit as I can and to ultimately run a marathon. I also enjoy martial arts and have done so for many years and am keen to get really good at this.
- Diet Just as important as exercise is diet. We really are what we eat. Our society has not been good at providing us with the healthiest food and this needs to change. As with exercise, there's lots of information about this and a lot of the basics are known to many of us. There is a wealth of different books, websites, TV programmes and so forth on this. My aim is to make my diet as healthy as it can be. I always find food tasty, whether it is burgers, chips and ice cream or a delicious salad and fruit, so taste is not a problem. I want to learn more and try more; a very exciting future for food!
- Restraint As a corollary to the points about diet, it is vital to avoid foods, drinks and other substances that are harmful to health. An exercise regime will be much more effective if carried out with a good diet rather than a diet of excessive chips, burgers, takeaways, cake and booze! The same also applies in personal habits and choices. Laziness might be perfectly proper on a Sunday morning, but not if it stops you from working out in accordance with your own goals. There are a range of arguments about pornography, but if in practise it damages your relationship with your loved ones and takes time away from pursuing your own projects and goals, it is not worth it.
- Breathing My background in the martial arts has taught me about chi kung and the role of breathing in health. Even if nothing else, it certainly feels calming and makes me feel full of energy.
- Meditation Relaxing the mind is a wonderful way to spend time and can make you feel refreshed and calm. Highly recommended.
- Hedonism Let us seek out what makes us happy and let us be happy. I know, thinking about my own life, that some of my happiest parts of my life have been when I simply decided that I was going to be positive and happy. Bad things, to put it in simple terms, can happen no matter what but the right mental attitude really can make all the difference. Of course, life is more than just a mental attitude - for example if you throw yourself off the top of a building, changing your mental attitude as you fall to the ground is not going to make any difference to your fate. That situation though is very unusual compared to how we experience most of day to day life. Much of life can be changed with a positive, happy mindset. Most of the time, we are as happy as we decide we wish to be. Meditation can be part of this programme, in clearing the fog of despondency. Affirmations, goal setting and other mechanisms can be part of this as well. Exercise and diet are also important factors in changing to a good mood.
- Intelligence and education Learning is joyful. We've always had libraries and now we have the internet. There is always so much to learn and we live in an age of an unprecedented wealth of information around us at all times. There are lots of free courses on all sorts of subjects. In addition, there's lots of resources about how to increase your brain power. These aren't going to actually modify the brain itself, but can help in learning how to process and analyse information more effectively. This includes books, courses and even apps.
- Rationalism Rather than engage in a strict definition, here the reference is to simply using good reasoning to make decisions, rather than listening to allegedly supernatural voices or sources of authority or overpowering emotions. We are at our best when we make the best choices based on evidence and reasoning. Intuition has its place and may well be simply reasoning in a way that we are not as clear about as if the reasoning process was put into words, but rational decision making is better.
- Technology Recently, alarming news stories have suggested that our amazing digital age, the age of instant, worldwide communication, has a darker side in being used to spread propaganda and hate. Let us set ourselves to instead share and inspire each other to better and greater things.
- Practical Altruism Altruism can be very powerful. All of us will have practical limits on what we can do, but there are always ways in which we can help others. Let us do so freely and with joy, excited about being in a position to do so.
- Personal Growth Let us use these principles as inspiration to go forward into new areas of growth, happiness and bliss. Let us not have any limits to how good things can be.
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