Earlier posts describe one of the key ideas on this blog, that we don’t know enough to be certain of metaphysical truths. That means we have to make a choice about what to believe, and that choice is going to have some level of uncertainty.

Another way of describing this uncertainty is to say that our beliefs about metaphysical truths are really hopes – they represent what we hope is true, such that we act in agreement with that hope.

Thus, we can describe both religious and atheistic viewpoints as statements of hope. For example, many people want to know that there is meaning or purpose to life and that they bring some value to the world. In this case, hope might be expressed several different ways:

An atheist might say: “I hope that life is ultimately meaningless so that I can give it the meaning I want, and I hope that others choose meanings that are compatible with mine.”

A Christian might say: “I hope that my life has the meaning and purpose taught by Jesus, meaning that has sustained believers for thousands of years and shaped Western society.”

These both express a person’s decision about how to direct their life, but are based on very different metaphysical views. Describing them using “hope” is common for religious perspectives but seems odd for secular ones. However, I think it is still accurate because of the uncertainty given our understanding of reality. Even if one thinks that one view is much more likely than another, we still cannot be sure. And without certainty, we are only left with hope.

Just like this initial example, there are other aspects of human life that depend on our metaphysical perspectives and so can be expressed as hopes. I hope to explore these in future posts.