[keiferski]

It may go completely against the rational point of view, which says people are utterly insignificant, but can’t we just pretend that we are?

This is a typical viewpoint from self-described "rational people" (which is always a red flag, side note) and is more of a consequence of historical ideas, ironically many of which have their roots in the religious beliefs the rationalists are supposedly escaping from.

As a quick example: this viewpoint often says something like, "Human civilization and the individual human being are insignificant because we are so small compared to the vast universe, and live for such short periods of time compared to the age of the universe."

But there are two very human biases on display here: the idea that occupying large amounts of physical space is indicative of "importance"; and that things which exist for long durations of time are inherently more valuable. These are human biases and there any many examples in nature of the exact opposite being true.

These biases are better explained by human corporeality ("big empire = more powerful") and the human desire for an unlimited lifespan (which has a long history in religious thought.)

It's my opinion that one of the most difficult problems facing Western/global civilization is the construction of a belief system that understands this flaw of nihilism and presents a strong argument for the alternative, factoring in scientific knowledge that has shaken up society since the 1600s.

[mathoff]

> one of the most difficult problems facing Western/global civilization is the construction of a belief system that understands this flaw of nihilism and presents a strong argument for the alternative, factoring in scientific knowledge

Do you have any suggestions for this future belief system?

[keiferski]

Ah it’s such a huge question that I couldn’t even begin to answer it in a HN comment. I think you’d need to study the collective knowledge of religion and science as background.

Where I would start, though, is by trying to “re-center” humanity in the universe in a way that is logically and scientifically justifiable, against the widespread belief that we’re just lost in space. If you could do that, you’d have a strong step toward making the life of an average person have a kind of cosmic significance that was more prevent in older religious times.

Nietzsche is good reading for this, as I think he correctly diagnoses the issue. His solutions are a bit vague or too personal and not systematic enough though.