Source: “The Fifth Dimension: An Exploration Of The Spiritual Realm”, By John Hick*,* Danforth Professor of the Philosophy of Religion, 2013.

The Video Overview:

1. The Naturalistic Assumption - Invisible Reality Lens.mp4

The Podcast Dialogue

1. Unpacking the Naturalistic Assumption - How a Hidden Worldview Shapes Your Reality.m4a

Main Theme

The provided text introduces naturalism as the prevailing contemporary worldview, asserting that reality is exclusively the physical universe, including human brains and their functions. This perspective has become the "consensus reality" in Western culture, largely due to the successes of science. The author argues that while science effectively explains the physical world, it has led to a dogmatic exclusion of the supra-natural, causing religious interpretations to be viewed as self-delusional. The text critiques naturalistic theories of religion's origin (such as those by Durkheim, Marx, and Freud) as reductionist and inadequate, suggesting they often overlook non-theistic religions and the complex individual experiences that shape faith. Ultimately, the author posits that the universe remains ambiguous between naturalistic and religious interpretations, leaving the door open for faith, particularly when considering a more nuanced understanding of "ultimate reality" that moves beyond the concept of an intervening, anthropomorphic deity.

The Naturalistic Assumption and its Implications

Introduction

This briefing document summarizes key themes and arguments presented in the provided source, "1. The Naturalistic Assumption.pdf." The central focus is on understanding the "naturalistic assumption" as the dominant worldview in contemporary Western culture, its origins, its implications for interpreting reality (especially religious experience), and the challenges it poses to religious perspectives.

Main Themes and Key Ideas

1. The Pervasiveness of the Naturalistic Assumption

The source argues that Western society, particularly since the 17th century, has seen a near-complete replacement of a pervasive religious outlook with an equally pervasive naturalistic one. This naturalism has become "the 'consensus reality' of our culture," so ingrained that "we no longer see it, but see everything else through it." This dominance is largely attributed to "the continuing and most welcome success of the sciences in discovering how the physical world works, and in using this knowledge for our benefit in many fields."

• Definition of Naturalism: Naturalism is defined as the belief that "reality consists exclusively of the physical universe, including of course human brains, which are physical objects, and their functioning." It is equated with humanism (when dogmatic) and materialism, holding that "nothing exists but matter/energy." From this perspective, non-physical realities like God, soul, or spirit are merely "ideas in the human mind" that did not exist before human minds created them.

2. Implications for Free Will and Consciousness

Within naturalism, there are internal disagreements, particularly regarding:

• Free Will: Naturalistic thinkers debate whether humans have "a real degree of free will or are totally determined, with only the illusion of free will." However, the source presents a logical dilemma: if every thought is "rigidly or randomly determined," then "we could never be in a state of rationally believing that this is so!" This is because "rational believing presupposes a degree of intellectual freedom."