Maps Matter
Science: An Inadequate Tutor on Purpose
The 20th-century missiologist and pastor Lesslie Newbigin wrote about the dialogue between science and Christian faith in his book Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture.[1] He pointed out that this assumption of knowing the essence of a thing simply by knowing all of the parts is an absurd idea in a Western, secular culture. He writes,
Yet its absurdity is obvious, for not even a machine can be explained by the chemical and physical analyses of its component wheels and shafts and pulleys. It is possible to show how the functioning of each part contributes to the operation of the whole, but it would be absurd to say that we have “explained” the machine as a whole if we have no idea of the purpose for which it was designed and built. It is explained by understanding its purpose. And biologists have shown that the discovery of the physical basis of the genetic code in the DNA molecule, so far from explaining the origin of life, made it more mysterious.[2]
In other words, I can understand the pieces that go into a car. I may even know how they function together. But if I, having never encountered a car before, know all that goes into making a car, I still do not know what the car is used for. I do not know why the car exists. Maybe I figure out that it is used for moving people and items from one place to another. But what people, and what items? And what if there are two cars, but they look different? One is a pickup truck. One is a Prius (shout out to all my fellow Prius drivers). Who’s to say their purpose for existence is the same or different?
Here is the point I wish to make: advances in technology and scientific knowledge are exciting. But the reality is this: science is a bad tutor on the subject of the meaning of life. The question of purpose is not, I would argue, arrived at through empirical scientific inquiry. This does not mean science is useless. On the contrary, one would be deemed a lunatic for declaring such a statement. But human wonderings on the meaning of life are not all useless with solely science useful – as the New Atheists of Dawkins, Dennett, and Hitchens would argue. There needs to be a dialogue between the two.
Maps of Meaning
Jordan B. Peterson makes this point in his book Maps of Meaning. He writes,
Myth is not primitive proto-science. It is a qualitatively different phenomenon. Science might be considered “description of the world with regards to those aspects that are consensually apprehensible” or “specification of the most effective mode of reaching an end (given a defined end).” Myth can be more accurately regarded as “description of the world as it signifies (for action).” The mythic universe is a place to act, not a place to perceive. Myth describes things in terms of their unique or shared affective valence, their value, their motivational significance.[3]
In an interview with the polarizing Ben Shapiro, Peterson, in summarizing Maps of Meaning, states “The ethical axiomatic system [the pattern from which we understand the ‘game’ of life] isn’t justified by reference to the scientific method. It’s justified by reference to the emotional and motivational well-being of all the players of the game.”[4] Maps of Meaning is Peterson’s exploration of the stories humans have passed on through the generations, and their common themes, that help people make sense of their lives. They give people meaning because there is a grand meta-narrative to live out.
Meaning Matters
Humans are meaning-making creatures. We need meaning to survive. A purposeless life is empty, void of meaning. Few people understood this more than psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. In his time in a Nazi concentration camp, he found that finding meaning in the endless, inhumane suffering was the key to survival. In one of the many powerful moments in his masterpiece Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl reflects,
Another time we were at work in a trench. The dawn was grey around us; grey was the sky above; grey the snow in the pale light of dawn; grey the rags in which my fellow prisoners were clad, and grey their faces. I was again conversing silently with my wife, or perhaps I was struggling to find the reason for my sufferings, my slow dying. In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and from somewhere heard a victorious “Yes” in answer to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose.[5]
The Power of Meaning
There is power in the meaning we assign life. When given a redemptive meaning that involves the flourishing of humanity, people can do remarkable feats of love. However, when the map of meaning is one of hate, fear, and tribalism, one can be led to inflict great suffering on others. When the map people are given includes “You and your people have been wronged, and it’s all the fault of [fill in the blank with the scapegoat people group, which is historically people of Jewish decent].” As Dr. Jason Clark once said in a lecture, “Bad maps lead people into the most awful of things.”[6] Human history is fraught with atrocities due to bad maps. This is why we cannot rely on science alone for discovering the meaning of life.
This meaning, I would argue, can be found in the redemptive story of a loving God who, though we wronged, initiated a redemptive mission. This mission is centered on the profound, mysterious self-sacrificial death of God’s Son, Jesus, and his defeat of death in his resurrection. And now, God is making all things new (Revelation 21:5) and is inviting us to walk with Him and work with him in his work of renewal. This is a map I am compelled to take up to make sense of, and give direction to, this journey of life.
[1] Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1986).
[2] Ibid., 73.
[3] Jordan B. Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (New York: Routledge, 1999), 9.
[4] Jordan Peterson – Summary of “Maps of Meaning,” 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXhgZpkyZFw, 5:39-5:48.
[5] Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning, Revised and Updated (New York: Washington Square Press, 1984), 60.
[6] Dr. Jason Clark, Lecture in Cape Town, South Africa, September 2022.
About the Author
David Beavis
David is Australian by birth, was raised in Southern California, and is the Youth and Young Adults Pastor at B4 Church in Beaverton, Oregon. David and his wife, Laura, live in Hillsboro with their dog, Coava (named after their favorite coffee shop). M.A. Theology - Talbot School of Theology B.A. Psychology - Vanguard University of Southern California6 responses to “Maps Matter”
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David,
You went for it:
“But the reality is this: science is a bad tutor on the subject of the meaning of life.”
Your argument pulled me in and I wanted to hear more!
This helped develop your thoughts:
“Bad maps lead people into the most awful of things.”[6] Human history is fraught with atrocities due to bad maps. This is why we cannot rely on science alone for discovering the meaning of life.”
We need more….
Great conclusion!
After reading your post- I am praying for your research. I know that you have a goal of writing every day. I pray God is helping you to produce this content. I know that this material that you are putting together will be instructive and meaningful to those who will be using it.
How do you see this:
“As Dr. Jason Clark once said in a lecture, “Bad maps lead people into the most awful of things.”
….relating to your research? I know that you are wanting to provide an “alternative ministry/coaching map” 🙂
David, I echo Kristy’s concluding thoughts and prayers for your project. I hope to see a new generation of ministry leaders that orient themselves by the map of God’s redemptive story and use it to find the Way in their life journey. Looking forward to hearing more about your research and reading through your blogs how it’s being shaped by what your learn
“Bad maps lead people into the most awful of things.”
I love this quote that you pulled from Dr. Clark!
David,
Great post and excellent posts throughout. Excellent point on how we cannot rely sole on science for the discovery of the meaning of life.
David, What a great post. Thank you! I especially love this quote from you: “There is power in the meaning we assign life. When given a redemptive meaning that involves the flourishing of humanity, people can do remarkable feats of love.”
I realize it’s Sunday night, so no problem if you don’t have time to answer my questions. I’m just thinking and wondering outloud. Do you think we’re wired with particular maps that cause us to seek God? Also, I’m thinking about children. When we’re handed maps as children, is there an innate morality that would help us to discern if we’ve been given a life-nurturing map or a harmful map?
Thanks, David. Great post!
David,
What a thought provoking post.
The sentences, “Humans are meaning-making creatures. We need meaning to survive. A purposeless life is empty, void of meaning,” brought to mind that here-in could be the reason why so many struggle today with identity. Something for me to ponder.