Possibilianism is a philosophy which rejects both the idiosyncratic claims of traditional theism and the positions of certainty in atheism in favor of a middle, exploratory ground. The term was first defined by neuroscientist David Eagleman in relation to his book of fiction Sum. Asked whether he was an atheist or a religious person on a National Public Radio interview in February, 2009, he replied "I call myself a Possibilian: I'm open to...ideas that we don't have any way of testing right now." In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, Eagleman expanded on the definition:
"Our ignorance of the cosmos is too vast to commit to atheism, and yet we know too much to commit to a particular religion. A third position, agnosticism, is often an uninteresting stance in which a person simply questions whether his traditional religious story (say, a man with a beard on a cloud) is true or not true. But with Possibilianism I'm hoping to define a new position -- one that emphasizes the exploration of new, unconsidered possibilities. Possibilianism is comfortable holding multiple ideas in mind; it is not interested in committing to any particular story."
An adherent of Possibilianism is called a possibilian. The possibilian perspective is distinguished from agnosticism in that it consists of an active exploration of novel possibilities and an emphasis on the necessity of holding multiple positions at once if there is no available data to privilege one over the others. Eagleman has emphasized that possibilianism reflects the scientific temperament of creativity and tolerance for multiple ideas.
According to the Dallas Morning News and MSNBC, the possibilian concept -- including various spellings (e.g. "possibillion") and modifications (e.g. "possibilitarian") -- has become popular on the internet. By November 2009, The List Magazine wrote:
"Googling 'possibilian', the position Eagleman invented to explain his belief system, throws up the beginnings of a worldwide movement."
References
- Envisioning the Afterlife, interview with David Eagleman on NPR's On Point, Feb 27, 2009.
- Stray questions for David Eagleman, New York Times Paper Cuts, July 10, 2009.
- Neuroscientist Imagines 40 Different Versions of the Afterlife, KPBS interview with David Eagleman, Mar 16, 2009.
- The Soul Seeker: A neuroscientist's search for the human essence, Texas Observer cover story, June 3, 2010.
- NPR Talk of the Nation: Interview with David Eagleman, Feb 17, 2009.
- "I'm a possibilian", Rick Kleffel's The Agony Column, Mar 13, 2009.
- Are you surrounded with authentic communities?, The Huffington Post, March 1, 2009.
- Choose your afterlife, MSNBC.com, Sept 10, 2009.
- Lanham, F. Writing about what comes next. Houston Chronicle. Feb 16, 2009.
- Houston author stunned by buzz over 'possibilian' theory, Dallas Morning News, June 16, 2009.
- Choose (after)life. The List Magazine, Issue 643, 4 November 2009.
- You could be a Possibilian, The Daily Monitor, Uganda.
