Rav Elchanan Wasserman z"l wrote that were it not for the problem of our very human "negiot" (biases), we would have direct and immediate realization of G-d's existence. ln contemporary psychology, this concept is known as "Cognitive Dissonance," meaning, we don't perceive ideas that are a threat to what we have "invested in." In Maamar al HaEmunah, Zain (Kovetz Maamarim, p. 15), Rav Elchanan wrote: "And the commandment to believe in G-d? It is a commandment not to allow one’s desires to overcome his intellect so that he will automatically come to believe. In other words, there is no need to struggle to believe. One must simply remove the obstacles that stand in the way of believing. It will then come naturally, of itself..." The problem is that the secular counter-argument is: Who is to say which side of a debate is suffering from cognitive dissonance? Because of this, until now, it was assumed that even those who agree with Rav Elchanan’s position could not prove it, and that therefore the hypothesis was to remain a mute point.

Imagine for a moment that it was possible to define the parameters of a scientific experiment to determine which side of the argument was correct, Rav Elchanan’s claim or the secular counter-argument. Let us further imagine that this experiment was done involving millions of people to get a random sampling, and the conclusion is that there is scientific evidence that what Rav Elchanan stated as a given can be proven according to the secular world's own scientific standards. Would this not have far-reaching reprecussions?

The following website, based on the book, "The 2001 Principle" (reprinted in 1992 by C.I.S. as "The Obvious Proof"), is an attempt to fulfill all of the above claims.

"The 2001 Principle" is not an argument for the existence of G-d. Rather, it takes Rav Elchanan’s argument and presents it in the language of contemporary secular society. His hypothesis, which we claim we can prove, is: The problem that the secular mind has with the idea of G-d is not a logical problem but a psychological block.

Outreach is, of course, a long process. We just think that we have a powerful tool to facilitate one specific but essential step in the process. This essential transition is the "paradigm shift" from the secular (without G-d) to the religious (with G-d) point of view.

We know from experience of outreach organizations such as Arachim that Baruch Hashem the book has proven itself a powerful means of creating this paradigm shift. The founder of Arachim, Dr. Shalom Srebrenik, wrote in his own book "Beyond the Ego" (p. 419), "For a thorough discussion of the validity of the design argument read 'The 2001 Principle'."

We hope you enjoy our site and will find it appropriate to refer it to acquaintances whom you feel could benefit from it. In addition, we would be happy to provide you, free of charge, with glossy postcards advertising the site, which serve as a non-threatening yet effective way of facilitating the above. Write to us at 2001@jencom.com.

Please send us any problems or questions to webmaster