Instead of invigorating conversation at 6AM, I'm now home at working on lyrics to a song. The song is titled One Eye Open (Blind Faith). Many times before attempting to write lyrics I like to mentally explore the topic to fill my mind with ideas to work from. I came up with this alliteration:
Dogmatists damn doubt due to doubt damning dogmatism.
Certainty is a sterile rock that grows nothing, killing doubt (by questions) and faith (by seeking from evidences). Closed minded certainty polishes that rock smooth, erasing any climbing foothold for further exploration or ascent. Certainty, like perfection, is stagnation, especially in the face of the unknown. Any institution that quells questioning, exploration, vilifies doubts, doubting, or doubters, touts blind trust and adherence, seeks to dumb down diversity by emphasis on following and believing, or raises up special persons as purveyors of all truth can be considered a cult in some degree.
Faith and the emphasis on such, especially when touted to trump facts, should be suspect when examining a claim ... Faith is "evidence of things not seen"... note it says evidence! We could equate this phrase in science with "dark matter/energy" We have evidences that it exist, or should exist, but have not yet been able to see it (detect/observe).
People should practice faith (hypotheses) while keeping one eye open to the evidence or they will be hoodwinked and fooled, most likely by their own biased certitude. Some things do not merit faith, both that soundly disproven and that soundly proven. In the realm of that proven, belief is a poor substitute for knowledge, and an entirely unnecessary substitution for facts.
Although often disparaged for his doubt, Thomas was the apostle Christians should most follow. He followed the Savior's admonition to question anyone who should come after him, pretending to be him, By careful inspection of the 'resurrected' lord who was said to have returned Thomas was following the savior. He personally did not believe until he felt and saw with his own hands and eyes. He gets disparaged for his doubt and is often held as an example to promote simple faith without need for evidence, this being a more faithful and enlightened state, but he was the only apostle noted in the NT to actually follow what Jesus himself told his disciples to do - question and be wary of anyone who came after him claiming to be him. The history of Christianity has been one full of charlatans and scoundrels.
Descartes said, "Doubt is the beginning of wisdom" This clearly means that until we start to question things we are not really thinking for ourselves. We are being unwise. It could have just as easily been phrased, "Questioning is the beginning of wisdom" because questioning is the start of individual thought and probing, no longer being satisfied with following or being fed knowledge. This is the biggest nut of knowledge we try to impart to students, not just learning stuff rote, but learning how to learn and question, and knowing how to seek and discern truth (facts) for themselves. Education should hope to make students seekers of learning by teaching them to question the integrity of "facts", especially those internally held that they may have been handed to them while not having a questioning sentry at the input stage (wisdom filter/fact checker). A good education also imparts to the seeking mind an understanding of the nuance of facts. As a result of our evolution we are wired toward black and white thinking. A person stopping to consider the nuance of a predator attack soon found themselves eaten.
Everything has different levels of "truth" and as you look closer facts get more nuanced and complicated. Even facts are not absolute because everything is comprised of its opposite. Irony (opposition) is a founding principle of the universe. Find the irony find the truth.
Sadly, part of growing up and expanding your thinking is a process of uprooting and tossing out all the crap you sucked in as a child and young adult before you had in place a proper critical evaluation system. In this respect, some kids get more crap than others, especially those raised in religions based on nonsense. (It is my opinion that most religions are riddled with nonsense to some degree).
The coup de gras of many religions is that they teach this nonsense alongside faith and certainty at a young and vulnerable age - a spirit of "Don't question it or you're a sinner of the worst and irredeemable kind". They seek to get em young, before they develop a means to filter or rationally sort information...sadly many people in religion have not developed this filter, else they would not tolerate much of what they are being fed. They are stuck being right, and comfortable (comforted) in that position.
In many respects, certainty gets in the way of learning (or thinking you have anything to learn), and exploration. Doubt is opposed to certitude a killer of thought and exploration. Dogmatists damn doubt due to doubt damning dogmatism.
"The death of dogmatism is the birth of reality" - Immanuel Kant
"Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned." - Anonymous
Ironically, one reason certainty grows so strong is due to the fertile ground of insecurity. Not knowing feels scary and weak. Asking questions shows you lacking, and puts you in an inferior position to others. A person asking genuine questions is out there, open and exposed. They are showing their weakness and inferiority of not knowing. It is a brave and secure person who asks real questions and admits not knowing, and who recognizes the inability to know in certain areas and finds peace with that without having to close the door with the certitude of faith. Certainty is closure of this open vulnerable state, many cases an artificial closure. Politicians and Religious leaders rearely admit to not knowing as it portrays them as weak. We need to believe our leaders are strong and smart and have all the answers. Admitting weakness in these areas is suicide for these people.
“Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.” ― Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man
“It's a fact—everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things out there, because those of us who are most ignorant are also the ones who often don't know it or don't want to admit it.
Here is a quick test:
If you have never changed your mind about some fundamental tenet of your belief, if you have never questioned the basics, and if you have no wish to do so, then you are likely ignorant.
Before it is too late, go out there and find someone who, in your opinion, believes, assumes, or considers certain things very strongly and very differently from you, and just have a basic honest conversation. It will do both of you good.” ― Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
Without doubt, faith is not faith. The irony is that certainty kills true faith (belief), yet faith creates certainty (knowledge). Mark Twain said this best, "Between believing a thing and thinking you know is only a small step and quickly taken." Unfortunately many people are certain in areas that can only be believed. They have proven their hypothesis without evidence. This attitude of certitude gets them stuck being right, and halts questioning and investigation.
"Faith does not give you the answers, it just stops you asking the questions." - Frater Ravus
Faith and doubt are two ends of a spiritual walking stick, we grip one end (faith) and poke and prod with the other end (doubt) to get our bearings in the fog. The arena of the unknown is a heavy basin of fog and uncertainty. Like Newton said, paraphrased, "We are children playing on a beach where a vast ocean of knowledge lies before us undiscovered"
With questioning comes a curious spirit, with curiosity comes exploration, and with exploration comes discovery whence comes depth and richness to existence - happiness ...and it's perfectly OK to discover what others may already know - like watching a classic movie many others have already seen. It is no less enjoyable as you reach the end as it was for the others before you (unless they spoil the mysteries for you).
Like a plot in a movie, the joy and fulfillment lies in discovering the mystery, and resolving the dissonance ... maybe even becoming comfortable in dissonance unresolved, since that means life still has mysteries to be discovered. I love that I do not know things, it just means their is yet more fun to be had. A good plot makes you curious, makes you question, gets your mind involved ... A good life does the very same thing. This is the plot of the universe full of mysteries - to engage a curious mind.
I like what Einstein said about curiosity "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing", and, "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.", and "The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."
And Socrates (via Plato), " The unexamined life is not worth living." to which I add, but it is certainly more comfortable. Daring to get outside your comfort zone and be wrong is key to growth, exploration, and curiosity.
Be curious and have doubts, have lots of doubts (questions) ... especially have the bravery to doubt your certainty. Examine thoughts, imagine within the realm of reality, and dare to explore that reality outside itself. Play on the seashore and dip your toe into that ocean. Grow. Discover. Be. Be Happy.
As a kid I always wanted to be a scuba diver. As a young adult I became a certified scuba diver... As an old adult I am now swimming in Newton's Ocean, as science has ventured from the beach and into the waters. Humanity via science has now made great strokes into Newton's metaphorical waters, which has revealed yet still more mysteries open to discovery and exploration.
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