A casual bit of off topic philosophy.

Hello all,

Thought this was as good a place as any to post this, since I guess it contributes to self improvement.

The danger of certainty

A quote that has always stuck with me is that of "trust the man who seeks wisdom, not the one who claims to have found it". Its application for this particular mini-piece will become self-evident.

Knowledge can be an extremely dangerous thing when construed in a certain manner, throughout history wars are often fought (and some of the greatest atrocities committed) when one man (or group) attempt to monopolize the truth. Take the example of particular forms of fundamentalism (every ideology has them, and every religion) these centre in the most part around a giving of privilege to a particular set of views - such views not just manifesting themselves in the form of formal laws and rules, but also traditions and practices.

Now the danger with priviledging a set of views so highly that you consider it to be the only possible right way inevitably leaves you blind towards its failings. It is often repeated that doubt is the first step towards knowledge, look at science in fact any discipline - it was once believed that what made humans conscious, alive, basically not inanimate was something called the 'vital spirit'.

Now when individuals first came to doubt the existence of a vital spirit, those who claimed that their monopoly on the truth was so strong that no possible evidence could counteract their 'knowledge' were quick to mock the critics. 'How can you doubt that you possess this vital spirit? In doing so surely you doubt that you are not-inanimate' In this case the doubter can only hope to be taken seriously if his claim is not. Such is a case of monopolizing the truth that any claim that seems absurd from the position of 'supposed truth' seems so out of hand.

Basically being blind to the fact that what you know Could Be False subsequently rules out any possibility of change or progression. You only need to look at science (or IM closer to home) to see that there will always be people who claim to know the truth or have knowledge that will say 'such and such' can't be done, in fact it's impossible but they do so from a particular perspective that limits them from even conceiving (like the vital spirit example) of things working in a way different to there particular view.

No person is omniscient, some of the most supposedly certain science is anything but, trust me on the grand scale of things we can't explain much at all.

Bringing it back to the original statement that knowledge is dangerous, I think it is a rather comforting thing to know that even the most steadfast of my views are never totally right, hell they might even only be a semblance of the truth. But knowing such gives you a flexible and adaptive perspective.

Don't think to hard about this, just because you can't be 100% certain about almost everything doesn't mean you should change the way you do everything you do. It is just that quiet voice that reminds you 'you might not be right'.

As Bertrand Russell said "I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn't wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine."


I'm sorry if this is the most boring thing you've read today.

All the best,

Ben G.