This post is “truly” (yes, I know) a great read. I pretty much live in the world of finding truth in your first two categories - correspondence and coherence. I’m doing fine because I find our natural world and the stars above us fascinating and inspirational just as they are. Truths here result from the hard work of science and critical thinking.
We have come far in discovery and it is indeed a great time to be alive. But it’s pretty easy to see at the same time we’ve only scratched the surface of what can be known, which leads to my belief that uncertainty is very much unappreciated in our society. Of course some things are certain, like touching a hot stove hurts.
But many of the issues we face are more difficult to resolve because they are complex and interrelated. Truths here can be found in the other categories you’ve identified. We tend to speak with such certainty on matters because they’ve been recited online or appeared in a news feed but we don’t question how this knowledge was obtained. Too much effort is required and there’s no time for it. Not to mention the expertise required to even ask the right questions. This is where difficult decisions are made in the world of morals and ethics. Maybe we will get to the point where those truths are known or at least coherent. Maybe not.
If this really is a great time to be alive shouldn’t we also be more comfortable living with uncertainty? Trying to fight it, or ignore it is useless. It’s already here.
I’m comfortable living in a world filled with uncertainty. I’m humbled by it, awed by it, fascinated with it. But maybe that’s the only way for me to cope. Dangerous, isn’t it?
This post is “truly” (yes, I know) a great read. I pretty much live in the world of finding truth in your first two categories - correspondence and coherence. I’m doing fine because I find our natural world and the stars above us fascinating and inspirational just as they are. Truths here result from the hard work of science and critical thinking.
We have come far in discovery and it is indeed a great time to be alive. But it’s pretty easy to see at the same time we’ve only scratched the surface of what can be known, which leads to my belief that uncertainty is very much unappreciated in our society. Of course some things are certain, like touching a hot stove hurts.
But many of the issues we face are more difficult to resolve because they are complex and interrelated. Truths here can be found in the other categories you’ve identified. We tend to speak with such certainty on matters because they’ve been recited online or appeared in a news feed but we don’t question how this knowledge was obtained. Too much effort is required and there’s no time for it. Not to mention the expertise required to even ask the right questions. This is where difficult decisions are made in the world of morals and ethics. Maybe we will get to the point where those truths are known or at least coherent. Maybe not.
If this really is a great time to be alive shouldn’t we also be more comfortable living with uncertainty? Trying to fight it, or ignore it is useless. It’s already here.
I’m comfortable living in a world filled with uncertainty. I’m humbled by it, awed by it, fascinated with it. But maybe that’s the only way for me to cope. Dangerous, isn’t it?