Certainty contradiction
Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:55 pm
I came across this quote this evening. It's from a scholar who apparently has an online site that is based on the etymology of words and language. He's being somewhat sarcastic, pointing out that an individual had criticized an article for some of its uncertainties. Whereas the scholar felt the author had done an excellent job where not everything COULD be known.
"...yes, awareness of and statement of the limits of the certainty of one's evidence is (seen as) a sign of weakness, whereas bald-assed assertion with no effort whatsoever to make or show evidence smells like victory."
I've long been a critic of church apologists who constantly load their explanations with the words maybe, probably, possibly. "Perhaps" seems to be a big one in the church.
And I don't generally mind a degree of uncertainty. But the problem comes with the contradiction in the absolute certainty of church leadership in the truth of their claims when the actual evidence for such claims goes missing or is weak at best.
They want the best of both worlds. To have their cake and eat it too.
To state with absolute certainty and authority that "such and such" is the case but when called upon to support it with some sort of empirical adequacy, they want the grace of our accepting a truckload of maybe, possibly, perhaps and "we just can't be sure". But be assured, Joseph Smith was absolutely and with 100% certainty, a prophet.
I actually do believe that some things can only be known through the Spirit. But those things are "hoped for". They are not absolutes. A given amount of faith is required.
But even faith needs a healthy amount of empirical adequacy and logic.
I could never believe in Pegasus no matter how much enjoyment I might receive from riding a flying horse.
And yet if archeologists found several fossils that were highly indicative of such a creature it might give me reason to believe in the actual possibility of such an animal.
I could then accept "maybe", "perhaps", "possibly" and "probably" as a proposition within reality.
So we have these two contradictory principles living side by side in the church. The plea for the scholarly grace of acceptance of lack of evidence right next to the arrogance of the "bald-assed assertion of certainty" with no evidence whatsoever...
It must be nice.
"...yes, awareness of and statement of the limits of the certainty of one's evidence is (seen as) a sign of weakness, whereas bald-assed assertion with no effort whatsoever to make or show evidence smells like victory."
I've long been a critic of church apologists who constantly load their explanations with the words maybe, probably, possibly. "Perhaps" seems to be a big one in the church.
And I don't generally mind a degree of uncertainty. But the problem comes with the contradiction in the absolute certainty of church leadership in the truth of their claims when the actual evidence for such claims goes missing or is weak at best.
They want the best of both worlds. To have their cake and eat it too.
To state with absolute certainty and authority that "such and such" is the case but when called upon to support it with some sort of empirical adequacy, they want the grace of our accepting a truckload of maybe, possibly, perhaps and "we just can't be sure". But be assured, Joseph Smith was absolutely and with 100% certainty, a prophet.
I actually do believe that some things can only be known through the Spirit. But those things are "hoped for". They are not absolutes. A given amount of faith is required.
But even faith needs a healthy amount of empirical adequacy and logic.
I could never believe in Pegasus no matter how much enjoyment I might receive from riding a flying horse.
And yet if archeologists found several fossils that were highly indicative of such a creature it might give me reason to believe in the actual possibility of such an animal.
I could then accept "maybe", "perhaps", "possibly" and "probably" as a proposition within reality.
So we have these two contradictory principles living side by side in the church. The plea for the scholarly grace of acceptance of lack of evidence right next to the arrogance of the "bald-assed assertion of certainty" with no evidence whatsoever...
It must be nice.