Saturday, December 28, 2013
Doubt is good (updated)
Doubt 'til thou canst doubt no more...doubt is thought and thought is life. Systems which end doubt are devices for drugging thought.
-- Albert Guerard
You will notice that the school system, failing at teaching students to think, goes for rote learning of "facts", and that no doubt is permitted about those "facts".
As I progressed spiritually, there was a long period where I suffered more and more Doubt. I thought it was a character flaw. And indeed it is unpleasant and it is seen as a weakness. (The politician who shows doubt will get nowhere fast.) But it is a big stretch of the Path forward.
Update:
Frank said...
Well, there is a quote from the late Danish astrophysicist which goes something like this:
"Join those who seek the truth but be more cautious with those who claim to have found it."
A little pearl of wisdom which applies equally well to science and spiritual matters.
Being cautious about that is good advice.
One should however not dismiss the idea that somebody may *actually* find the truth. That would imply that no truth exists. But if there's an organization handling this Truth, and they charge money and try to direct your life, that's a danger sign.
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3 comments:
Well, there is a quote from the late Danish astrophysicist which goes something like this:
"Join those who seek the truth but be more cautious with those who claim to have found it."
A little pearl of wisdom which applies equally well to science and spiritual matters.
Being cautious about that is good advice.
One should not dismiss the idea that somebody may *actually* find the truth. That would imply that no truth exists. But if there's an organization handling this Truth, and they charge money and try to direct your life, that's a danger sign.
Who said this, Niels Bohr?
The one who said is Jens Martin Knudsen. The famous (in Denmark at least) astrophysicist who had the planet Mars as his special research interest.
For me the quote makes sense even when "truth" has been found in that truth often has many levels and is relative. Thus when finding it at some level one may stop looking further, and also, perhaps, feel less than friendly towards anyone who would have the temerity to propose another aspect or level of it -- in particular so, as you mention, if one had started earning money and/or getting followers for having found the "right" truth.
We see this happen continually in academia, religion and spiritual movements. Examples are all the disagreements amongst those into subjects such as "The Secret", Remote Viewing, and A Course In Miracles, just to mention a few. Each of the above subjects contain many interesting data so this has more to do with the individuals than the subject themselves.
Thus I feel that being able to tolerate differing opinions and doubt to some extent is a valuable and necessary step in becoming fully mature as a human being, scientist, or researcher of spiritual matters.
In line with the quote from Jens Martin Knudsen and in the area of research and doubt there is another interesting one from Darwin:
"I always make special notes about evidence that contradicts me. Supportive evidence I can remember
without trying!"
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