Numapepi
December 10 2024
Contingent Knowledge Posted on December 10, 2024 by john Dear Friends, It seems to me, all knowledge is contingent. Because in a year, a century or a millennia, they’ll discover what we honestly believe is true today… is wrong. That’s why I listen to everyone and believe no one. Which is to say, I have an open mind, but I only really believe those things I have directly experienced. As far as those things that I’ve been told are true, the sun is a ball of fusing plasma, photons can become entangled, and the double slit experiment proves light is both a wave and a particle… I take them at face value, until proven otherwise. Since I have no way of independently verifying those statements. So I accept them contingently. Because knowledge isn’t an edifice that we build upon, it’s a complex system that evolves, even changing in nature every so often. The sage listen to everyone and sifts through the chatter for the tidbits of wisdom. I was told many decades ago, by a very close friend, that hot water freezes before cold water. I found it hard to believe, but I didn’t push back because… who knows? A more counter intuitive idea can’t be imagined. Yet it’s a scientifically proven theory. Even though cold water doesn’t boil faster than hot water. Why the asymmetry? Maybe you’ve just learned something that you had never suspected before? As we fit new information, especially the absurd truths that are told to us by regular people, our knowledge evolves, it doesn’t simply grow. What makes this insight even more powerful, is that if we only listen to experts, we willingly step into an echo chamber. Allowing that anyone could be right is the exit to that chamber. I think kids should be taught this as early as they’re able to process it. Contingent knowledge is open minded intelligent skepticism. Tell the kids that even the stuff they are taught in science class aren’t necessarily true. Because they aren’t. In my life, many things I was taught are scientifically true, turned out to be false. So accept that which by all appearances, isn’t falsifiable, until it is. Then eject the notion immediately. Because if we seek to have actual knowledge, we have to be ruthless in our weeding out untruths, and allow ourselves to have no attachment to them. Attachment to an idea is adherence to a falsity. It’s a faith. Because even if mostly true, our attachment prevents our knowledge from growing and evolving to better understanding. Making this a valuable lesson for kids. We all accept without question scientific truths. Out of laziness, gullibility and the drive to go along. While much, if not most of what we accept as scientifically proven today, will be discredited tomorrow. That’s the nature of knowledge. Back in the day, Newtonian physics explained almost everything. The orbit of Mercury didn’t fit in though. Showing they were missing something. Then Einstein came along. Now Einstein’s physics are accepted… but maybe not in another century? Moreover, simply because a theory predicts and explains observed phenomenon, doesn’t mean it’s right. If you’re hiking through a forest without a trail, using a compass and no map, sometimes you come to an impassable cliff, mountain or river. So while the direction appeared to be correct… the real path lay somewhere else. Holding all information as contingent, or open minded, intelligent skepticism, is the way to proceed. It allows new knowledge to be gained, wrong knowledge to be ejected and thus allow our overall understanding to evolve. Listen to everyone. Truths and knowledge are widely distributed. As Hayek said. Knowledge isn’t as concentrated as many believe. Don’t become attached to an idea. That’s a sure way to close mindedness. It’s faith. Because only those willing to let go of wrongs will move closer to rights. Even science is subject to change. So hold all knowledge contingent on further understanding. Otherwise it’s faith, and the only one we should have faith in, is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. All others and their truths are contingent on fitting observation and not being falsified. Sincerely, John Pepin
PWiker
December 10 2024
The
topic of sacrifice came up as part of a discussion with a friend
about the call to adventure as depicted in Bible’s story of
Abrahami.
Abraham is the founder of the nation of Israel, but when he is first
introduced, God has told Abraham to leave his safety and security in
the land of his father. However, Abraham (Abram at the time) was not
told where he was going, how long, or what the goal of this trip
might be until after he started the journey. Imagine, just picking
up and heading off in some random direction with no idea what you
will be doing or where you are going. This is his adventure of a
lifetime, his “call to adventure.” Later in the story, Abraham
is asked to make a sacrifice of his son.ii
Abraham being asked to offer Isaac to God as a sacrifice is my
first recollection of the concept. Isaac was his first and only son
at the time. Abraham was old and his wife had been barren, so Isaac
was considered a miracle. I questioned why God would finally give
Abraham a son as a blessing and then ask him to offer the same as a
burnt offering. I did not get satisfactory explanations at the time
and only recently returned to the subject in earnest. While the sacrifices in the Bible are rather dramatic, I have come
to understand that there are sacrifices to be made every day. For
example, If I want to have a reasonable retirement, I must sacrifice
dinner out and vacation at Disney world. If I want my children to
grow up tough, resilient and ready for the world, I must make them
sacrifice their comfort. Consider a virtue like courage. To exhibit
courage requires one to sacrifice safety and security.
Self-Discipline requires us to sacrifice our momentary desires.
Responsibility requires that we take on a burden and sacrifice the
ease of being a spectator. Sacrifices may be made in a different
manner than in the old testament, but they still benefit the future.
Throughout the Bible, offerings are expected to be the best that
one could offer. In the story of Cain and Abeliii
we find how the quality of the sacrifice affects its value. In that
story, Cain’s offering is rejected by God because he doesn’t give
his best to the effort. Abel demonstrates how a wholehearted
performance results in an acceptable offering. Cain becomes
resentful of Abel's success resulting in the murder of Abel. Nothing
gets better in Cain’s future reflecting the curse of an improper
sacrifice. The story illustrates the difference of value among
offerings. How would one know the value of a sacrifice? Let’s imagine we
have a job that is providing health insurance and a steady check.
Let’s also assume that our capability are much greater than is
needed at this job; its easy. By continuing to work in a job that is
beneath our capacities, we are sacrificing the realization of our
potential, the excitement of an adventure, the chance to challenge
ourselves and thereby increase our capacity further. Additionally,
we are sacrificing the benefit of those who might profit from our
abilities applied to a more meaningful endeavor. Acceptable
sacrifices on the other hand, push us, stretch us and unlock
potential in us that could not be realized in any other way.
Essentially, worthy sacrifices test and expand us whereas poor
sacrifices lack challenge, are easy and make one smaller. Any choice
requires a rejection of a myriad of things; these are the sacrifice.
What is selected and what is sacrificed are the two aspects of any
single decision; the utmost care must be taken with these choices.
But this isn’t the same as killing a living being and making it a
burnt offering, or is it? In the times of the old testament, a feast would follow a burnt
offering because the animal offered would be eaten. Today, we might
call that grilling, but there were rules around the ritual that made
it different in meaning and purpose. While this practice has been
eliminated in Judaism and Christianity, it is still practiced in many
religions. It would seem that the point of this practice is to keep
us in the habit of making acceptable sacrifices. We understand more
through the embodiment of the process than our brain can consciously
grasp. God didn’t need the sacrifices; the people did. Sacrifice was a
training tool to assure the long term success of their family and
their community through personal growth. Mindful sacrifice is a
practice that teaches us discipline and purpose while prioritizing
the future. The proper sacrifice unlocks our potential and provides
meaning to being. If there were one thing that I would hope for each person who
reads this will take away from this essay, it would be this. Push back
on fear, sacrifice some security and safety and courageously choose
those things that are just beyond your capacity. Grow and expand
what and who you are. Make the proper sacrifice and we will all
benefit.
i Bible
gateway passage: Genesis 12 - new international version. Bible
Gateway. (n.d.-b).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+12&version=NIV
ii Bible
gateway passage: Genesis 22 - new international version. Bible
Gateway. (n.d.-c).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+22&version=NIV
iii Bible
gateway passage: Genesis 4 - new international version. Bible
Gateway. (n.d.).
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4&version=NIV