ronedee,
Have you ever read and considered Plato's Allegory of the Cave?
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave
I always refer to this when considering what truth is; which I take to mean reality. I also live with some basic facts:
1. It's impossible for me to know everything; however, I strive to understand as much as possible in the limited time I have.
2. I will die without knowing some aspects of reality. I doubt seriously that I will commit to memory the average width of all species of beetle. I am also confident that parts of our reality will be as yet undiscovered at the time of my demise.
For this reason I scoff at those who attempt to package all of reality into an overly simplistic model that intentionally ignores our ability to unshackle ourselves, stand up, and turn around to see the source of the shadows. One aspect of the Allegory of the Cave that I don't like is how the person returning to those shackled is suggested to lead. Instead of acting as an all knowing master in a sense, the person should have endeavored to unshackle the others and share in the discovery; religion attempts to interpret and lead, science attempts to free and empower.
I have accepted the breadth of my ignorance for over two decades now. I also decided that I would endeavor to chip away at it. Learning came at a cost. The more I learned, the more I understood how ignorant I truly was. Some people feel comfortable at this point accepting some model, or system as you say, that shelters them from the breadth of their ignorance. I'm wired in such a way that this compromise is extremely distasteful and unacceptable. I made peace with my ignorance. I still chip away at it, and it still grows. My ignorance provides me with a sense of wonder, a direction for my passions, and a constant companion of sorts. Discovery is exciting. I think knowing everything would be a bore.
Have you ever read and considered Plato's Allegory of the Cave?
http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave
I always refer to this when considering what truth is; which I take to mean reality. I also live with some basic facts:
1. It's impossible for me to know everything; however, I strive to understand as much as possible in the limited time I have.
2. I will die without knowing some aspects of reality. I doubt seriously that I will commit to memory the average width of all species of beetle. I am also confident that parts of our reality will be as yet undiscovered at the time of my demise.
For this reason I scoff at those who attempt to package all of reality into an overly simplistic model that intentionally ignores our ability to unshackle ourselves, stand up, and turn around to see the source of the shadows. One aspect of the Allegory of the Cave that I don't like is how the person returning to those shackled is suggested to lead. Instead of acting as an all knowing master in a sense, the person should have endeavored to unshackle the others and share in the discovery; religion attempts to interpret and lead, science attempts to free and empower.
I have accepted the breadth of my ignorance for over two decades now. I also decided that I would endeavor to chip away at it. Learning came at a cost. The more I learned, the more I understood how ignorant I truly was. Some people feel comfortable at this point accepting some model, or system as you say, that shelters them from the breadth of their ignorance. I'm wired in such a way that this compromise is extremely distasteful and unacceptable. I made peace with my ignorance. I still chip away at it, and it still grows. My ignorance provides me with a sense of wonder, a direction for my passions, and a constant companion of sorts. Discovery is exciting. I think knowing everything would be a bore.
