Three little words that stick in the craw. Even when we know that we don’t know, we are reluctant to say so. We believe that admitting ignorance makes us vulnerable. Ignorance does make us vulnerable; admitting ignorance is the first step toward being informed. Not everyone wants to be informed. Some people prefer false certainty over true ambiguity. There is a phrase, “please don’t confuse me with the facts”, that says mockingly what is not quite so. Those accused of this sort of thinking are not really opposed to facts, it’s only that they would be happier with fewer facts, more clearly stated.
Who wouldn’t?`
Unfortunately, reality is a tangled mass of polysemic facts from which even the wisest amongst us can barely tweeze any clear understanding. We long for clarity that forever eludes our grasp. We can only be certain of our uncertainty. The best we can do is to say that although certainty is not possible some things are more likely - or less likely - to be true.
Many years ago I had a friend named, Linda. She was very smart. We often discussed matters ranging from proper reasoning to proper English. Her pithy jibes sometimes veered toward the surreal. Here is one such exchange.
K. “I don’t think it’s correct to use that word in quite
that way”.
L. “You mean I’m being illogical”?
K. “Yes”.
L. “I told you I was practical. I never claimed to
be sentimental”.
I was charmed by her side-ways thinking. I made a note of it. This is the first time I’ve had cause to use it. Is it, “practical”, to use whatever information you have”? Is it, “sentimental”, to insist that everything be properly parsed? In an oblique sort of way - yes.
Most of us, most ever day, stumble through the fog of multiple realities. We can never be sure we’re walking in the right direction. The fog never clears. We must make our best guess, and move on. The. “sentimental”, task of sorting out real facts with careful reasoning has to be left to the few quiet moments when the world isn’t in hot pursuit.
“Practical”, and ,”Sentimental”, are not the right words, but they get the job done.
Nonetheless, I prefer correct to almost correct. If I end up tilting at windmills, It doesn’t trouble me. The quest is more important than the outcome. It also entertains me as I stumble through the fog. I don’t mind not knowing. I value the time I’ve been allowed - trying to know.
Reason is not more reliable than intuition.
It is easier to talk about.
There’s not much to discuss about an intuition. Even the person doing the intuiting can’t explain it. Intuition grips the mind more firmly than does reason. People with firm conviction of their intuited notion are not easily persuaded otherwise. When confronted by established facts, and carefully reasoned argument, they will often say, “Yes, yes but… Reason, on the other hand, is forever open to challenge from new information, or freshly turned argument. Which is more reliable at discovering truth?
I don’t know.
Revelation is certainly more comforting than analytics. But neither way is proven more reliable, except in particular cases, and then it’s only after the fact. In any case, intuitive people are born that way, and many people are functionally incapable of reason.
What can be done?
I don’t know.
But I have a feeling…