Doubt, a summary of this little mini series

[defacto7]

I'd like to offer up Edgar Allen Poe:

"In the beginning of the first thing lies the secondary cause of all things, with the germ of their inevitable annihilation."

The history of doubt is the history of humankind itself. It begins where our concepts of self and universe explode from two dimensions into three; it's at the point where we begin to seek symmetry from chaos. Doubt is the single catalyst that melds perception into truth and points imagination toward reality. Without it fact is a whim and truth a blur. Reason is non-existent without doubt's incessant prodding. Doubt is the fuel of science. It defines philosophy and philosophy, in turn, defines it.

Its history is one of discovery, wonder and courage; it's also one of dissent, agony and martyrdom. The 300,000 innocent lives who burned at the stake in Madrid alone, along with the millions of other murders perscribed by blind faith speak to the irrepressible nature of humankind and the power of doubt. Doubt has never conceded to anything but triumph.

I am honored to count myself among those who doubt and who seek facts as they are able to be verified. I'm also proud to be among doubters who can admit being wrong and in doing so, revise views to accommodate better ideas. To me this is life. I couldn't possibly think myself as courageous as so many who have stood against the monstrous adversities of past centuries, but through my doubts I hope I can continue to be part of the process to annihilate ignorance and spread the cause of reason.

D7

P.S. The above words are my own musings so you can blame me. Much of the material from the previous entries are gleaned from the book Doubt by Jennifer Michael Hecht. I'd call it a philisophical history of doubt. If you want more it's a great read.