This-essay is a8508081.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One ========================================================== %CERTAINTY & CONVICTION 850808 Certainty and conviction depend upon the support of others of like belief and perception. It is difficult to feel sure about that regarding which others show disdain or dis interest. We are most sure of that about which we feel most secure. It is thus difficult to feel secure and have conviction about beliefs regarding which we are threatened and regarding which we have not support. In the face of threat we can have certainty and conviction if we are members of a meaningful support community which is itself under threat or actual attack. Support may come from a minority which is meaningful to us. In fact certainty may be increased by being under threat and being a member of a minority community of fanatical faith. Often minorities are the most fanatical and certain of the correctness of their convictions. Certainty and conviction are often functions of what evidence and human needs are neglected. We can be sure if we neglect to consider evidence which throws doubt upon our beliefs. If we believe that such evidence is not important we can ignore it. If people who offer such evidence do not respect our paradigm for finding truth their offerings are not respectable and we can ignore them. The challenges to our paradigm which come from outside our paradigm do not need to be considered. Threats to us from outside our camp are not important and can properly be ignored. Of this we can be sure with great conviction. Scientists have the only sure road to certain knowledge. We can be sure of objectivity and analysis as the way to knowledge which merits respect. People who are not objective and not skilled in careful analytic thought can not bring important threats against our certainty in the importance of our findings. They do not know the truths which matter. We know with certainty that their way of discovering what they call truth does not lead to certainties worthy of respect. Knowledge about ourselves and knowledge about objective realities outside of ourselves are complementary kinds of knowledge. The product of uncertainties in complementary kinds of knowledge is always greater than some minimal size, as in the Heisenberg Uncertainty Relationship of physics. The more we claim to know about objective realities, the less we can know about our selves. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================
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This-essay is a8508081.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. These 5 lines echo top lines. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One