Sunday, April 13, 2008

Just Wondering...

"The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers."

Erich Fromm, Man for Himself

Are you certain about that, Erich?

(About Last Night)

6 comments:

Matt said...

God, that book was a chore to grunt through. Unbearable. Fromm's nonsense is so far afield that I can't believe it was ever taken seriously.

EdMcGon said...

Actually, he does have a point. Now that everyone is certain about manmade Global Warming (i.e. Al Gore's "the debate is over"), they have completely forgotten that it's a theory based on limited information.

Myrhaf said...

It's wrong to conclude from global warming that certainty is bad. The right conclusion is that one should get the facts right and not use dishonesty and intimidation to push a massive statist agenda.

EdMcGon said...

Actually, the flaw in Fromm's comment is that certainty and meaning are not mutually exclusive things. Nor does mankind give up on the search for meaning once it becomes certain (for example, that's what the study of history is all about).

Myrhaf said...

I would agree with that, Ed. Fromm is saying that certainty shuts down the search for meaning because if we think we know something, then we don't look for further truth, or something like that. The important distinction, as Ayn Rand noted, is between having an active mind and a passive mind. An active mind can be certain of what it knows, but continue to actively use reason to understand reality and continue to introspect to understand one's own consciousness.

EdMcGon said...

That's why I enjoy arguing with liberals. It forces me to reconsider my own political views. Even though I am certain I am right, I have to consider WHY.