"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?
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"As a freethinker and an old-style atheist, he had a need to discourse from time to time on lofty matters." (from The Village of Stepanchikovo by Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
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About Me
- Myrhaf
- Inland Empire, California, United States
- I graduated from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, California in 1975. Did four years in the USAF as a chinese linguist. Got my BA in Theatre Arts from California State College, San Bernardino. Went through the Professional Program in Screenwriting at UCLA. Have written plays for the stage and comedy for radio morning shows. Lately I've been acting a lot. I've been in shows by Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Edmond Rostand and Maurice Maeterlinck -- not a bad run! People ask, "Why Myrhaf?" Myrhaf is a character in an historical novel I'm writing called Viking Blood. He is a mentor figure who dies in the first chapter. I thought the name would give my blog some style, some flair and a title readers would remember. My real name is William Greeley. Although I am an Objectivist and often write about the philosophy on this blog, I do not speak for anyone but myself. I would urge those who want to learn about Objectivism to read Ayn Rand's novels and nonfiction books and then Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand.
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My Political Views
I am a far-right social libertarian
Right: 9.96, Libertarian: 8.02
Political Spectrum Quiz
I am a far-right social libertarian
Right: 9.96, Libertarian: 8.02
Political Spectrum Quiz
6 comments:
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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