I’ve very briefly mentioned my disillusionment with Skepticism before, but I found a quote with re-reading Dracula that I think expresses part of how I feel about the whole thing.
“He meant that we shall have an open mind, and not let the little bit of truth check the rush of the big truth, like a small rock does a railway truck. We get the small truth first. Good! We keep him, and we value him, but all the same we must not let him think himself all the truth in the universe.” (Van Helsing speaking to Dr Seward)
I also see this as a warning not to hold an idea in contempt prior to investigating it. I am beginning to suspect that Skepticism may be used to either inflate the ego or as a form of faith. In any event, I personally feel that it can be an impediment to seeing. I said last time that we often see our prejudices and thoughts about the world, not the world itself. I should added that we can often see our skepticism instead of the world. But I’m not the only one whose thought wandered in this direction:
“It is really quite amazing by what margins competent but conservative scientists and engineers can miss the mark, when they start with the preconceived idea that what they are investigating is impossible. When this happens, the most well-informed men become blinded by their prejudices and are unable to see what lies directly ahead of them.” – Arthur C. Clarke, 1963
On that note I’ll log off as it is rather late here!
