The Expert’s Expert Finally Provides the Unequivocal Definition You’ve Been Waiting For
“All Theories are wrong, but some are useful… How wrong do they have to be to not be useful?” ~George EP Box~
This quote from George E. P. Box (footnote #1) above is itself wrong, but perhaps not wrong enough to not be very useful. Box’s quote brings to mind the opening lines of the Tao Te Ching (footnote #2) (Lao-tzu), which begins the 81 verse text with a disclaimer that all intellectual theories, especially grand concepts aspiring to explain “everything,” are wrong… “The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.” I imagine from reflecting on George Box’s photo and from what little I know of his work, that he must have an awesome sense of humor.
I often invoke such quotes when I am asked to comment on various, treatments, philosophies, theories and approaches to healthcare. Now that I am branded as an “expert,” somehow others believe that I have an angle on certain truths and insights. Boy, are they in for a shock! The epitome of a true-blue American, a dandy Yankee-doodle-dandy (footnote #3), I have always mistrusted authority, institutional and governmental authoritarianism and anyone putting on an air of sophistication. While sticking “feathers in your cap”, may appear charismatic and somehow seem attractive to most folks, I prefer the Zen position that such people “stink of ego.” This theory is wrong too, but I have found it to be useful.
Any intellectual position automatically defines an opposite position. Any exposition of any theory or position will invite the naysayer’s retort. Assert that “Up” is true, and sure enough, someone will come along and suggest that “Down” is true too. Irrefutable Truth can’t be expressed without opening a space for the contradictory position and therefore all theories are ineffable (footnote #4). However, life demands that we take positions, “because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything (footnote #5),” which is of course yet another wrong but possibly useful position.
This is not to suggest that the Truth can’t be known; only that it is inexpressible. Perhaps creative genius, expressed through certain mediums such as art, music, sculpture, dance, acting, poetry and literature, comes closest to expressing ineffability, like the Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco, painted by Michelangelo in the 16th century, depicting God’s hand nearly touching that of Adam’s. Consider another wrong, but possibly useful theory, that Truth is definitely knowable and in the eyes of the beholder, but it is simultaneously ineffable and can never be completely expressed in its entirety.
In every election cycle, we witness two or more polarized positions which are not only wrong, but I believe are mostly not even useful, unless you happen to be a politician, or media consultant seeking to capitalize on wealth and power through dissension and class warfare by aligning yourself with one extremist position or another. Since only about 50% of Americans vote, perhaps we could postulate two extremist groups which are equally represented in the electorate.
The voters, proponents of blind faith, make up of the true believers of any party or group. They hold to the notion that the Truth is both knowable and expressible in speech, writings (e.g., the Koran, the Bible, the Communist Manifesto, the US Constitution) and in the ballot box by the voters. At the other extreme are the non-voters, those who carry the mantle of nihilism, meaninglessness, anarchism and agnosticism, professing that The Truth is both unknowable and ineffable.
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[[T_F]]Digital Content Theft Prevention and Tracing, Downloads and Online Property Protectiontracefusion_signature=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[[T_F]]
What is Truth and What is Proven?
by CEGant on March 30, 2012
The Expert’s Expert Finally Provides the Unequivocal Definition You’ve Been Waiting For
“All Theories are wrong, but some are useful… How wrong do they have to be to not be useful?” ~George EP Box~
Any intellectual position automatically defines an opposite position. Any exposition of any theory or position will invite the naysayer’s retort. Assert that “Up” is true, and sure enough, someone will come along and suggest that “Down” is true too. Irrefutable Truth can’t be expressed without opening a space for the contradictory position and therefore all theories are ineffable (footnote #4). However, life demands that we take positions, “because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything (footnote #5),” which is of course yet another wrong but possibly useful position.
In every election cycle, we witness two or more polarized positions which are not only wrong, but I believe are mostly not even useful, unless you happen to be a politician, or media consultant seeking to capitalize on wealth and power through dissension and class warfare by aligning yourself with one extremist position or another. Since only about 50% of Americans vote, perhaps we could postulate two extremist groups which are equally represented in the electorate.
The voters, proponents of blind faith, make up of the true believers of any party or group. They hold to the notion that the Truth is both knowable and expressible in speech, writings (e.g., the Koran, the Bible, the Communist Manifesto, the US Constitution) and in the ballot box by the voters. At the other extreme are the non-voters, those who carry the mantle of nihilism, meaninglessness, anarchism and agnosticism, professing that The Truth is both unknowable and ineffable.
[click to continue…]
[[T_F]]Digital Content Theft Prevention and Tracing, Downloads and Online Property Protectiontracefusion_signature=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[[T_F]]
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