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The Methodological Flaw of Agnosticism

February 7, 2020

agnosticism, atheism, ignorance, knowledge, methodology, philosophy, religion, society

Certain things are relative: Although we can say “hot” or “cold”, we can also compare, and say “hotter/colder than”. There are also things that are binary – either or. No matter what Hegelians might claim, I doubt you can be “a little bit pregnant”. In this context, an intellectually honest philosopher has to acknowledge a methodological flaw in agnosticism.

Theism is the belief in the existence of a supreme being – “God”. A pedantic observer would perhaps make all kinds of elaborations on this (arguably focusing on the difference between a theist and a deist), but for the purposes of this post – and focusing on what I term as the methodological flaw of agnosticism – the above definition should suffice.

That is, we have people – theists – believing in the existence of God. We also have atheists, who don’t find evidence for such a claim, and therefore do not accept the existence of God. Agnostics, on the other hand, are people who argue that nothing is known or can be known about the existence of God.

Agnosticism is effectively a perpetual suspension of judgment. As an agnostic, you basically say “I can’t know that there is a God, but I also can’t know that there isn’t. Hence, I refuse to take a stance”.

However, that’s precisely what the methodological flaw of agnosticism really is, as we’ll see.

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How to Make a Random Quote Generator

June 5, 2019

Programming

computer, creativity, javascript, knowledge, programming, quote generator

Although today’s topic doesn’t have to do with literature, society, the Gothic, or writings tips, in some abstract way, it does. Although this post is a technical step-by-step guide on how to make a JavaScript random quote generator, it’s also yet another reminder that creativity (like knowledge) is a holistic process.

In other words, there aren’t “areas” of creativity, neatly isolated from one another. There isn’t a creativity related to fiction writing, another related to academic writing, and yet another related to developing Android apps. There is only one form of creativity, and the more efficiently you can combine its different facets, the better.

make a random quote generator — To “outsiders” code appears as something akin to witchcraft. Things are stunningly simpler once you get past the surface

Chances are, if you found this post you care more about the JavaScript code, so I won’t tire you with theorizing – if you’re interested in philosophy, feel free to take a look at the many posts dealing with philosophical musings.

Having said that, this post still wants to make a more theoretical point, namely that what appears difficult and incomprehensible (like coding) can be very simple. Therefore, I will be a bit… verbose in my explanations, trying to help beginners keep up.

So, let’s get to the details of how to make a random quote generator written in JavaScript.

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Learning How To Learn, and why It Is Important

July 10, 2018

Society

creativity, education, knowledge, reason, society

“I grow old ever learning many things,” Solon said. Learning as you grow old is very rewarding, as well as essential for maintaining your well-being. But there is something more important than learning about science, history, the arts, or anything else. And that is learning how to learn.

But what does it mean, to learn how to learn? Moreover, how can one learn how to learn, and is this sort of learning accessible to everyone? Let’s try to unwrap this with a little personal story.

A relative of mine worked all her life behind a computer. That was in the 80s, long before graphic desktops, and there was significant complexity. If you wanted the computer to do something as simple as filling in a form or printing out a table, you had to enter a series of complex strings and commands. This relative of mine had mastered the entire system and performed efficiently and accurately.

learning how to learn — You are never too old to learn something new, provided you have learned how to learn!

And then she retired, and Windows came along. And it took her years to learn how to use the mouse, and only recently did she understand (sort of) how an Internet browser works. Concepts like “the cloud,” “signing in to Google to save YouTube videos you like,” or even “organize your bookmarks” are entirely alien to her.

Why is all this important? Because it’s a great example of how someone can be an excellent learner of any particular method, concept, or discipline, and yet a very poor learner of learning.

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