The Second of Six Facts With Which to Humble Oneself


The Fact: Pure reason is inadequate because our language is inadequate and because we fail to recognize our errors.

How It Works: By creating a tension against facts, this fact ensures that facts serve to humble, rather than merely to discriminate. It shakes confidence in attempts at new reasoning, attempts to predict outcomes. Scientific proof of this fact, that science and mathematics will never yield what they are made to yield (i.e. Truth with a capital "T"), is perhaps the most impressive--after all, how could one prove that proof is impossible? Mr. Godel's amazing proof is well worth investigating! Such proof establishes institutions as beyond mere tools, thus, granting the supposed tool-makers the kind of humility required to keep the influence of reason in balance.

Diverse Citations:
With their lips they honor Me, but their heart they draw far away from Me, and their fear of Me has become a command of people, which has been taught. Therefore, I will continue to perform obscurity to this people, obscurity upon obscurity, and the wisdom of his wise men shall be lost, and the understanding of his geniuses shall be hidden. Yeshayahu 29:13-14

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Yeshayahu 55:7-9

The heart is deceitful above all things, and when it is sick, who will recognize it? Yirmiyahu 17:9

Foolish ones, even though they strive, discern not, having hearts unkindled, ill-informed! Bhagavad Gita 15.1

The Way cannot be named by common rules. Laozi 14

When the rituals of morality become customary, devotion and faith become skin deep and turmoil begins to stir; when priority is given to the scholars, the Teachings become glorified and are used to fool the crowd. Laozi 38

Mastery of Teaching is not about enlightening the people with it, but about humbling the people with it. Laozi 65

For worldly people, none can understand, none can follow. Laozi 70

This world is dark, only a few can see here; only a few go to heaven, like birds escaped from a net. Dhammapada 174

All that has a form is illusive and unreal. Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Ch. 5

As to speaking truth, no truth can be spoken. Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra, Ch. 21

The Master said, "If you try to guide the common people with regulations...they will become evasive and will have no sense of shame." Lun Yu 2:3

The Master said, "I should just give up! I have yet to meet someone who is able to perceive his own faults and then take himself to task inwardly." Lun Yu 5:27

Jesus replied “...whoever doesn’t have understanding, whatever they have will be taken away from them. That’s why I speak to them in illustrations, because seeing, they do not see; and hearing, they do not hear, nor do they understand. To them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘Even though you hear, you won’t comprehend, and even though you see, you won’t understand'. They have a hard-hearted attitude, they don’t want to listen, and they’ve closed their eyes." Matthew 13:12-15

Desiring to be teachers of the law…they understand neither what they say, nor whereof they confidently affirm. 1 Tim 1:7

Become partakers of the divine nature...adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love...For he that lacks these things is blind. 2 Peter 1:4-9

As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil. Quran 2:6-7

Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize it not. Quran 2:12

Until He separates what is evil from what is good, God will not disclose to you the secrets of the unseen. But He chooses of His messengers whom He pleases. Quran 3:179

For proof of the inadequacy of language, see Wittgenstein, L. (1953/2001). Philosophical Investigations. Blackwell Publishing.

For proof of the inadequacy of logic, see Charlesworth, A. (1980). A Proof of Godel's Theorem in Terms of Computer Programs. Mathematics Magazine, 54 (3), 109–121

For scientific evidence of human fallibility, see Pizarro, D.A., Laney, C., Morris, E.K., & Loftus, E.F. (2006) Ripple effects in memory: Judgments of moral blame can distort memory for events. Memory & Cognition, 34, 550-555.

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