I had therefore to remove knowledge, in order to make room for belief.
-- Kant
Belief, often without a logical basis, is the foundation for human excellence. If we don't believe the impossible, we would have never achieved the impossible. Impossible is difficult to deduce from reason and evidence, by its very nature. A blind belief is the only source of inspiration to strive to achieve that impossible of yesterday, which has become possible of today. With reason alone, we would have been stuck within the circle within which deductive reasoning rules, from the available evidence, and would have waited for new evidence for achieving the impossible. In most cases, blind belief alone pushes the boundaries of possibility. What we call as human endeavor, human spirit is based on a strong faith in blind belief. Many a times, I do something, because I feel I can do it, without knowing why.
The important question is, how does mind, that deterministic thinking machine, that organic matter thinking via well defined chemical reactions, actually believe something blindly, without a basis in evidence? How does it almost always predict/believe the right thing, when it can blindly believe the opposite too. There lies the mystery of what mind is.
No matter how powerful machines can become, at thinking and inventing, it is doubtful if they can ever learn to believe in the impossible. If they cannot, then can they ever become more achieving than us?
-- Kant
Belief, often without a logical basis, is the foundation for human excellence. If we don't believe the impossible, we would have never achieved the impossible. Impossible is difficult to deduce from reason and evidence, by its very nature. A blind belief is the only source of inspiration to strive to achieve that impossible of yesterday, which has become possible of today. With reason alone, we would have been stuck within the circle within which deductive reasoning rules, from the available evidence, and would have waited for new evidence for achieving the impossible. In most cases, blind belief alone pushes the boundaries of possibility. What we call as human endeavor, human spirit is based on a strong faith in blind belief. Many a times, I do something, because I feel I can do it, without knowing why.
The important question is, how does mind, that deterministic thinking machine, that organic matter thinking via well defined chemical reactions, actually believe something blindly, without a basis in evidence? How does it almost always predict/believe the right thing, when it can blindly believe the opposite too. There lies the mystery of what mind is.
No matter how powerful machines can become, at thinking and inventing, it is doubtful if they can ever learn to believe in the impossible. If they cannot, then can they ever become more achieving than us?
