Contra Kavanagh On Fideism

If even the Newtonian philosophy were not permitted to be questioned, mankind could not feel as complete assurance of its truth as they now do. The beliefs which we have most warrant for, have no safeguard to rest on, but a standing invitation to the whole world to prove them unfounded. If the challenge is not accepted, or is accepted and the attem

She argued, “critical thinking without hope is cynicism. But hope without critical thinking is naïveté.”⁠18 I hit rewind and listened to this several times. I knew she was talking to me.

secularism—in all its variations—actually has its own set of beliefs and values that cannot be proven and therefore requires a type of faith.21 For example, two of the assumptions essential to modern science—the rationality of the universe and the reliability of basic cognitive faculties—cannot be proven by science. They must first be believed.

No-holds-barred public debate is the most reliable process for attaining such knowledge, since other processes—accepting another’s authority, following emotions, agreeing with the most attractive advertising, acting on gut-instincts—are not directed toward knowledge and reach it only by accident. The higher the level of public debate—that is, the c

The philosopher Onora O’Neill once declared, “Well-placed trust grows out of active inquiry rather than blind acceptance.”