Thursday, February 19, 2009

Presuppositions and Faith

I propose a rough overview of a philosophy which I espouse to. I don't want to say that I made it up. By I have never heard or read it in the way I am about to say it before. I know deep down that it's not as original as I would like to think. I do not think that it is complete or all encompassing... yet. Here it is.

All knowledge is founded on a presupposition. I define presupposition as; "a belief held to be foundational, and true in the deepest sense of the word. A presupposition is unverifiable by a rational or empirical evidence. It is accepted a priori". It is expected however that logic and reason carry the presupposition to it's ethical conclusions. Ethics is the end of knowledge.
Paradoxically, since all presuppositions are unverifiable, no philosophy can be discredited on the whole. A foundation upon abstract ideals cannot be shown to be faulty by abstract arguments. It can only be proved to faulty when the storms come. It can be called out on logical insconsistencies, but this does not serve to take down the structure. It may only remove a brick. This brick and foundation illustration is not perfect. With a house if you remove the right single brick you may tear down the house. I am not assuming that all bricks are of equal importance. To be true I think of logic constricted to a line, not consisting as a structure. Therefore, the presupposition is maintained. All presuppositions are unverifiable, and by that truth, also incapable of being proved faulty except by eschatology.
This explains, but does not resolve conflict. All philsophies exist to explain. Most exist to resolve. Some make no such distinctions between the two; the explanations are the resolutions.
Objectivity is subject to mystery.
My personal presupposition leads to a complicated ethic in the particulars. But on the whole, I have concluded, based on my philosophical presupposition, that all humans are brothers and sisters who must be served, cared for, and protected. That some people are too selfish to acknowledge this is God's problem. All will be made right. And the foundation of Jesus Christ will prove itself to be a solid foundation.

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