Making Sense of It All
Two great gifts of being human are the ability to
Basic Questions:
There are two sets of fundamental questions of all about life. The traditional set consists of asking:
Another set posed by cultural anthropologist, Cliffored Geertz, who studied both ancient and current societies, concluded ded that every culture and therefore the people within that culture, tend to ask, in a more or less explicit way, six ultimate questions five of which are “Yes/No” questions.
The way a person answers these questions significantly shapes one’s outlook on life and how a person relates to others and the world we live in.
Knowing
Indeed, we learn through personal experience and reasoning but most of what we know comes from others. One’s first teachers are parents, family and friends, then school teachers, coaches, etc. Modern communication from social media, the internet, TV and radio connect people today in a way that no other generation has experienced. Because there are so many messages, some of which are contradictory, coming to accept and trust what one hears, sees or thinks becomes a real challenge.
Confidence
There are different levels of confidence:
Naturally one feels more confident about something they have repeatedly experience, such as the cycle of day and night. Because we cannot personally verify everything, we eventually come to accept the testimony of others. We trust those who:
> have more experience than we do, for example, parents, teachers, coaches and mentors,
> have nothing to personally gain from telling us what they know,
> are consistent in their sharing,
> have been found reliable by others.
Additional information on Knowing
Reasoning:
The ability to reason is one of the primary gifts of humans. Fr. Bernard Lonergan articulated basic process of human knowing, which is fourfold:
1. Being attentive to one’s experiences (either personal, communal or virtual).
2. Critically reflecting on those experiences in order to come to a deeper understanding.
3. Making a reasoned or reasonable judgment e.g., concluding that something is or is not.
4. Deciding to act responsibly.
A Process
Its takes time to attend to one’s experiences, critically reflect on them, come to a conclusion and then act responsibly. It took time for Thomas Edison to perfect the light bulb and for people to figure out how to build the type of airplanes we have today. We learn from the successes of others as well as from our mistakes and failures.
In the process we find meaning and happiness. This is true as we learn more about the physical world in which we live but even more so in regard to our relationships with people.
Two great gifts of being human are the ability to
- reason (wonder, ask questions, reflect, ponder and come to a conclusion) and
- freely choose how to act.
Basic Questions:
There are two sets of fundamental questions of all about life. The traditional set consists of asking:
- Who am I?
- Why am I here?
- Where am I going?
- How shall I get there?
Another set posed by cultural anthropologist, Cliffored Geertz, who studied both ancient and current societies, concluded ded that every culture and therefore the people within that culture, tend to ask, in a more or less explicit way, six ultimate questions five of which are “Yes/No” questions.
- Will good finally overcome over evil?
- Does life have ultimate meaning?
- Will life triumph over death?
- Can people finally learn to live in peace?
- Can a person come in contact with the ultimate?
- What is the cause of suffering?
The way a person answers these questions significantly shapes one’s outlook on life and how a person relates to others and the world we live in.
Knowing
Indeed, we learn through personal experience and reasoning but most of what we know comes from others. One’s first teachers are parents, family and friends, then school teachers, coaches, etc. Modern communication from social media, the internet, TV and radio connect people today in a way that no other generation has experienced. Because there are so many messages, some of which are contradictory, coming to accept and trust what one hears, sees or thinks becomes a real challenge.
Confidence
There are different levels of confidence:
- We have one level of confidence when we deal with material things. Wood, stone and steel have certain characteristics and react consistently. Once a person understands their particular characteristics a person can use them with great confidence. This is called physical certitude.
- When people are involved there is a different level of certitude. We have physical certitude that the wheels will stay on the car, but only moral certitude that the driver coming towards them will stay on his or her side of the road. A person only has moral or ethical certitude that the car was actually built as advertised. Certitude in dealing with people is called moral certitude.
- A third type of certitude has to do with qualities that cannot be measured as one would weigh a rock. We know that courage, generosity and love exist. We can recognize the results of such qualities. A couple entering into marriage believe in and are certain about their love for one another. This type of certitude comes from dealing with qualities which are beyond the physical but very real. This is called metaphysical certitude.
Naturally one feels more confident about something they have repeatedly experience, such as the cycle of day and night. Because we cannot personally verify everything, we eventually come to accept the testimony of others. We trust those who:
> have more experience than we do, for example, parents, teachers, coaches and mentors,
> have nothing to personally gain from telling us what they know,
> are consistent in their sharing,
> have been found reliable by others.
Additional information on Knowing
Reasoning:
The ability to reason is one of the primary gifts of humans. Fr. Bernard Lonergan articulated basic process of human knowing, which is fourfold:
1. Being attentive to one’s experiences (either personal, communal or virtual).
2. Critically reflecting on those experiences in order to come to a deeper understanding.
3. Making a reasoned or reasonable judgment e.g., concluding that something is or is not.
4. Deciding to act responsibly.
A Process
Its takes time to attend to one’s experiences, critically reflect on them, come to a conclusion and then act responsibly. It took time for Thomas Edison to perfect the light bulb and for people to figure out how to build the type of airplanes we have today. We learn from the successes of others as well as from our mistakes and failures.
In the process we find meaning and happiness. This is true as we learn more about the physical world in which we live but even more so in regard to our relationships with people.
Our Catholic Story
As Catholics we believe:
As Catholics we believe:
- We know through personal experience
- Our ability to reason in a variety of ways and figure out what is impossible;possible;plausible'probably and certain
- The trustworthy or reliable witnesses.
- Various scientific methods, for example archeology and textual criticism, have helped the Church better understand both the Biblical message and the Church’s own history. Likewise the sciences of sociology and psychology have helped the Church understand how men and women grow and develop.
- All of this and more has been very helpful to the Church in carrying on its mission of sharing the Good News of God’s love with people today.
- As Catholics we cherish and promote disciplined reasoning.
Your story
Would you modify your story of how you know, really know, in some way?
Other Questions
What other questions do you have or would like to ask?
A) ________________________________________________________________
B) ________________________________________________________________
C) ________________________________________________________________
Would you modify your story of how you know, really know, in some way?
Other Questions
What other questions do you have or would like to ask?
A) ________________________________________________________________
B) ________________________________________________________________
C) ________________________________________________________________