Fact or belief, that’s all there is.
Fact is not belief. Belief can be fact, but it need not. You can believe fact or choose not to. Your belief doesn’t change a fact. Fact can change belief, but it doesn’t have to. Belief, proven to be fact, should no longer be considered belief. Belief can be supported by some facts, but support isn’t proof and therefore it’s still a belief. Once proven, fact need not be believed. It should be, but sometimes fact is just unbelievable. Once proven, fact is fact, believed or not. Fact is fact, belief is belief, and that’s just the way it is.
Why spend so much time on what seems so obvious, well, because it is not. If this seems painfully obvious to you, you may not be one of those people constantly exhibiting problems with these simple concepts. You’re not one of the ones who say, “I don’t believe it.” when a fact is presented. As though your affirmation will change fact.
Fact is fact, belief is belief, don’t confuse them.
It is also true that your affirmation cannot enforce a fact. If it’s a fact, it doesn’t require any affirmation.
Belief, no matter how often or how loudly repeated does not make it into fact. Politicians, religious leaders, cheating spouses, cannot change belief into fact by saying so. No affirmation, no volume of writings, or counting of believers can change belief to fact.
Proof and only demonstrable proof is what makes a fact.
There aren’t very many facts. Basic fundamental facts, like simple laws of physics, are very few. A person could perhaps learn all of the fundamental facts that are known, if they studied hard. Beliefs on the other hand are plentiful, nearly limitless. People will believe nearly anything fervently, to the point of death, either yours or theirs.
Over the span of recorded human history millions of individuals have been slaughtered over beliefs; religious, ethnic, nationalistic, politics, love, bigotry, fear, and hatred.
A few have been killed for espousing facts, at the time widely disbelieved, later proven to be true. Sadly, the proponent was dead right, but dead, none the less.
What should these simple truths mean to you and me? First, know the difference between fact and belief; and act, think and speak accordingly and correctly regarding each.
Next, remember some people can’t handle the truth. Don’t assault people’s beliefs carelessly, they may object violently.
Why do they hold beliefs more fervently than facts? It’s one of those great human mysteries. Facts should be held the most strongly. Beliefs should be a personal matter subject to frequent revision, especially in the light of new facts.
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I can find no fault in your logic. However, additional perspective may be needed as to why there has been this issue between fact and belief.
ReplyDeleteBy definition a fact is limited to past events. From the Latin 'factum' meaning a deed, something known to exist or to have happened. On the other hand, a belief has no such limitation. From Middle English 'bileve' meaning the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge.
An example for consideration. The Earth has rotated around the sun for hundreds, thousands, and yes millions of years. Although I have only been on the planet for 50 years, I know this rotation to be a fact based on the data I have studied. However, will it rotate around the sun again next year? How about 10 years from now? Or 100 or 1000 years from now? I believe it will but I do not know this for sure, because it has not happened yet. The continuation of the Earth to rotate around the sun is only a prediction, not a fact. A meteoroid the size of Texas could easily hurl through space, strike the Earth and knock it out of orbit. However, since this scenario is unlikely (given the gas giants in our solar system which for the most part protect us), I will stick to my belief and not go on a spending spree.
Facts may not change, but our understanding of them often does. Many of the lessons I learned in school (30-40 years ago) have proven to be inaccurate or are being challenged with new data, i.e. age of the universe, speed of light as a constant, and even evolution. Some trivia for you to consider:
* Age of the universe is now approximately 14 billion years old. It used to be only 8 billion. Thanks to the Hubble telescope, we can now measure light shift more accurately.
* The speed of light (about 3×106 meters/second) accepted as one of the unchanging foundations of modern physics, is now being reevaluated. The alternative of VSL or varying-speed-of-light would dramatically change the facts as we know them today. The implications for space travel, black holes, time dilation and string theory would be mind boggling. And could possibly open the door to the ultimate question regarding unified theory, which eluded even Einstein.
* Today most evolutionary biologists realize Mr Darwin was wrong. Not about the theory of evolution as a whole, but about it being linear, where every critter springs out along the tree of life evolving from a previous ancestor. By modifying the theory from linear to periodic convergence (with multiple trees or multiple crossing branches) many previously unanswered questions and conflicts have been resolved.
Facts may not change, but they are often taken out of context, misrepresented or manipulated. Sometimes just by accident, but many times with a purpose. This may be a contributing factor why some people may not readily accept a fact for what it is, a fact.
When statics are used to support a position, data mining is sometimes used in order to present facts in a light which best benefits the user. An example might be how the Stock market does in a particular month. Since 1950, the market has been positive 75% of the time in the month of April. However, it is down 90% of the time in April during Bear markets. The same set of facts are used, but presented differently.
Now here is a question to consider. If facts are reality, and we are told that perception is reality, can facts also be just a perception?
Beliefs may change, but frequently do not. Perhaps the most important aspect, but often the least considered is why an individual or group has a certain belief. The reasoning behind a belief is the supporting foundation. If this foundation is based purely on: my family has always believed in…, or some other non-tangible non-personable commitment, is it actually your belief? Or is it simply a projection onto you from family, friends, mentor, etc. If however your belief is based on personal experiences, studies, or revelations, then you may have a strong belief, which can be self-tested honestly. Belief is personal regardless if it has to do with global warming, brussel spouts, or God. Our birth defines what we are, but it is our life which defines who we are.
I rarely discuss my religious beliefs. First, because it is personal. Second, because all too often the individual who wishes to discuss religion simply wishes to cast stones at a belief they really know nothing about. The mere fact that he or she does not know why I believe something, should by default refrain them from belittling the belief. On the flip side, no one has ever truly accepted a religious belief when it has been forced down their throat. So I also oppose the bombardment of religious beliefs onto others.
I am not sure why seemingly reasonable people have such difficulty with the coexistence of science and religion. Both serve different purposes. My work in marine biology clearly demonstrates I am a man of science. However, I am also a man of faith, and I hope my life will demonstrate that as well. Furthermore, I can honestly state the more I learn about science, the greater my faith becomes. Perhaps it is because I refuse to place God in a box, or only use him as a crutch.
I will end this little rant with one last thought...
‘God does not play with dice.’ Albert Einstein
Bret
Thanks Bret,
ReplyDeleteProbably the most thoughful comment in two years. I recently gone back to reread it and find it interesting that in the third paragraph third sentence you say you say, "I know this to be a fact based on the data I have studied." I'm surprised you didn't write "I believe this to be fact....." I just not sure we truly know very much. At least not enough to be able to predict the future with any certainty.