Quote:
Originally Posted by bns  Logic cannot create something out of nothing. We cannot reason our way to truth because reason must begin with something that is held to be true. We call them axioms. I can't help but notice that most of the arguments that exist in the religion/philosophy section are a result of people being unable to recognize their own assumptions as just that.
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I know, I'm dreaming. 90% of the population aren't even aware that they make any assumptions about the world, much less are they honest enough to admit what they are. |
You must be included in that 90%. You are making the assumption that all that exists (truth) is logical, and that logic can take you to it.
It is this assumption that has stopped conventional science from acknowledging many of the mysteries it cannot explain logically. It doesn't know how to get there in any rational way, so it doesn't go there. It creates an atmosphere of denial.
This is where intuition comes into play. Intuition allows us to make leaps which defy logic. Such leaps are a component of genius - they are what allows some people to grasp what others miss. It is taking something on faith.
Many people dismiss intuition itself, for the same reason. They can't understand it. Or, they think that leaps of logic are not valuable.
It is valuable to take such leaps, to work on faith. However, after you take them, it is also important to see what it has brought you. Does your new model, born of intuition, WORK? Does it allow you to build new toys, even if you can't explain how those toys work? Does it allow you make verifiable predictions? Does it give you greater insight into the data, leading you to more developments?
Some people never use intuition. Some people use intuition, but never look back to see if it has produced an observable advantage. Both approaches are incomplete.
Most of the great developments in science come from intuition. It is when people STOP thinking that they get their greatest insights. Einstein's theory of relativity came to him while he was riding on a train. It was a leap of logic he couldn't explain. Yet he went back and worked with real data and developed the theory, which in turn WORKED (produced benefits).
It is a mistake to believe everything in the universe is necessarily logical or rational. It is an assumption, and as you observe, you will only find the logical and rational as a result. You will dismiss whole swaths of reality that don't fit in your logic box.
Really, I believe everything is ultimately logical - the universe makes sense. But it is a wild, huge sense, which we cannot always appreciate with our simple understandings. This is where intuition, leaps of logic, insights, help us to bridge the gap. They are not necessary because the universe is illogical. They are necessary because our 'logical thinking' is often limited is ways we do not see. Once we make the leap, then we can go back and follow the logic. We will say 'of course!'
The theory of relativity is logical. Yet it also seemingly defies 'common sense', and leads on to conclusions which may at first appear irrational (and did to many physicists).
Some Einstein quotes to ponder...
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”
“The only real valuable thing is intuition.”
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”