The Wisdom of Skepticism
What can we know for sure? Is there any value or wisdom in practicing skepticism in modern life? These are a couple of the questions explored in my conversation with Jason Merchey, the author of Wisdom. Great thinkers have stressed the wisdom of not knowing throughout history. Plato (a student of Socrates) put it this way,
We do not know — neither the sophists, nor the orators, nor the artists, nor I — what the True, the Good, and the Beautiful are. But there is this difference between us: although these people know nothing, they all believe they know something, whereas I, if I know nothing, at least have no doubts about it.
In Wisdom, Merchey writes philosophers and theologians have fallen along a continuum when it comes to how one determines what is true, what to believe, why we are here, what is right, and other problematic epistemological questions. For Merchey, “wisdom is only gained through doubt and mental rigor, if at all.”
Montaigne was one philosopher who stressed not knowing; famously, he lived by the maxim, “All that I know is that I know nothing and I not even sure of that.” In his Essays, Montaigne explained,
If others examined themselves attentively, as I do, they would find themselves, as I do, full of inanity and nonsense. Get rid of it. I cannot without getting rid of myself. We are all steeped in it, one as much as another, but those aware of it are a little better off — though I don’t know.
Although Skepticism as a philosophy is not about simply knowing nothing. It is a philosophy of being curious and open-minded to discover the truth. Merchey quotes the French theologian Peter Abelard, “The beginning of wisdom is found in doubting; by doubting we come to the question, and by seeking we may come upon the truth.”
Adopting the approach of not knowing is often hard on the ego; we naturally desire certainty. The longtime Buddhist meditation teacher Wes Nisker (and author of The Essential Crazy Wisdom) suggest that many of us see doubt as a negative state, a continual restlessness, or frowning skepticism. But just on the other side of doubt lies wonder, a feeling that comes when we have an empty head and an open heart.
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Thank you for reading; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
I agree, Doubt is the beginning of wisdom. Until the truth is found through your seeking for the answers, you learn discernment, and the answer is always found with an understanding. It always takes a while, with bits here and there, enough not to satisfy, which keeps you questioning what you do find, until out of the abyss, the answer appears, and blows your mind. So, skepticism is the start of further wisdom.