HokiePundit

It seems to me that we can never truly prove anything, if we refuse to acknowledge personal opinion as a valid input from which to form our opinions. On the Freethinker listserv with which I'm involved, I'm constantly told that personal revelation is neither a proof nor even an indication of the existence of God (Apparently, personal divine revelation is inacceptable as a source, yet I'm often told by the very same people that p.ersonal divine revelation would be the only way God could conclusively prove his existence. But that's not important right now). Thus, if we are to discount personal opinion, all we have left is scientific fact to judge from. And yet...what we call fact is merely our interpretation of what we believe to be the case. In science, a law is a theory which has worked every time it's been observed, but which is immediately null (or at least subject to revision) the first time something violates the theory. The idea that nothing is absolute and that everything is in flux is not helpful in finding the Truth; not least because it would seem to preclude a Truth in the first place. If our "gut" feeling is so unacceptable, then all we're left with is a bunch of tendencies, which are subject to revision at any point. Thus, we must acknowledge that at least some amount of personal input is required.

more to come...