Just a friendly reminder to our readers and an equally friendly heads up to those joining us for the first time. This is a fluid journal. Meaning, all of the entries here are undergoing constant revision. In short, Writings and Latest are A Work In Progress.
One reason for this is the simple fact that we don't know it all, not even close. And we don't know it all because we can't respond to it all. How could we? So there’s always more to learn, espeically in terms of what one writes about and how they write about it.
Another reason is, though we don’t know it all, and we can't respond to it all, we have to respond, we’ve got to get on with it.
Otherwise we’ll never write or do anything. This is another way of saying that there are bound to be some mistakes, or even a lot.
But, the main reason is because such an approach is that it gives me the chance to practice in writing what I believe in and try to live on a consistent basis in my daily life. And what I believe in is human imperfection. The fact that life is dynamic, not static, and we’re imperfect, not perfect. In response to this I believe there’s a corresponding need to learn, change, and grow, intellectually, socially, and morally and on a consistent basis.
In short, my writing reflects my belief in continual renewal.
From an intellectual point of view another way of putting this would be to say that I believe in, as Ludwig von Boltzmann said, the hypothetical character of all theoretical constructs.
There is more than enough evidence that even the best idea is, as Darwin once put it, a mental convenience. If Darwin can say that about his Origin, why can’t we say that about our ideas?
Socially, I believe this honest approach to our limits as individuals and groups helps improve the quality of our interaction with each other. Something we’re badly in need of, now more than ever. From this perspective, it is obvious that those most in need of intellectual humility are the very ones clamoring the loudest for social justice. Especially, and ironically, since they’re convinced that the best way to acquire justice for society is through that most anti-social of all means - politics.
Since when has politics ever had anything to do with justice?
Not surprisingly, they've never asked themselves that question. If they have, they've kept it a secret. But one can safely predict, from extensive experience, what their reaction would be to such a question - hostile. Like the elite they take their orders from.
Note: Besides, justice is a virtue, and virtuous is the last thing the elite is, or Cancel Culture.
In any event, the value of intellectual humility and perseverance for the purpose of developing a sensitive social sense is, from a moral point of view, obvious. And the best, the surest way, of avoiding the poison of obsessive moralizing is found in our attempt to increase the realm of moral choice. And the best means of achieving this difficult task is through self-criticism (without allowing anxiety to interfere in that self-examination).
But there's little point in talking about human imperfection if you're not going to practice it. Hence this journal, which is my humble attempt at a bit of transparency. Lastly, the constant revision and editing of this journal also applies to this entry.
Thanks for joining us!
Paul
PRC recognizes and celebrates the work of the great cultural historian and behavioralist Morse Peckham (1914-1993), late of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of South Carolina, a man very much at home in the Arts & Sciences. Much of the writing here is inspired by, based on, or derived from, the work of this extraordinary thinker and writer.
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