As I discover various errors that philosophers made over the centuries and that I myself made over the decades, I am reminded of and consoled by the philosopher-metaphysician Charles Hartshorne’s following statement: “To accuse a philosopher of missing the truth . . . is not to fault his intelligence or deny his genius . . . First, there are some mistakes stupid or mediocre minds are incapable of making . . . Second, philosophers are not aiming at pure, objective truth and nothing else. They are, consciously or not, trying to remedy troubles, partly theoretical but also partly practical, in their society or their personal lives . . . Third, each new cultural situation makes it easier than before to see some aspects of philosophical truth and may make it harder to see others. It also makes some aspects more, and others less, relevant. What is a mistake so far as mere truth is concerned may at the same time be a brilliant and useful error in its time and context and in that sense a success, not a failure.”
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 01:55:56 +0000
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