Weston Lecture Handout - Newbigin House of Studies
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11/08/16 1 Revd Dr Paul Weston 11 July 2016 ‘Newbigin, Polanyi and the Adventure of Knowing’ Terry Eagleton (b.1943) Life for Dawkins would seem to divide neatly down the middle between things you can prove beyond all doubt, and blind faith.’ He fails to see that all the most interesCng stuff goes on in neither of these places. Reason, Faith, and Revolu9on: Reflec9ons on the God Debate (Yale, 2009), p.6‑7. Enlightenment objec3vism What can we know? A.J. Ayer (1910–1989) ‘What I believe’ (1966) I believe in science. That is, I believe that a theory about the way the world works is not acceptable unless it is confirmed by the facts, and I believe that the only way to discover what the facts are is by empirical observaCon. ‘Centuries of Western philosophy have led to our thinking that for knowledge to be objecCve and certain, the personal responsibility of the knower must be minimized to the point of eliminaCon. We have glorified an impersonalism and called it objecCvity.’ Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People (Brazos Press, 2003), p.147. Esther Meek (b. 1953) ‘Simply put: On a model that required certainty, certainty ended up dying....’ Longing to Know, p.181.
Transcript of Weston Lecture Handout - Newbigin House of Studies
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Revd DrPaulWeston11July2016
‘Newbigin,PolanyiandtheAdventureofKnowing’
TerryEagleton(b.1943)
LifeforDawkinswouldseemtodivideneatlydownthemiddlebetweenthingsyoucanprove
beyondalldoubt,andblindfaith.’Hefailstoseethatallthemost
interesCngstuffgoesoninneitheroftheseplaces.
Reason,Faith,andRevolu9on:Reflec9ons
ontheGodDebate(Yale,2009),p.6‑7.
Enlightenmentobjec3vism
Whatcanweknow?A.J.Ayer(1910–1989)
‘WhatIbelieve’(1966)
Ibelieveinscience.Thatis,Ibelievethatatheoryaboutthewaytheworldworksisnotacceptableunlessitisconfirmedbythefacts,andIbelievethattheonlywaytodiscoverwhatthefactsareisbyempiricalobservaCon.
‘CenturiesofWesternphilosophyhaveledtoourthinkingthatforknowledge
tobeobjecCveandcertain,thepersonalresponsibilityoftheknowermustbeminimizedtothepointofeliminaCon.Wehaveglorifiedan
impersonalismandcalleditobjecCvity.’
LongingtoKnow:ThePhilosophyofKnowledgeforOrdinaryPeople(Brazos
Press,2003),p.147.
EstherMeek(b.1953)
‘Simplyput:Onamodelthatrequiredcertainty,certaintyendedupdying....’
LongingtoKnow,p.181.
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Enlightenmentobjec3vism
Postmodernsubjec3vism
Whatcanweknow?Thereisn’tanylongeranyArchimedeanpointfromwhichtheworldcanbeunderstoodasitreallyis.Indeed,thenoConofwhatisreally,objecCvely,factuallyandliterallyjusttrue...hasceasedtobeuseful.PostmodernityisafluxofimagesandficCons...truthishuman,sociallyproduced,historicallydeveloped,pluralandchanging.
Crea9onoutofNothing(1991)
DonCupiA(b.1934)
ZygmuntBauman(b.1925)
PostmodernityanditsDiscontents(1997),p.24
‘Nothingcanbeknownforsure,andanythingwhichisknowncanbeknowninadifferentway–onewayofknowingisasgood,orasbad(andcertainlyasvolaCleandprecarious)asanyother....
(T)husthereisli`leintheworld
whichonecouldconsidersolidandreliable,nothingreminiscentofatoughcanvasinwhichonecouldweaveone'sownlifeiCnerary.’
‘InapreliminaryconsideraConofthesubjectwemayfairlysaythatthecentralimportanceascribedtorevelaConinChrisCanitydependsupontwobeliefsaboutthenatureoftheworldandof
man.
‘Revela1on’(StudentEssay,1936)
‘Firstlythebeliefthatthemeaningoftheworldispersonal.Forifthefinalmeaningoftheworldislessthanpersonal,thenit[is]bestunderstoodbythosemethodsofscepCcismandexperimentwhicharetherequisitesofscienCficenquiry,butwhichwouldbethecompletedestrucConof
anypersonalunderstanding.
‘Revela1on’(StudentEssay,1936)
‘Secondlythebeliefthatthemeaningofman’slifeisinfellowship:ifitwere
otherwise,weshouldnot...understandtheimmenselysignificantfactthatthe
revelaConwhichisthekeytoourhighestblessednessdoesnotdescendtous
straightfromheaven,buthastoreachuspassedfromhandtohandofourfellow
menalongthechainofahistoriccommunity.
‘Revela1on’(StudentEssay,1936)
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...bothofthesebeliefsareessenCalelementsintheChrisCanviewof
revelaCon:thefirstwithoutthesecondwouldmakewayforanindividualisCcmysCcismveryremotefromthegenius
ofChrisCanity;...thesecondwithoutthefirst–a
beliefinhumansolidarityapartfromapersonalinterpretaConoftheworld–
isperfectlycompaCblewiththattyrannyofsecond-handinformaConwhichisthecharacterisCcoftheage
calledscienCfic.
‘Revela1on’(StudentEssay,1936)
‘Forweknowapersononlyashechoosestorevealhimself,andonlyasourownspiritissensiCveandtrushultorespondtohisrevelaCon,andifthemeaningoftheworldispersonalthen
revelaConistheonlypathbywhichitcanbemadeknowntous.’
‘Revela1on’(StudentEssay,1936)
‘Godhasshinedinourhearts–saysStPaul–“togivethelightoftheknowledgeofthegloryofGodinthefaceofJesus
Christ”(2Cor.4.6).’
MichaelPolanyi(1891-1976)
PersonalKnowledge:TowardsaPost-Cri9calPhilosophy(1958)
HonestReligionforSecularMan(1966)‘ReadersofPersonalKnowledgebyMichaelPolanyi...willrecognizeinwhatfollowsmy
debttothisbook.’(p.81)
• ‘Thefirstoneistheobviousone,thatknowingisaskill.’
• ‘Secondly,learningisaskillwhichisexercisedonlyinacommunity.’
• ‘Thirdly,allknowinginvolvescommitmentandthereforeanelementofrisk.’
pp.7-9
Whatisinvolvedintheprocessofknowing?
ChristourEternalContemporary(Madras:CLS,1968)
LecturesfromateachingmissionatVelloreChris9anMedicalCollegeandHospital
(July1966)
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‘Forms’ofknowing
‘Scien9ficobjec9vism’
‘WearelivinginaCmewhentheidealofknowledgeisaknowledgeofthephysicalworldwhichcaninprinciplebereducedtomathemaCcalformulaewhichcanbe,if
necessary,storedinanelectroniccomputer.Thatistheidealofknowledge,andother
knowledgeisacceptedasreliableinsofarasitapproachesthatideal.’
ChristOurEternalContemporary(1968),p.13.
‘Worldofpuresubjec9vity’
‘Forms’ofknowing
‘Scien9ficobjec9vism’
‘IfyouaskthegreattradiConofHinduspiritualitythequesCon“Howdoyouknow?”theanswerulCmatelywouldbe...something
alongtheselines,“Ifyouwilldisciplineyourself,ifyouwilldisciplineyoursensestothepointwhereyouarewithdrawnfromall
thecontactsofthesensibleworldintoaworldofpuresubjecCvity,youwillknowthattheretheulCmaterealityistobefound–that
athmaandbrahmaareone;youwillknow”...
AndthisconceptofknowledgewhichhasbeensotremendouslyinfluenCalinthethoughtofthiscountry[India],findsits
assurance,itsforceofcerCtude,ulCmatelyinthatmysCcalexperienceoftheunityof
theconsciousself.’
ChristOurEternalContemporary(1968),p.13.
‘Worldofpuresubjec9vity’
‘Mutualknowledgeof
persons’
‘Forms’ofknowing
‘Scien9ficobjec9vism’
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‘ThebasicidealofknowledgeintheBibleisthemutualknowledgeofpersons....HereifyouaskthequesCon“Howdoyouknow?”,theanswerisfoundintheexperienceofpersonalrelaConship,intheadventureoftrustand
commitmenttoanotherperson.Youdonotknowanotherpersonexceptwhenbothofyouarewillingtoenteruponthatadventureoftrustandcommitment...all
knowledgeinvolvescommitmentandrisk...here,intheknowledgeofanotherperson,anewdimensionofknowledgeopensup.’
pp.13-14
‘IfyouaskthequesCon“Howdoyouknow?”aboutthatkindofknowledge,theanswerwillalwaysrunalongsomesuchlinesasthese:“Iknowbecauseofwhathedid;Iknow
becauseofwhathesaid;becauseheopeneduphismindtomeand
becausehiswordandhisdeedswereconsistentwitheachotherandbecausethey
revealedthesamekindofperson,becauseoveralongperiodwhathehassaidandwhathehasdonehavebothopenedup
thesamekindofpersontome.BecauseofthatIknowhimandknowthatI
cantrusthim”.’p.16
Howdoyouknow?
‘IfyouaskthequesCon“Howdoyouknow?”aboutthatkindofknowledge,theanswerwillalwaysrunalongsomesuchlinesasthese:“Iknowbecauseofwhathedid;Iknow
becauseofwhathesaid;becauseheopeneduphismindtomeand
becausehiswordandhisdeedswereconsistentwitheachotherandbecausethey
revealedthesamekindofperson,becauseoveralongperiodwhathehassaidandwhathehasdonehavebothopenedup
thesamekindofpersontome.BecauseofthatIknowhimandknowthatI
cantrusthim”.’p.16
Howdoyouknow?
‘Theavowedpurposeoftheexactsciencesistoestablishcomplete
intellectualcontroloverexperienceintermsofpreciseruleswhichcanbe
formallysetoutandempiricallytested.’
MichaelPolanyi(1891-1976)
‘Couldthatidealbefullyachieved,alltruthanderrorcouldhenceforthbeascribedtoanexacttheoryoftheuniverse,whilewewhoacceptthistheorywouldberelievedofany
occasionforexercisingourpersonaljudgement.’
‘Thepurposeofthisbookisto...jusCfymypersistence...inra`lingallthe
skeletonsinthecupboardofthecurrentscienCficoutlook.’
‘toshowthatcompleteobjecCvityasusuallya`ributedtotheexactsciencesisa
delusionandisinfactafalseideal.’
PersonalKnowledge(1958),p.18
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‘TheenquiringscienCst’sinCmaConsofahiddenrealityarepersonal....YettheyarenotasubjecCvestateof
mind,butconvicConsheldwithuniversalintent.’
p.311
LesslieNewbigin
‘Polanyiunmaskstheillusionthatscienceisaseparatekindof
knowledge,sharplydisCnguishedfromthevastareasofour
everydayknowingwhichwedonotcall“scienCfic”.’
‘Foreword’
DrusillaSco`,EverymanRevived:TheCommonSenseofMichaelPolanyi(1995),
p.iv
...theproperformofapologeCcsisthepreachingofthegospelitselfandthedemonstraCon–whichisnotmerelyorprimarilyama`erofwords–thatitdoesprovidethebestfoundaConforawayofgraspinganddealingwiththemysteryofourexistenceinthisuniverse.Needlesstosay,thisdemonstraConcanneverbemorethanparCalandtentaCve.Itis,
accordingtothegospel,onlyonthedayofjudgmentthatthedemonstraConwill
becompleteanddecisive.
UnClthen,mycommitmenttothetruthofthegospelisacommitmentoffaith.IfI
amfurtherpressedtojusCfythiscommitment(asIhaveorenbeen),myonlyresponsehastobeapersonalconfession.Thestoryisnotmy
construcCon.InwaysthatIcannotfullyunderstandbutalwaysthroughthe
witnessofthosewhowentbeforemeinthecompanyofthosecalledtobe
witnesses,lhavebeenlaidholdofandchargedwiththeresponsibilityoftelling
thisstory.
ProperConfidence(1995),p.94
‘We’renolongerwearinganepistemologicalstraitjacket;we’rewearinganepistemologicalleotard.’
LongingtoKnow(2003),p.55.
EstherMeek(b.1953) ‘Thisisthetruepa`ernofknowledge.Itis
acommitment.ItisacommitmentinresponsetoHimwhohascommi`edHimselftous,anditisthereforean
adventureuponwhichIwilljoyfullystakeallthatIhave.’
ChristOurEternalContemporary(1968),p.22.
