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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?

From The world question center:, described by the BBC as "the crack cocaine of the thinking world."
What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?

Great minds can sometimes guess the truth before they have either the evidence or arguments for it (Diderot called it having the "esprit de divination"). What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?

Interesting answers from such intellectuals as Richard Dawkins, Jared Diamond, Benoit Mandelbrot (The inventor of fractals), Ian McEwan: "...that no part of my consciousness will survive my death.", Michael Shermer: "...that reality exists over and above human and social constructions of that reality."

More Philosophy & Reflection

1 comment:

Red Jenny said...

Well, I see several women there: Janne Levin (whose answer is particularly witty), Alison Gopnick, Susan Blackmore, Judith Rich Harris, Lynn Margulis, Elizabeth Spelke, Irene Pepperberg, Maria Spiropulu, Esther Dyson, Margaret Wertheim, Rebecca Goldstein, Christine Finn, Verena Huber-Dyson, Carolyn Porco, Pamela McCorduck, Ellen Winner, Marti Hearst... Hopefully I didn't miss any.

I have no idea if any of them are feminists though - do you? I'd be interested to know.