Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Image from Wikipedia.
Joel Kontinen
Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) said, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Schopenhauer’s view might be construed as an interpretation of our understanding of science and our origins. The word science comes from the Latin sciencia, ‘knowledge’. It is a quest for the truth, or at least it should be.
But in reality, almost always a ruling paradigm dictates what counts for truth and what does not. This can be seen in the Darwinian reaction to Ben Stein’s film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Early in the film, Richard Dawkins says, “As a scientist I am pretty hostile to a rival doctrine”.
Evolutionists were not very pleased with this admission or with some others, judging from their posts on various Internet forums.
It seems that in the origins debate, Schopenhauer’s first two stages overlap. Rival, i.e. non-Darwinian explanations are both ridiculed and violently opposed.
But if Schophenhauer is right, they will eventually be accepted as being self-evident.
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