"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
-Friedrich Nietzsche
This is one of my favorite Nietzschean aphorisms. Having a conviction means feeling, instead of thinking, that something is true. A lie can be proven wrong; a conviction, on the other hand, can be maintained no matter what evidence or facts exist to impugn it. This is why convictions play such a vital role in religion; they allow the complete epistemic insulation that one needs in order to believe things without any reason at all.
With an upcoming election, we would do well to remember Nietzsche's words whenever a politician is praised for "the strength of his convictions".
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To be wise, observe; for observation is the source of wisdom.
"A wonderful, maaaagical animal!"
To be wise, observe; for observation is the source of wisdom.
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Why the learned pig?
In early 19th-century America, a certain traveling show featured a remarkable pig that, on command, could spell out letters to form words. This "pig of knowledge", or "learned pig", baffled superstitious mobs, and excited frenzied accusations of witchcraft. In response, the pig's trainer published a pamphlet that sought to dispel the rumors by detailing his methods of instruction, and demonstrating that this apparent miracle could be accounted for through reason and observation alone.
Tacitus once wrote, "everything unknown passes for something splendid." Humans by nature desire to know, and when they encounter something seemingly inexplicable, they tend to fill in the holes with religion, superstition, or inane anti-intellectualism that dismisses the need for knowledge altogether. But these are cowardly subsitutes for reason and observation. The learned pig reminds us that if we wish to be wise, "observe; for observation is the source of wisdom."
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