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.