How Do We Know

23

THE STEPPINGSTONES TO KNOWLEDGE

It was said of one of the most intelligent men who ever lived in New England, that when asked how he came to know so much about everything, he replied, “By constantly realizing my own ignorance, and never being afraid or ashamed to ask questions.”

—TRYON EDWARDS

In his compilation of The New Dictionary of Thoughts, the American theologian, Tryon Edwards (1809-94) found others to confirm his views:

The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant.

—Richard Cecil

By ignorance is pride increased; those most assume who know the least.

—John Gay

Ignorance deprives men of freedom because they do not know what alternatives there are. It is impossible to choose to do what one has never “heard of.”

—Ralph Barton Perry

Anyone with a modicum of wisdom realizes the absurdity of running the lives of others. No one knows perfectly how to run his or her own life. It is said that “Pride goeth before a fall.” The millions overly proud account for the fall that has been upsetting the freedom way of life.

I use the past tense, “has been,” because of a firm belief that the societal pendulum has swung to the left—toward socialism—as far as it is going to go, and that it is about to swing toward the right—the freedom way of life. To be found in Matthew 5:38-39: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. I say unto you. That ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other [left] also.”

Here we have the use of “right” and “left” about 2,000 years ago. The counsel is of the highest order, namely, effective resistance to socialistic know-it-all-ness does not consist in smiting them—name-calling and so on—but only by the positive approach: presenting the case for liberty far better than we have been doing. Admittedly, the turnabout will be a miracle but as Goethe said, “Miracle is the darling child of faith.” We must have faith to win!

I have written time and time again that faith works miracles. Here are several proofs that I am an ideological and a politico-economic copycat and proud of it—looking for wisdom from my superiors:

There is no great future for any people whose faith has burned out or congealed. History records the ominous fact that national degeneration takes place where faith or vision fail or wane as surely as it does when economic assets shrink or when there is a dearth of sound money currency.

—Rufus M. Jones

Faith marches at the head of the army of progress. It is found beside the most refined life, the freest government, the profoundest philosophy, the noblest poetry, the purest humanity.

—T. T. Munger

Never yet did there exist a full faith in the divine word which did not expand the intellect while it purified the heart; which did not multiply the aims and objects of the understanding, while it fixed and simplified those of the desires and passions.

—Coleridge

We are establishing an all-time world record in the production of material things. What we lack is a righteous and dynamic faith. Without it, all else avails us little. The lack cannot be compensated for by politicians, however able; or by diplomats, however astute; or by scientists, however inventive; or by bombs, however powerful.

—John Foster Dulles

We, members of society, can expect no beneficial results short of a faith in—and practice of—righteousness, the Golden Rule being an excellent guideline: Never do unto others that which you would not have them do unto you. Dulles rejects bombs, however powerful; which is to say that mass murder multiplies rather than lessens mankind’s problems. I have recently written a pamphlet, Conscience on the Battlefield, an attempt on my part to demonstrate the absurdity of such action.1

Enough about the ignorance that torments all who have lived or now live. Let us reflect on its opposite, knowledge, that we may find the right steppingstones and move toward the proper goals; for “Knowledge advances by steps, not by leaps,” as Macaulay reminds us. Daniel Webster added his wisdom: “Knowledge is the only fountain, both of the love and the principles of human liberty.”

We have American history to prove this point. Our Founding Fathers were knowledgeable—statesmen, not politicians. In their search for righteousness they unseated government as the endower of men’s rights and placed the Creator there. George Washington phrased it excellently: “If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.”

Wrote Emerson: “Our knowledge is the amassed thought and experience of innumerable minds.” Suppose that you or I knew no more than that which is or has been original with us. Each of us would be a dummy or, to use the German term, a “dummkopf.” Socrates referred to himself as “a philosophical midwife.” He received from countless sources and shared. Those of us who have a modicum of knowledge do the same. The Sage of Concord has been and still is one of the innumerable minds I draw upon.

No one is expert in all subjects, so let us emphasize in our writing and conversation whatever our unique knowledge happens to be. The more we practice what we know, the more skilled we become, and our improved bits of wisdom should be employed on the next occasion, and the next. Put the best foot forward, as the saying goes.

Doing what is right and proper, such as adhering to the Ten Commandments and The Golden Rule, are gifts of Creation. Knowledge at your and my level is awareness of how the free and unfettered market works its wonders. When tiny bits of expertise—there are trillions of them—are free to flow, they configurate and result in ever-improving lives and livelihood. Let’s be worthy of our Heavenly gifts that others may build on what we have begun.

Finally, let us heed the counsel of the English educator, Thomas Arnold (1795-1842): “Real knowledge, like everything else of value, is not to be obtained easily. It must be worked for, studied for, thought for, and more than all, must be prayed for.” Let us pray for a knowledge of freedom!

• 1See Science Is a Sacred Cow by Anthony Standen (New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1950), pp. 63-64.