unaided quest of truth profitless
“All therefore who
ever sought the truth, trusting to themselves
to be able to find it, fell into a snare. This is
what both the philosophers of the Greeks, and the more intelligent of the barbarians, have
suffered. For, applying themselves to things visible, they have given decisions
by conjecture on things not apparent, thinking that that was truth which at any time presented itself to them as such. For, like persons who know the truth,
they, still seeking the truth, reject some of
the suppositions that are presented to them, and
lay hold of others, as if they knew, while they do not know, what things are true and
what are false. And
they dogmatize concerning truth, even those who are seeking after truth,
not knowing that he who seeks truth cannot learn it from his own wandering. For
not even, as I said, can he recognise her when she stands by him, since he is unacquainted with her.[1]
Throughout history, individuals who have pursued truth independently, relying solely on their own reasoning, have ultimately fallen into error. This fate befell both Greek philosophers and the more insightful among other cultures. By focusing on the observable world, they attempted to deduce conclusions about the unseen, mistakenly believing that whatever appeared true at any given moment actually was true. Like those who possess genuine knowledge, they critically examined presented ideas, rejecting some and accepting others. However, they did so with the illusion of certainty, unaware that their own understanding of truth was incomplete.
Furthermore, they confidently asserted their beliefs as absolute truths, even while actively seeking truth. This self-assurance reveals a fundamental misunderstanding: those who truly seek truth cannot discover it solely through their own independent explorations. In fact, even when truth stands directly before them, they may fail to recognize it due to their inherent lack of complete understanding.
Conclusion:
We must highlights the inherent limitations of individual reason in the pursuit of absolute truth. Relying solely on personal observation and conjecture inevitably leads to a degree of subjectivity and the potential for error. True understanding may require a deeper level of insight, perhaps through guidance from a higher source or a collective pursuit of knowledge that transcends individual limitations.
May the Spirit of Truth guides us to the absolute truth.
[1]
Pseudo-Clement of Rome. 1886. “The Clementine Homilies.” In Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries:
The Twelve Patriarchs, Excerpts and Epistles, the Clementina, Apocrypha,
Decretals, Memoirs of Edessa and Syriac Documents, Remains of the First Ages,
edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe, translated
by Thomas Smith, 8:230. The Ante-Nicene Fathers. Buffalo, NY: Christian
Literature Company.
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