Original scientific paper

Cognition between Faith and Doubt

Milan Polić ; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Except for intuitive cognitions by which (self)consciousness is immediately aware of itself as existing, all other cognitions are mediated in multiple ways. To make this possible in the first place they need to be based on the belief from which even the most modest hypotheses can stem. Although firm faith or at least some kind of similar belief in the validity of the hypotheses is the necessary origin of every mental-rational cognition, doubt is the only thing that can lead to knowledge from those hypotheses. Faith which is not open to doubt and verification is cognitively futile. Furthermore, it is truth-evasive.
Bearing that in mind doubt is that what makes thinking critical and draws the boundary between philosophy as philo-sophia and arrogant dogmatism, pure-sense limitation and ideological falseness.
So if mental-rational cognition without faith or at least belief is not possible, the faith which does not respect or which even negates mental-rational cognition is unworthy of living.

Keywords

truth; cognition; suspicion; belief; creed; knowledge

Hrčak ID:

37065

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/37065

Publication date:

18.2.2009.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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