A History of Doubt by Krista Tippett

Speaking of Faith, the popular radio program by Krista Tippett, discusses the role of doubt in religious beliefs throughout the ages in the episode A History of Doubt. Tippett is joined by historian and poet, Jennifer Michael Hecht, and Hecht's book, Doubt: A History, forms the basis of their conversation.

Jennifer Michael Hecht has a very encouraging outlook on the issue of doubt. Only recently has "doubt" been directly associated with non-believers. Doubt, to question what seems to be wrong or incredible, had always been a constructive force, a force that was built on the possibility of answers and explanations still uninhabited by the human mind. It had been the ladder to progress in many ancient societies and the key to numerous innovative ideas and philosophies. This is often forgotten today and the steady times throughout history are concentrated on as being the most flourishing. 

The hour starts with the discussion of the vocabulary that was used to classify doubters during the time of the Greek civilization and what those words stand for at present. The word "cynic" comes from the Greek word for dog and was referred to the nonchalant lifestyles of some philosophers of the time as opposed to the nihilistic stance that we use the word for today. Alexander the Great and Diogenes the original cynic, were known to be much similar at the root, but how the difference in their ambition and philosophies shaped their lives in reverse directions, come up in the context. 

As Wilson Mizner, playwright of The Deep Purple said, "I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education", without doubt and questioning, there can be no innovation. The greatest imperfection in most religious schools of thought is probably the dissuasion that they impose on the exploration of new ideas. The resulting lack of curiosity leads to the bland lifestyle and thinking process that we have seen many people face today, as well as in the past. However, it is thought that religious beliefs are crucial to the common people, for whom it may be difficult to accept the uncertainties related to these philosophies. The possibility that there is no justice in the universe, and that death is the ultimate irrevocable termination of our existence may come as a frightful shock to many. 

This widely acclaimed episode has much to offer to the curious and doubtful hearts out there. With the discussion of how doubt has been present all through the pages of history, we find that doubt is not as modern an idea as it might have been perceived to be, but an omnipresent line of thought in all great communities and civilizations throughout the ages.

So yeah, that's about it. I just made brush over sketch of the talk. Interested folks may want to download it from the link provided. It is, of course, a free download. J

A History of Doubt by Krista Tippett on Audio Download

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The Eastern Dog

Have you noticed the prevalence of cats over dogs in a mediocre Bangladeshi house hold? I did. Having house pets (not dairy or farm animals and those are not house pets anyway) is not a very popular convention in an average Bangladeshi household. Still in exceptions where there is a pet it is invariably a cat and not a dog; if it is a dog it is almost always treated as a farm animal that lives outside the household, barks incessantly and eventually bores itself to silence, does not produce milk or any other edibles for that matter and wags its tail violently in an outburst of glee when the master does so much as call it by its "western" name. The post colonial dog does not have the permission to enter a Bengali house hold. Its fate is like that of colonial India, which is reflected in a mock rhetoric dedication of Nirad C. Chowdhury's " The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian" which read, 'To the memory of the British Empire in India ,Which conferred subject hood upon us ,But withheld citizenship.' The dogs that are there not really pets you see, they are just animals that add to the master's elegance and fine taste. They are turned beautifully bovine, while their feline counterparts are given a virtual membership of the household.

      Here, dogs are considered impure. But why is that? What is the actual reason for this animosity towards dogs? Why do we persist in saying dogs are impure, and cleaning and purifying our homes from top to bottom if a dog happens to enter? Why do we believe that those who touch them spoil their ablutions? If our dresses brush against their damp fur, why do we insist on washing that dress seven times like a frenzied woman? Only the fanatics could be responsible for the slander that a pot licked by a dog must be thrown away or re-tinned. Or perhaps, yes, cats…….