That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree?

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“That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree?

Knowledge has been and shall remain one of the highest and most coveted ideals for human beings. From sages and seers to scholars and philosophers, all have striven towards the elusive ideal of perfect knowledge. The fact that it is limitless only adds to the attraction, and therefore lifetimes are spent in unveiling barely the tip of the iceberg of knowledge.

             But according to Bertrand Russell “What men really want is not knowledge but certainty.” I cannot but agree to his claim that we need to be certain before we can value any kind of knowledge. This ‘certainty’ is what we can also term as assertions that are compounded with evidence. Without evidence assertions are but compilation of facts and figures that can carry no weight and can as easily be dismissed. Human tendency is to find evidence for all that is perceived, felt, read or heard. Little wonder then that ever since a toddler learns to speak, he applies the six “W’s” and the one “H” to every fact. This may be a simplistic version of the statement of Christopher Hitchens but this is my earliest quest for evidence as a knower. Believing is a prerequisite for mere assertions to become knowledge and we cannot believe what we cannot logically justify and justifications are founded on sound evidences.

           However the knowledge issue arising here is whether we dismiss all the assertions that are not supported by evidence. It is quite impossible to find proof for each fact or assertion that we learn. We believe that we can rely on our memories and that memories are usually accurate. However, in the history of litigation there are enough examples of eyewitnesses giving vague and hazy accounts which hamper rather than aid the course of law. Notwithstanding this fact knowers continue to perceive that memory will hold them in good stead. This is perhaps due to the fact that subjective concepts like memory are viewed and assessed with emotion and perception

           “A wise man,” wrote Hume, “proportions his belief to the evidence.”  This formulates the basis for evidentialism, a school of thought that any assertion, belief or thought is to be considered irrational and worthless if it is not justified by one’s own evidence. Perhaps the most interesting area of knowledge to analyze this standpoint would be Religion. Atheists deny the presence of any divine reality because they have no evidence that proves the existence of a god. However, their belief that there is no god also has no evidence and yet they cling to it. Therefore based on intuitive and emotional impulses knowers either believes or disbelieves in god and refuse to discard their assertions despite the lack of evidence. My grandmother devoutly believes in an omnipotent and benevolent God. When I ask her why does such a God cause suffering and why are prayers often not answered, she has no justification. She says that she may not have an evidence for her omniscient and omnipresent God but her unwavering faith suffuses her life with meaning and that is enough. It can thus be assumed that at least in the area of religion Christopher Hitchens’ stance on assertions and evidence does not convince knowers who operate on emotions.

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           It is the issue of evidence that creates the chasm between science and religion. In Natural Sciences and Mathematics, emotion takes a backseat while perception and reason join hands to justify assertions. I tend to agree with the claim of Tim Crane who wrote in Mystery and Evidence “Religion and science are very different kinds of attempt to understand the world.” Religion teaches to believe implicitly while science urges a knower to become a doubter and enquirer. As a student of Physics I read of the gravitational pull and also perceive it everywhere, and therefore Newton’s theory is ...

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