I am only certain of the mystery.
Descartes said he was certain of his own existence. Cogito ergo sum. His argument is logical, but it relates two mysteries, the ability to think, desire, feel, etc (the cogito), and "existence" (the latin sum). It creates a relation between them that seems psychologically necessary (by doubting my own existence I prove it, because I would not be able to doubt if I did not exist), however, because I really do not understand what existence is, or what the cogito is, I cannot really assess that relation. Although it seems obvious that, even for me to be deceived into a simulation (like in The Matrix) I would have to exist. But this is a psychological sense of obviousness, be it logical or intuitive it is still me who is finding it obvious. But for many people it was obvious that the earth could not move (or we would all the displaced by its movements) and yet, it moves. Most people would say that two parallel lines can never meet, and yet, they can in certain geometries. So what seems obvious to me sometimes is not real. So all these intuitions and evidences, however clear and distinct, only show that they are clear and distinct to me, nothing more. The things in themselves remain shrouded in mystery.
Another perhaps more interesting way out for Descartes is to show that there is an idea in him, the idea of an absolute perfection, that not only must exist (it's part of its perfection), but can also be a source of trust for me in what I experience. This source would not mislead me if I did the best I could in using the faculties given to me. This is an interesting idea, I wonder how many people can find in themselves such an idea of absolute perfection and, if they can find, how many would follow Descartes conclusion that such perfection must exist and must be entirely «good» (not jealous).
I must say I've found that idea in me, and, as a matter of fact, it is the only thing I hold secure: that existence is perfection, although we, with our limited minds, don't see it as such. Science, as far as I can see, reflects to a certain extent this perspective of existence. From the eyes of an animal - even an animal informed by a millennial culture like me - reality is visible only at a certain scale, simplified in an enormous extent. For instance we look at a tree and we see its fruits, its leaves, etc. However, if we look at what we found about the world through hundreds of years of critical thinking and experiments, we know that the tree is actually a set of elementary particles connected in very complex ways to the rest of the Cosmos. The tree obeys the same set of rules that other particles throughout the galaxy do, it is just their connection which renders the set as what we see with our human eyes as "tree". We can eat its "fruits" and sit in its shadows and breath it's oxygen. But one thing we cannot do is put the real image of the tree (the set of elementary particles) as an object of our perception. Neither our senses nor our minds are even remotely fit to the task. It is like asking an orangotang to give a class on general relativity.
What would we see if our brains and senses could really capture reality as science shows us it is? We would see the same rules and entities all around. Only the mixing would be different. And all these entities would derive from a particular law, translatable, we believe today, by a set of equations. This would be "Reality", this law and the way it unfolds to give rise to all that is, including our minds, tv shows, black holes and distant stars and planets.
To me this sounds harmonious to what I feel inside, that Perfection is Existence, that the only thing that Exists is perfection and we, as fluid beings, existing in space and time, are ways of expressing parts of the whole, but the whole never ceases to connect everything for every thing, to exist, depends on all the rest.
For instance, I kissed my girlfriend today, all that we felt, the thoughts and emotions, the touch, our relation, the home we live in, is only possible because there is a black hole in the center of this galaxy, because there is a sun exploding trillions of atoms in each nanosecond and because there are four thousand millions years of history of life in planet Earth. We are just a small fragment of that huge book, and we only make sense, we are only possible, in the context of that gigantic history.
In this perspective, it is not possible for men to understand itself. Our brains are too small and primitive. But we are the first species in this planet of which we know of that can build (at least in principle) artificial brains or make genetic improvements, so that, some day, perhaps thousands or millions of years from now, some conscious being will have that understanding. His mind will perhaps encompass much of the history of the earth, much more detail about the world around him, much more ability to describe and deal with so much complexity. He will see himself with a self-awareness regarding which we can only dream about.
We are the pioneers, we are bringing consciousness about. We are opening the horizon for a Mind, just like plants opened up the possibility of photosynthesis.
In the above text I detailed many theories and beliefs. That seems paradoxical in someone who started by declaring that he was only sure of the mystery.
There are several levels in which I can say I know something. For instance is someone asks me if this foreign coin is real I can say «yes, I brought it from my trips». If someone asks me if I trust my girlfriend I can say «yes». But all these certainties are based on bets that we do either consciously or unconsciously throughout our lives. For instance I may have decided that the most important thing in life was to understand the World around me, other people may have decided that it was «being happy», other to «be on top of the world», others to be «productive» and so on. There are myriads of choices. But what really assures you that what you decided to take as the most important goal is indeed important in itself. Some people don't care. They do what they like and that is enough. Is that the right perspective?
I am not sure of the answer to «how am I suppose to live». I've found many people who think they know what is best for me, some are religious, others are skeptics, others are artists, others are dreamers... but, although I can see their point most of the time, I really have not find the answer that fits me. In fact the only thing I know with absolute assurance is that I don't understand the world. I understand how a motorcar engine works, if its a four-cycle engine it will have at least two valves, but some (like my Toyota Starlet) have 12 and more. I know the importance of a good air filter for your carburetor to deliver... «I know» which means: «it usually works». I don't know why it works, I don't know what makes elementary particles and laws so stable, I don't understand why there is a world. I just know that, in the world I live in, four-cycle engines usually will work for years in top shape completing thousands of rotations per minute without most of its moving parts ever touching one another due to the qualities of the oil.
I am a functioning human being, I know how things work around me, I've learned. Socially, technologically, ethically, etc. Compared to my human fellows I am kind of normal, I can do the usual things most other people can do. But I am also deeply aware that, although it does work, I don't understand why it works or what it is that is working. I can understand how a motorcar engine runs but I haven't the faintest idea of what it is. That is, I cannot imagine how the motor would look like to someone who could see it in complete detail (at the level of elementary forces and particles, and the history and source that brought it to that particular space and time).
So, to me, more than 99% of the world is mystery. My main goal: to find clarity. How? I use science and critical thinking to examine my ideas and hypothesis, I distinguish and note what is absolutely clear to my mind, but I also drink from spiritual experiences, the senses, others reports, etc, to open up to the cosmos.
I feel very unfortunate to live in a society where people are either blinded by credulity or skepticism. I am a spiritual being, and my thinking generally agrees with that of Thomas Paine and others alike. Although I cannot claim to know that there is a God, I have no doubt that we, animals (even those helped by culture like us), have but the faintest clue of what's going on around them.
My goal is to find out whatever I can.
I am a searcher for clarity, my goal is Reality.