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I’ll never be ashamed to quote a bad writer with a good saying.”
Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 11.8
When we’re on the quest for Wisdom, it’s all about data. Does it matter what the source? Does the wisdom of “do unto others” not apply to you if you’re Pagan or Hindu? What about medicine? So much of what we know about modern medicine came out of horrific practices to the underserved and underprivileged. Do we throw that valuable information away because of how it came to be, or because of what terrible people made the discoveries?
Oddly enough, Isaac Bonewits’ magical Law of Pragmatism comes into play here when we’re talking about “all sources”. I say it was odd because Bonewits was posthumously implicated in being sexually inappropriate with children. He was a great scholar, brilliant thinker, and crucial player in the growth of neopaganism in the US… and there are implications on his character. Do we toss the wisdom out with the bathwater? I’d hope not.
In any case, Bonewits’ Law of Pragmatism states: If a pattern of belief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals, than that belief or behavior is “true” or “real” or “sensible” on whatever levels of reality are involved. In other words, if it works, then it’s true. (Bonewits, Real Magic, p. 13-14)
So, all sources, as long as they’re true and valid, are valuable.
Filtering the wheat from the chaff is just a part of gathering the wheat.
(See y’all tomorrow)
Oddly enough, Isaac Bonewits’ magical Law of Pragmatism comes into play here when we’re talking about “all sources”. I say it was odd because Bonewits was posthumously implicated in being sexually inappropriate with children. He was a great scholar, brilliant thinker, and crucial player in the growth of neopaganism in the US… and there are implications on his character. Do we toss the wisdom out with the bathwater? I’d hope not.
In any case, Bonewits’ Law of Pragmatism states: If a pattern of belief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals, than that belief or behavior is “true” or “real” or “sensible” on whatever levels of reality are involved. In other words, if it works, then it’s true. (Bonewits, Real Magic, p. 13-14)
So, all sources, as long as they’re true and valid, are valuable.
Filtering the wheat from the chaff is just a part of gathering the wheat.
(See y’all tomorrow)
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