Thomas Aquinas summarized my own strong feeling: We cannot understand things . . . unless they are united to our intellect in such a way that the knower and the known become one. We might well take flight with that statement. Does it help us understand our faith? Christ told the disciples that he would leave them, but that he would be in them. He related his departure as necessary for them so that in his abandonment of the human body with its tie to nature he could then function freely in the supernatural and be (abide) with all those who would believe on him. The abiding Christian senses that reality, but could never prove it in nature. It is another of those gifts of God, and his spiritual gifts are invisible even when they are registered in some visible way Perhaps more of the experiences related to the miracle of God in the Christian are presumed to be accidental, or favorable chance, or even providential than related to any miracle. I divide God’s miracles into those which were registered from somewhere beyond nature as were the miracles of Jesus and the Apostles after him, and those providences that use nature, a medicine perhaps, to accomplish some divine purpose. The population assumes much of this is due to the efficacy and terms of science. The medical profession may call it remission, even unknown cause for recovery.
In the course of a long life as part of the context of higher education, I have since retirement begun to discover how evidence has gained/lost some of its luster during my lifetime. Scientists like to refer to hard evidence for that which is better than other forms of evidence. We will use just one form of evidence, statistics, to illustrate our problem. In the growing demand for evidence in the course of learning and application that became intense during the twentieth century, statistics appeared to be the most persuasive in the minds of scholars and publics, a common ingredient in speeches and publications. The interest continues, but is coming under more and more critical analysis because of the paradoxes and contradictions found in them, especially in those related to the social sciences. The problem is further complicated with the differences in the interpretation of even firm evidence, much less the flimsy proofs.
The reasons for uncertainty about the evidence of statistics are several: how they were collected; how large was the sample, how competent was the interpretation; how well formed were the questions; how were the responders competent to answer all the queries? The concerns extend – depending upon the nature of the study. Writing about Study of Studies using Art as the focus, Matthew Hutson, exposes some of the contradictions in the search for truth in an article entitled: What Is Art? Researchers found that respondents asked to project themselves into the future were more favorable to abstract art than if they were thinking currently so gave higher evaluation to art like Warhol’s painting of a Brillo box. Described a certain way a piece of art was raised in value than if presented in another way. Story appeared to determine value. If the painter was eccentric, had a mangled ear, or carried stone on his head — the responders liked it more. The title of the art piece affected value as Number 12 reduced value and Guardians of the Secret enhanced it. When abstract art was evaluated more than half of the respondents disagreed with the painters on which way was up for the piece. Up was determined by the researchers from the intent of the painter. Casual viewers of art did not agree with the professionals on the value of some art. (The Atlantic. July-August 2014 – Pg.28)
Reviewing evidence in various fields, even some hard evidence, the searcher for knowledge is rightly careful about becoming firm about much of what mankind believes and on which actions are taken, and in what volume an idea or action is believed, and if the majority or the minority opinion holds the greater force in the conclusion. Making the matter more complex is that freedom and change permit more than clear cut options between two choices, yes or no. Even the moment may have passed when the Yes turns to No, or No to Yes. This is well illustrated in the event of Israel reaching the border of the Promised Land, and made fearful to enter, drops away and waits forty years to gain the goal. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020