{"id":7774,"date":"2023-05-12T02:09:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T02:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/?p=7774"},"modified":"2024-10-08T15:55:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T15:55:28","slug":"how-to-believe-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/2023\/05\/12\/how-to-believe-the-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Believe the Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"7774\" class=\"elementor elementor-7774\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1cb0b46 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1cb0b46\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f8d7eba\" data-id=\"f8d7eba\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c3e4ae elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3c3e4ae\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"430\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-9.02.22-PM.png?fit=430%2C684&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8068\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-9.02.22-PM.png?w=430&amp;ssl=1 430w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-9.02.22-PM.png?resize=189%2C300&amp;ssl=1 189w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0bd713 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"f0bd713\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Believe the Truth<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e8f4c3d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e8f4c3d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8610543\" data-id=\"8610543\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e946a53 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e946a53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We build our whole lives around what we believe is the truth about God and the world<em>\u2014<\/em>but how on earth do we decide what to believe?\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e235bc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0e235bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>By Collin Slowey<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b19c4aa\" data-id=\"b19c4aa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e9a16e6 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e9a16e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>To live well, or even just to live, we human beings must hold beliefs about God, ourselves, and the world around us. To do otherwise is simply impossible\u2014even the complete agnostic believes that he is incapable of knowing anything, or that his willful ignorance is justified. We can no more operate without beliefs than deny our nature.<\/p><p>At the same time, we must recognize that believing is a difficult and dangerous responsibility. A wife who believes her unreliable husband to be trustworthy will be all the more wounded when she discovers he is having an affair. Similarly, a young man who joins a dangerous political cause because he believes it is just may find himself morally and legally compromised if the opposite is true. In short, when our beliefs are out of line with the objective reality of things, we tend to suffer for it. So how can we improve our ability to tell fact from fiction, thereby more closely aligning our beliefs with the truth?<\/p><p>Our culture typically answers this question by encouraging us to gather more and better data, whether by reading more trustworthy Internet sources, seeking out both sides of a given story, or gathering statistics. But that advice is based on two false assumptions. The first is that consuming information infallibly brings a person closer to the truth. The second is that human beings come to their views by means of a mathematical function\u2014that is, by running external \u201cinputs\u201d though purely mechanical mental processes to generate \u201coutputs.\u201d Both assumptions can be disproven by observing how different people may take the exact same information and draw completely different conclusions from it, or how a person may be unable to intellectually refute a given argument but will still vigorously deny its implications.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c554434 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c554434\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a426a6f\" data-id=\"a426a6f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-02608b3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"02608b3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"611\" height=\"791\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wheel.png?fit=611%2C791&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8070\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wheel.png?w=611&amp;ssl=1 611w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Wheel.png?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-03436b4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"03436b4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our beliefs about ourselves, the created order, and the Creator form the basis of both our day-to-day and our once-in-a-lifetime decisions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c065d08\" data-id=\"c065d08\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f0f850 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f0f850\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ultimately, the quantity and quality of our intellectual data do matter, but they do not directly determine our beliefs. Rather, we arrive at our views, consciously or unconsciously, through a faculty of mental judgment. This is the great insight of Cardinal John Henry Newman in his treatise on epistemology, <em>The Grammar of Assent<\/em>. \u201cIt is the mind that reasons, and that controls its own reasonings,\u201d Newman writes, \u201cnot any technical apparatus of words and propositions.\u201d Words and propositions may influence us through the ideas they communicate, but they themselves are powerless to change what we think. Simply put, we believe things when we come to believe them\u2014it is circular, but it is the way human beings work.<\/p><p>Newman calls this faculty of \u201cjudging and concluding\u201d the \u201cIllative Sense\u201d (\u201cillation\u201d is the process of making logical inferences). Operating in an Aristotelian framework, he argues that its character is \u201can acquired habit\u201d \u201cformed and matured by practice,\u201d like the character of man\u2019s moral faculties. For Newman, the Illative Sense is to the mind what <em>phronesis<\/em>\u2014prudence\u2014is to morality. To appropriate Thomas Aquinas\u2019s language, it is the \u201ccharioteer\u201d of the intellectual virtues, and it may lead a person closer to or farther from the truth over time, depending on its strength or weakness.<\/p><p>Thinking about the Illative Sense might seem overly abstract or merely academic. But it is actually eminently practical, because all of us wrestle with questions of the mind, whether we are \u201cintellectuals\u201d or not. Our beliefs about ourselves, the created order, and the Creator form the basis of both our day-to-day and our once-in-a-lifetime decisions. Whether someone chooses to plant a garden, go to work on a Friday morning, or propose to his girlfriend, it is typically because he believes that his choice will make him happy, which presumes a belief that happiness is worth pursuing, which presumes certain beliefs about human nature, which presumes certain beliefs about God, and so on. So it would behoove us to hone our Illative Sense as much as possible\u2014which brings us once again to the question of how we should go about doing that.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-578f4c1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"578f4c1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d7d2a3e\" data-id=\"d7d2a3e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d4fca90 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"d4fca90\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"707\" height=\"694\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Code-Cloud.png?fit=707%2C694&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8069\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Code-Cloud.png?w=707&amp;ssl=1 707w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Code-Cloud.png?resize=300%2C294&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ba1d81 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3ba1d81\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ours is a world full of to-do lists and Twitter feeds, nagging unread emails and incessantly buzzing group chats.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-75a3d8e\" data-id=\"75a3d8e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d00013d elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d00013d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The simplest (correct) answer is the Aristotelian rejoinder that we attain virtue by behaving virtuously. Applied to the Illative Sense, that would mean that we can improve our faculty of intellectual judgment by choosing to believe the truth repeatedly over time. It might sound obvious, but it is good advice. The surest way to fall into error is to knowingly commit self-deceit, while the desire for and pursuit of what is right and good is always fruitful. As the Book of Proverbs says: \u201cThe beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight\u201d (4:7 ESV). Aside from that basic observation, though, what are some 21st-century best practices that can protect us from misdirection and help improve our Illative Sense?<\/p><p>The first that comes to mind is restricting intellectual \u201cnoise.\u201d Ours is a world full of to-do lists and Twitter feeds, nagging unread emails and incessantly buzzing group chats. These things are not bad in and of themselves, but they become dangerous when they overwhelm our mental faculties. If we\u2019re not careful, we may find ourselves \u201cthinking\u201d so much that we cannot actually think at all. At that moment, when the senses are engaged but the mind is dulled, we lose the ability to practice true judgment, and we are liable to be unwittingly deceived.<\/p><p>One solution to this is simply to consume less information. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom, which sees the acquisition of more data and appeals to ever-higher authorities as reliable paths to truth. But all the data in the world are useless if we are so burdened by them that we cannot make sense of them. Moreover, we must remember that the highest authority of all is God, and that He speaks most clearly to minds that are calm and attentive. In the words of Cardinal Robert Sarah, author of <em>The Power of Silence<\/em>, \u201cIf our \u2018interior cell phone\u2019 is always busy because we are \u2018having a conversation\u2019 with other creatures, how can the Creator reach us, how can he \u2018call us\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-46de6c3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"46de6c3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2d0f9b0\" data-id=\"2d0f9b0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7208f1a elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7208f1a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"524\" height=\"671\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Rocking-Out.png?fit=524%2C671&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8071\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Rocking-Out.png?w=524&amp;ssl=1 524w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Rocking-Out.png?resize=234%2C300&amp;ssl=1 234w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a519275 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a519275\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Plato understood that truth is an end in itself, which one must approach with disinterested yearning to enjoy.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-028d8cc\" data-id=\"028d8cc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-593c9f5 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"593c9f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Another, closely related way to strengthen the Illative Sense is to focus the mind on personal responsibilities and the legitimate pursuit of liberal learning. The average 21st-century adult spends a great deal of mental energy on ideas that are genuinely important\u2014but perhaps important to someone else, rather than to the person at hand. We readily believe that by wading into political, moral, or intellectual debates we have no personal experience of or expertise in, we are doing good work and being responsible citizens. But is that really the case?<\/p><p>For centuries, Christian moralists have considered curiosity to be a vice. Ancient theologians like Augustine, medieval scholastics like Aquinas, and modern thinkers like Hans Boersma alike argue that while knowledge is good, its pursuit may be disordered if directed by a desire for mere intellectual gratification rather than true wisdom. Whether the subject of that knowledge is trivial (e.g., the score of the latest Baylor\u2013TCU game) or elevated (e.g., the difference between <em>quidditas <\/em>and <em>haecceitas<\/em>) makes no difference. According to the Christian tradition, any investigation or discussion may become a distraction unless it helps us help others or develops our own virtues in a concrete way.<\/p><p>Computers and cell phones make it difficult to avoid curiosity, because they lend a sense of urgency to things that may not actually deserve our attention. They even make it feel wrong to look away from them. \u201cIt would be hardhearted,\u201d we may think to ourselves, \u201cto ignore this article about the latest child murder,\u201d or, \u201cIt would be irresponsible not to read up on the latest genocide in the third world.\u201d The fact of the matter, however, is that we best serve God\u2014and our neighbor\u2014when our minds are sharp. And our minds are sharpest when they are not worried about issues that are totally beyond our responsibility or experience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-78d671b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"78d671b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d48c7c8\" data-id=\"d48c7c8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-546bc87 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"546bc87\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"622\" height=\"646\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Newman-with-iPad-1.png?fit=622%2C646&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8073\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Newman-with-iPad-1.png?w=622&amp;ssl=1 622w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Newman-with-iPad-1.png?resize=289%2C300&amp;ssl=1 289w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 622px) 100vw, 622px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b27b704 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b27b704\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We best serve God\u2014and our neighbor\u2014when our minds are sharp.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-af847d1\" data-id=\"af847d1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-582355a elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"582355a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Finally, perhaps the best way to hone the Illative Sense is to practice a receptive\u2014as opposed to possessive\u2014attitude toward the truth. Since the likes of Francis Bacon and Niccol\u00f2 Machiavelli became preeminent in Western cultures, we have been mired in the belief that truth is essentially a tool for the betterment of human life. But Plato understood that truth is an end in itself, which one must approach with disinterested yearning to enjoy. And in Jesus Christ, God revealed that Truth is really a Person, who will not allow Himself to be mastered or used for selfish purposes.<\/p><p>Thus the <em>way<\/em> we interact with truth determines how able we are to distinguish it from falsehoods\u2014and reap the benefits of wisdom in consequence. If we enter intellectual debates as warriors entering a battlefield, intent on using mental force to achieve victory, we are sure to fail, even if we \u201cwin\u201d by the world\u2019s standards. Similarly, if we pursue knowledge as a source of security, motivated by anxiety or fear, it will slip out of our grasp. But if we treat Truth as an honored guest, Whom we are unworthy to receive and incapable of controlling, but nevertheless willing to serve, He will invariably come to us. God hides His mysteries from \u201cthe wise and understanding\u201d but reveals them to \u201clittle children\u201d (Matthew 11:25).<\/p><p>Cardinal Newman knew this well. In his chapter on the Illative Sense, he writes that in all things, but \u201cespecially\u2026 as regards religious and ethical inquiries,\u201d we can learn nothing, \u201chowever much we exert ourselves,\u201d without a divine sanction. Newman even speculates that God has made the theological\u2013philosophical \u201cpath of thought rugged and circuitous above all others,\u201d so that \u201cthe very discipline inflicted on our minds in finding Him, may mould them into devotion to Him when He is found.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-60c8e6d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"60c8e6d\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c437573\" data-id=\"c437573\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07a2e42 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"07a2e42\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"611\" height=\"789\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Collin-cloud.png?fit=611%2C789&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-8074\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Collin-cloud.png?w=611&amp;ssl=1 611w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Collin-cloud.png?resize=232%2C300&amp;ssl=1 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2044bad elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2044bad\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Truth only comes to dwell with us when we desire Him for His own sake.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-df2d7dc\" data-id=\"df2d7dc\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-deb9d5d elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"deb9d5d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The idea that humility and reverence for the things that are above us are among the most\u2014if not <em>the <\/em>most\u2014prerequisite virtues for good mental judgment stands in stark contrast to the mechanistic model of epistemology we are accustomed to. It is a rebuke to modernity\u2019s irrational obsession with quantitative data. But Newman\u2019s insights are also a rebuke to pride generally, including religious pride. They remind us that no person, whether because he has access to statistics or because he has access to divine revelation, should imagine that he has mastery over the Truth. He who does so will make himself a fool in the end.<\/p><p>In the end, the answer to the question of how one may hone one\u2019s Illative Sense is the answer to every question of self-improvement: \u201cSeek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you\u201d (Matthew 6:33). The ability to distinguish fact from fiction is exceptionally valuable. \u201cWisdom is better than jewels,\u201d as Proverbs declares (8:11). But if we want to acquire it, we cannot make an idol of our own intellectual gratification. Truth only comes to dwell with us when we desire Him for His own sake.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-602a8e3 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"602a8e3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b2f0a50\" data-id=\"b2f0a50\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2860946 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2860946\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Illustrations by Anthony Fosu<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-efd7427\" data-id=\"efd7427\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b9725a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9b9725a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Collin Slowey<\/strong> <em>is a writer living and working in Washington, D.C. He hails from Bryan, Texas, and holds a degree from Baylor University. Collin&#8217;s work can also be found in P<\/em>ublic Discourse<em>,\u00a0<\/em>The American Conservative<em>, and <\/em>The Dallas Morning News<em>, among other outlets.<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We build our whole lives around what we believe is the truth about God and the world\u2014but how on earth do we decide what to believe? By Collin Slowey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":8068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"0","ocean_second_sidebar":"0","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"0","ocean_custom_header_template":"0","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"0","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"0","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"off","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","category-issue-27","entry","has-media"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farefwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Screen-Shot-2023-05-11-at-9.02.22-PM.png?fit=430%2C684&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7774"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8142,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7774\/revisions\/8142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farefwd.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farefw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