Is 'No Explanation' Good Explanation? (agnostic, God, Zen)

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by Willamena

Certainly. But other things, too, will never be resolved in one life-time. If "no explanation" cannot be satisfactory, that is a formula for life-long discontent.

Only if you believe in an absolute Truth.

[Fluffy]

"No explanation" is not an explanation and therefore cannot be a good one.

As an alternative to an explanation, I feel that it suffers. If there is actually no explanation then obviously it is the only correct position, and therefore the best position, to take. However, if it is taken due to ignorance of an explanation then it seems better to simply admit that the explanation is not known rather than deny the existence of that explanation.

Once we have admitted that we do not know the explanation it seems obvious that then asserting any explanation is completely unreasonable. In most situations we do not know the explanation but we are able to suggest, through reason, those explanations that are more plausible than others and so it is evident which positions we should choose. If all explanations happen to be equally plausible, and I cannot think of a situation in which this is so, then choosing the position of not knowing seems to be the most rational.

This is far less confusing if the goal of the quest for knowledge is kept in mind at all times. By making assertions for which we have no justification, we necessarily cut off all other avenues that cannot agree with our assertions. It seems that plausibility is the best measurement that we might use to pick and choose our explanations and, in the definably unlikely event that a less plausible solution should prove true over one more plausible, a dose of scepticism would also be very useful.

So keeping those two things in mind, it doesn't seem difficult to immediatly discount any unjustified assertion in favour of just about any other position including the lack of one.

[Pah]

Originally Posted by Willamena

I've heard it said oftentimes on the forum that "there is no other explanation, so it must be god (or whatever)." And that got me to thinking: what is wrong with "no explanation"?

Must everything have an explanation?

Is "no explanation" enough to satisfy you?

"No explanation", and that's proper, says just that. There can be no positive default.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Ozzie

Only if you believe in an absolute Truth.

There is no other kind; but, I don't understand what you mean.

[Fluffy]

There is no other kind; but, I don't understand what you mean.

There is also relative truth!!! Don't forget about relative truth whatever you do... it trumps absolute truth any day!

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by Willamena

Certainly. But other things, too, will never be resolved in one life-time. If "no explanation" cannot be satisfactory, that is a formula for life-long discontent.

What's wrong with that? Would you really want to stop exploring and learning?

[Tigress]

Originally Posted by Willamena

I've heard it said oftentimes on the forum that "there is no other explanation, so it must be god (or whatever)." And that got me to thinking: what is wrong with "no explanation"?

Must everything have an explanation?

Is "no explanation" enough to satisfy you?

Honestly, I despise not knowing things, and no, no explanation is never enough to satisfy me. I'm trying to overcome this, but it's an extremely slow process.

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by Fluffy

There is also relative truth!!! Don't forget about relative truth whatever you do... it trumps absolute truth any day!

What is relative truth?

[Willamena]

Originally Posted by doppelgänger

What's wrong with that? Would you really want to stop exploring and learning?

I'd rather be happy. (just like in your Wellness thread)