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Academics in Disagreement
Why Academics Rarely Agree on Anything
“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubt, while the stupid people are full of confidence.” — Charles Bukowski
In my youth, particularly my teens, I was a fundamentalist Christian. I strongly believed in the doctrines of Reformed theologians, which included total depravity, unconditional love, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints.
I thought my views were scripturally supported with various texts on God’s elective process and I thought with almost utmost certainty that I was right in my beliefs. Then came experience. I lived in Oxford among many unbelievers, worked frequently, and in the end didn’t really find any Christian community with whom I could share my faith. And my faith slowly dwindled.
I remember feeling complete certainty in youth. And yet here I was some odd 10 years later, completely persuaded of the opposite. Now, what’s the point of this story? This story testifies to the fact that it is possible to entirely and fundamentally change our minds.
Remember when you held a view on something that you now in retrospect are surprised you could ever believe. I…
