Tuesday, May 3, 2011

AVDI VIDE TACE translated means “HEAR, SEE, BE SILENT”


The Royal Society, the premier and oldest learned society for the study of science, was founded in 1660 with the motto “Nullius in Verba” or “On the words of no one.” This date probably was the start of that remarkable period in the intellectual history of Europe that we call today “The Age of Enlightenment.”

But the story of the beginning of that age went back many years.

European universities and intellectual climate at the time were still dominated by Aristotle and Scholastic system of thinking, that of the “Disputatio.”

The way to arrive at truth was the method of “Deduction” axiomatic deductions from authorities. Who constituted the “Authorities" anyway? The sacred books, writings by ancient authorities and so on. Scant attention was paid to empirical evidence.

An example being based on the authorities of St. Thomas, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Kings 1, (the last three are books of the Bible) and St. Augustine, one must logically deduce that witches exist, and therefore it was heresy to say otherwise. (Hence the Witch Trials that lasted for 100's of years)

The Catholic Church’s pressure on Galileo to recant his heliocentric world view was base on a similar line of reasoning. The authority of the Bible and of Ptolemy clearly stated that the earth was immovable and was the center of the universe. (Many intellectual men of this time lost their lives or came very close at the hands of the Church)

Even Martin Luther, the man who started the "Reformation" was steeped in the Aristotelian world view and was a follower of the method of scholasticism of his Age. He had this to say regarding the heliocentric world view: “This FOOL Copernicus wishes to reverse the entire science of astronomy; but sacred scripture tells us that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and not the earth.” (Again the teachings had to be that the Earth was the center of the universe because the Bible said so)

Even today you will see people holding up a Bible or Koran as proof of anything they disagree with. Evolution, Gay Marriages, Women's Rights, etc.

That was the method of scholasticism that one drew upon the rigid axiomatic deductions by logic from premises, the veracity of which were based on "AUTHORITIES."

To sum this up, “TRUTH” is to be derived by induction from the particular to the general, by induction based on empirically collected data.

When I read or hear a person quoting sources of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Rielly, Donald Trump, or any other Mass Marketed Ultra-Conservative Personality as proof of their argument; my only thought is, “Hey Mindless, Non-Critical Thinking Lemming!!! At Least Try And Join The 17th Century Line Of Thinking!!”

“NULLIUS IN VERBA”

7 comments:

  1. Hello Hump,
    It is good to hear from you. Thank you for the kind words as I do value and respect your opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am seriously considering the Scottish Rite and am ready to walk into my local Masonic Lodge to inquire about learning the craft.

    Why Scottish Rite? I have been reading Arthur Herman's How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It where he discusses Scotland's educational and philanthropic gifts to the world. People such as Andrew Carnagie and Alexander Graham Bell who knew that dying rich meant they were a failure if they didn't help their fellow man.

    Not all of the religious are dogmatic doctrinaires. But it is best if one realises that the real axiom to work from is to treat others as you would have them treat you.

    BTW, I wrote a response in one of your previous posts that make me think that I am indeed one who should persure the craft.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Laci,
    There are many names in the early days of American History that have the Scottish influences. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Paul Jones, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Chester Arthur, William McKinley, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon B. Johnson, etc. 75% of U.S. Presidents can claim some Scottish Ancestry.

    As I have stated before, my sir name ancestor came from Scotland during the revolution.

    (By the way, Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone were both Masons too.)

    Yes the Scots were very instrumental in inventing the modern world as we know it today.

    I just got back from practicing the 1st degree ritual tonight. We have two new candidates that will be brought into Masonry within the next couple of weeks.

    I read the response you are speaking of and am very happy for your decision. As a matter of fact I have a good friend and former coworker at the Engineering Firm I worked at who called me to introduce him to his local lodge in Salisbury, MD. His degree is really in History but is VP of Marketing / Sales for a company called Maryland Broad Band. Of course his History background plays well with his interest in Masonry.

    Please let me know if I can help in anyway. Contact me on my e-mail address that I passed onto you and we can speak more in depth should you want.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laci,
    By the way....AVDI VIDE TACE translated means “HEAR, SEE, BE SILENT” has a Masonic background and is current today.

    This is where the base of the posting came from. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. It was in the past like it is in the present, and it will be in the future.Moreover,knowledge rules, ruled and will continue to do so above and beyond.Nonetheless,those with the power of knowledge have a curse and that is whosover use it to harm others is only harming themselves because the supreme law of the universe (cosmic Karma) is inescapable. Therefore, being a member of any secret society is not a privilige but a burden because those that keep secrets do it for themselves thinking that they only are privilige to knowledge and nobody else.However, there is no use to be a member these days because knowledge is free of charge and therefore there is no need to pay fees for thought when you can have a pop via internet or riding above wikipedia for those without toughts.

    ReplyDelete
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