David Ziegler
Webassignment #5
November 30, 2006

A History of Doubt
By: Jennifer Michael Hecht

Jennifer Michael Hecht defines doubt as a human impulse to question what is given across the ages. Many people including myself believe that doubt can impede their religious Faith. Jennifer says the opposite though. She says that doubt is an energizing and renewing force of religion.

Hecht talks about the common misconception people have about doubters. People think they hate religion but many doubters are more like religious thinkers then the average person. They add on to or fill in some of the unclear answers that religion gives to us. Ever since the early beginnings of Christianity there have been doubters. We question whether there really is a God or if what the Bible says is historically true or if the Apostles even existed. Christianity takes on these questions and challenges the History of doubt by saying we believe in these things no matter what you have to say about them. Faith has doubt. St. Augustine said, “If he doubts he lives, If he doubts he thinks, If he doubts he has a will to be certain, If he doubts he knows he does not know.” St. Augustine claims that doubt is a part of faith and very much a part of the human condition. Hecht uses Jesus’ words when he is on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Since Christianity rose after doubt had a history to reflect upon, doubt was incorporated as part of religion.

The history of doubt goes way back. In a History of Doubt, Jennifer Michael Hecht mentions three philosophies or belief systems of the Ancient Greeks that all have to do with doubt: Skepticism, Cynicism, and Epicureanism. Skepticism came out of the ideas from Socrates who said that it is impossible for us to know everything and we should question what we do not know to try and come to a better understanding. Skepticism believes that we do not possess the ability to know anything, but it eventually evolved into a theory of probabilities. Cynicism came from the beliefs of Diogenes who said to live like a dog. Do not question, do not aim to accomplish anything, simply live how you want to live. Cynics did not necessarily expect a transcendental aspect, but expected to be happy in their way of life. Epicureanism says to love everything that you possess and to control your hunger or desire for the things that you do not possess. Epicureans doubted the common idea of “meaning,” but also made suggestions of how to live in the absence of religion, a contribution to the line of thinking given by faith. It teaches that we allow fear to run our lives and that the fear of pain is far worse then the actual pain you will experience. We should strive for the “health of the soul.”

As Christianity becomes popular, doubters are persecuted, and a pattern of doubt is witnessed. The schools of philosophy in the eastern Roman Empire are closed, and doubting philosophers flee to lands where Islam is born. However, just as in the subsequent generation after any new religion, doubt emerges. Muslims question the Koran. The same pattern is seen in the far East with the birth of Zen Buddhism. Though the goal of Zen itself is doubt, the next generation doubts the methods of Zen to arrive at doubt itself. It’s just a round going circle with no end. During the Enlightenment, Descartes and others adopt the view that humanity must throw out all opinions and start from scratch rationally. Humanity is filled with misunderstandings. Even Jewish philosophers said that nothing is known except that there is a God, in some form of existence. From this, all else should be rationalized. The modern categories of agnosticism, atheism, and theism put labels everywhere, Hecht says. Atheists and Agnostics are small and almost thoughtless as opposed to the ancient philosophies. We don’t have to be against religion to doubt. With objective morality rejected, one is still given enormous responsibility because morality is not gone, it is from humanity itself, and therefore should be respected. Doubt is a modern phenomenon, a good philosophy to live by, if not too strong, and a key component to religion. Questioning beliefs shapes who we are and the world we live in.