Kierkegaard has an undated reflection in his Journal of 1841:
‘It is a positive starting point for philosophy when Aristotle says that philosophy begins with wonder, not as in our day with doubt ‘
It’s a bit of a dig at Descartes starting point of philosophy, which was to doubt everything and build a philosophy on what you can prove. Descartes logic went – I doubt everything, but I can’t doubt that I doubt, so my doubt - my thinking - must be true. If I think I must exist in some form, so I must exist. ‘I think therefore I am’.
Descartes did retain his belief in God, but so many today use this logic to disregard anything that they can’t explain in human terms.
‘since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.’ Romans 1: 19-23 [NIV]
Father thank you for the wonder of your revealed word and world.
Guy Mowbray
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