Epistemology Examined
The idea that is felt when words of “faith” and “belief” are uttered tend to be somewhat mocked by academia, but there is a flaw in this. Wherein the origin of all ideas is based upon a fundamental belief that they are true and that said beliefs are used as building blocks upon which knowledge is built.
The example that is very clear is that of math. One must believe that one is one in order for one and one to equal two; if this belief is lacking then there is no way the constructs of math can be built.
Now, this simple example can be applied to virtually any field in existence. All of our knowledge, at its base must be accepted on faith.
The Negative Connotation
My hypothesis for such a distaste to all things that have to do with faith and belief has to do with what comes to mind in most: Religion.
Religion as a construct is something that the everyman does not want to argue (just as they blindly accept their paradigm on faith). These words in turn invoke memories and images of long drawn-out debates in which there is no victor.
This only trickles further down when questions of “faith” are presented before scientists discovering the “absolute truths” of the universe.
It should be noted that I think scientific advancement is wrong in any way, but that “absolute truth” is an abstract concept. I believe it is an asymptote that can be very nearly approached but never bridged.
The Solution?
I highly doubt there to be any solution beyond individual understanding of how faith and belief work.
Once people can see that the opinions of belief are only true through verification through a source that we believe is faithful to said truth (further, all of these opinions were raised from some belief that exists), can belief and faith be accepted outside their negative connotations.
