Freedom, Mistakes and Progress

Thought Piece of the Day

Does reality always win out over spin in the end?

What level of certainty should we have before we make a decision? How do we grapple with "anti-knowledge" - the things we don't know?

Does the absence of mistakes mean you're making progress, or is it a sign of danger?

What level of certainty should reporters have before reporting a news item? Should their level of certainty be higher than for bloggers who present information with caveats, asking others for further information?

What level of certainty should we have before running the risk of bearing false witness against a neighbor?

. . . Freedom implies the ability to make mistakes; it may even imply the necessity of them. Well might the perfect being exclaim: “not till now have I understood the tale of your people and their fall. … For if this is indeed, as the Eldar say, the gift of the One to Men, it is bitter to receive.” Bitter indeed; for freedom is humanity’s curse and greatest gift, the ground of both fall and redemption. It is our common fate and our staircase to the stars.

What do you think?

Surprising summary concerning Honduras on CNN!