Doubt is Good

"To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation."  Yann Martel from Life of Pi.

This is another example of the problem we are dealing with. The obvious intention here is to disparage anyone who thinks doubt is a rational way of approaching the world. Someone who chooses immobility as a means of transportation must be stupid, so anyone whose philosophy of life incorporates doubt must be stupid. No, what is stupid is this sentence.

Doubt is Good. Doubt is the motive power behind science, technology and progress. Without doubt we would still be stuck in the Dark Ages. Doubt is the questioning of information given to us be others, our ancestors, our parents our teachers. Without doubt we would never think to find a better way of doing things, there would be no progress. Doubt is the antidote to gullibility. Doubt is the grown-up adult response to the world.