Hypocrisy

Gemara states: “a kasha never killed anyone”. (“Kasha”, in this case, means a question or a logical paradox, not a cereal food from Eastern Europe. Because the latter has indeed killed people from time to time. Mostly by its bland taste, but sometimes through rat poison added by an angry wife. Anyway, back to the main point... By the way, be my guest to skip until the main point below.)

As everyone knows, it is possible for parallel ideas that contradict each other to be considered by humanity equally true. Take Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Take Hillel and Shammai. Take iPhone and Blackberry.

Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb makes a different point. Throughout history, there have been paradoxes raised by philosophers that challenged basic aspects of everyday reality. And yet, people went on as if nothing happened. Mostly because they were ignorant peasants, whose main goal in life was to collect enough wheat to survive the winter and maybe even make a little money on the side to marry off one of the five daughters. But even those who knew very well about these paradoxes still usually continued living their lives normally.

For example, some of Zeno’s paradoxes question how motion is possible at all. Until Newton and Leibnitz discovered/invented Calculus (Newton invented it, and Leibnitz discovered it), people did not know answers to the paradoxes. And yet, somehow, they kept moving. Some would call it hypocritical, but these people cared not.

The same, states Rabbi Gottlieb, is the case with freedom of will. Some arguments could be made that freedom of will is impossible. Not only in light of Judaism (from the fact that it contradicts G-d’s omniscience, being all-powerful, being the First [and only] Cause, etc.), but also from the more general philosophical arguments.

And yet, people continue making decisions. And living their lives as if they are the ones making decisions (not the uncontrollable Universe inside and outside their heads) and as if people around made decisions. I.e., as if freedom of will really existed. Even the people who dismiss the existence of freedom of will. Why? Because the reality forces them.

Now, for some reason Rabbi Gottlieb doesn’t mention the fact that Chassidus, revealed and invented around the same time as Calculus, actually resolves the paradoxes about freedom of will, G-d and philosophy. Probably because that’s not his point. His point is: sometimes you have to live with the questions you cannot answer.

The main point: What brought this on, you ask? This cartoon. Its humorous idea can be interpreted as following: some people believe that there is no Higher Purpose in life. And yet they keep on living their lives as if there was one. Just like most fans of Zeno don’t sit still and most unbelievers in free will don’t lie in their bed, not bothering to make any decisions, most nihilists don’t behave like the guy in the cartoon, randomly climbing trees and chasing squirrels. They still live their lives as if there was a purpose. Just not the Higher one.

Others say: if I am going to live my life with a purpose, it might as well be a real, grand, all-encompassing purpose. (Even if there is a chance it’s not really, actually, bona-fide real.)

I don’t think it’s the best possible reason to put on tefillin in the morning, but it’s not a bad first step.