It is possible to doubt axioms when there is negative propaganda against them. A good example to prove this is to see how the axiom that states “Parallel lines do not meet” can be doubted. If a very young child is constantly being told that parallel lines do meet at a point in time, will it not most likely be expected from the child to get brain washed and doubt that very axiom? Yes, the child will most likely get brainwashed if he does not use his/her intellect to reason out what he or she has been taught. This example shows that by negative propaganda on a particular axiom, that axiom can be doubted.
Axioms may require proofs even though they are self evident. This can be proven by taking a look at the aforesaid example of the child being brainwashed by negative propaganda against the axiom, “Parallel lines do not meet”. The only way for the child to unfetter himself from such propaganda, is to use intellect, logical proofs and reasoning to show that parallel lines don’t meet. The child in this case would have to use mathematical proofs, the slope formula and reason for himself that it is impossible for parallel lines to meet. This example shows why logical proofs are needed in demonstrating the validity of an axiom.
It is illogical for a person to conclude that Gods existence is not axiomatic just because he thinks he isn’t aware of His existence. If a closer look is taken at the example of the child being fed with wrong information, it will be noticed that before that child was even taught anything he was not unaware of the axiom that parallel lines don’t meet, rather he was unaware of his own awareness of the fact that parallel lines don’t meet. The child, before being taught anything, might feel or think that he isn’t aware of the axiom but in reality he is unaware of his own awareness of the axiom.
It may be argued that there isn’t any negative propaganda against God’s existence. This is not the case. In public schools, children are being taught about evolution like as if it is a fact and not a theory. Why can’t there be a theory taught about God being the creator and originator of everything. If intelligent design is taught in some North American high schools, why isn’t it taught in all high schools? Communist countries completely strip God by not incorporating God at all in their education system; in addition, they and do not allow freedom of religion. Propaganda does not have to be by a government or schooling system, it could be a child being brought up in an atheistic family constantly being taught that God is a myth and superstition. These facts tell us the reason why there is negative propaganda against the belief in God.
The belief in God is axiomatic even though His existence may be doubted because any other axiom may very well be doubted when there is negative propaganda against it. A person may not be aware of Gods existence just like how a child may not be aware of his own awareness of the axiom, “Parallel lines do not meet”. Because one might be influenced by the negative propaganda against the existence of God, logical proofs, and intellectual reasoning are needed to show the validity of Gods existence even though His existence may be as evident as the notion that parallel lines do not meet. The axiom that God exists is affirmed by mans’ a priori intuition; this can not be disproved.
said...
i think all of us as muslims have got this far. the question is, what next? geometric axioms are very compact statements containing a great deal of information. they can be combined to deduce further non self-evident truths... and the entirety of geometric mathematics is summarised in those 20 odd fundamental statements. is there a true similarity between the axiomatic structure of geometry and that of knowing God? a lot more questions stem from the answer of this one.
aside -- what of "self-evident" axioms which were later disproven, such as the shortest distance between two points being a straight line (Einstein's relativity did away with that one). does the very statement of "self evident" not depend on some intellect to decide that a fact falls under this category? the issue here is when reality is counter-intuitive or cannot be approached by basic reasoning.
~~s
said...
you make some good points. I don't mean to say that we know God just like we know axioms. But the point is that we all have, at the least, a tacit or marginal awareness of God. we just need to make explicit. Analogies of common axioms may help in understanding this idea.
Regarding what you said about the shortest distance between two points being a straight line, I think that principle still stands, but only at a theoretical level rather than a practical level. In theory we know that if we don't take into consideration the factors that Einstein took into, then the principle stands. its all a matter of in what context you look at a principle.
You make a good point of subjectivity. If I understand you correctly, you said that declaring a fact as self-evident implies that it's self evidence is dependent on someone. but, i disagree because if something is by its nature self evident then it is self evident to everyone. some people are marginally aware, and others are explicitly aware of something self evident.
you said "the issue here is when reality is counter intuitive or cannot be approached by basic reasoning".
I think there will always be a priori knowledge, where we can base the rest of our knowledge on. we must at least presuppose that there is a reality before we can even say that reality is counter intuitive. we must at least be able to say "it is not counter intuitive to presuppose a reality".
according to Islamic conception of God, God is reality. the only issue is, we are all not explicitly aware of this reality.
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