Beyond Feelings - Vincent Ruggiero.original_ [16]
The idea that a history of slavery and deprivation have caused black Americans to have less self-esteem than whites was well established. Then it was challenged by two University of Connecticut sociologists, Jerold Heiss and Susan Owens. Their studies indicate that the self-esteem of middle-class blacks is almost identical to that of middle-class whites and that the self-esteem of lower-class is higher than that of lower-class whites.9 The experience of many educators and social workers, it should be noted, runs counter to this finding.
The notion that when the youngest child leaves home, middle-aged parents, especially mothers, become deeply depressed and feel that life is over for them has many believers. Yet at least one study attacks that notion. It shows that many, perhaps most, parents are not depressed at all; rather, they look forward to a simpler, less demanding life.10
Similarly, until recently most scientists were satisfied that senility is a result of the physical deterioration of the brain and is both progressive and irreversible. Then experimenters in an Alabama veterans hospital found that in many cases the symptoms of senility – confusion, disorientation, and withdrawal from reality – can be halted and even reversed by "a simple program of keeping the aged constantly in touch with the surrounding environment."11
Books and articles referring to athletes' "second wind" abound in every library. Yet Nyles Humphrey and Robert Ruhling of the University of Utah have presented evidence that there really is no second wind at all and that the sensation of it experienced by many athletes is merely psychological.12
To summarize, we can feel confident we know and yet not know. We may be assuming or guessing or speculating instead. We may be confusing erroneous hearsay and rumor with fact. Even when your evidence is solid, it may be incomplete. For these reasons, we should be cautious in asserting that we know something. Only when we have examined the idea critically, verified our evidence, and thoughtfully considered other possible interpretations are we entitled to say, "I know." There is no shame in admitting we do not know something – in saying "I think" or "It seems to me." To make that admission when it is appropriate shows good sense, restraint, and intellectual honesty. These are not intellectual weaknesses, but strengths.
APPLICATIONS
In each of the following cases someone believes he or she knows something. In light of what you learned in this chapter, discuss whether the person really does.
Ted reads in the morning newspaper that a close friend of his has been arrested and charged with having burglarized a number of stores. Ted is shocked. "It's impossible, the police have made a mistake," he tells his mother. "Bob and I have been as close as brothers. I just know he's not guilty."
Ralph: Here, Harry, try my deodorant. It really stops wetness.
Harry: No thanks. I'm suspicious of antiperspirants. It seems to me that anything designed to block a normal body function may do a lot of harm. I wouldn't be surprised if it caused cancer.
Ralph: Don't be foolish. I know it doesn't cause cancer. Products like these are carefully tested before they're allowed to be sold. If it caused cancer, it would be banned.
Jane: I just read there's some evidence that aspirin can prevent heart attacks.
Jenny: That's a lot of nonsense. I know it can't. My uncle took lots of aspirin and he died of a heart attack last year.
"Man Is Released in Wrong Rape Charges," "Traditional Idea Debunked," "Ex-Page Admits Lying About Lawmakers" – daily newspapers contain numerous stories like these, stories showing how what was "known" a week, a month, or years ago has been found to be false. Find at least three examples of such stories in current or recent newspapers.
"It ain't what a man doesn't know that makes him a fool, but what he does know that ain't so," wrote Josh Billings, the nineteenth-century American