There is a story – the truth of which is questionable – about Schrödinger. It claims that his doctoral dissertation was so advanced and revolutionary that none of the evaluation committee could understand it. So, they asked Einstein to review it and give his opinion. He came back and said, “It’s very interesting and is worth more study and research, but I don’t think it’s right.” The committee replied, “So we should reject it and not grant his doctorate.” Einstein immediately replied, “Oh, no should absolutely award him his degree!” When asked why, Einstein added, “Because if I’m right and his theories are wrong then he’ll just be one more forgotten crackpot in history, but if I’m wrong and he’s right then it will be very embarrassing that you didn’t give him his degree.”

As I said, this story is more apocryphal than true, but the point I want to make is a small part of Einstein’s response. In spite of all his acclaim and his Nobel Prize, he had the humility to admit the possibility of him being wrong.

That is what’s so amiss with today’s society, no one can even fathom the possibility of them being wrong, much less admit it. We no longer discuss things in the hope of uncovering the truth, instead we debate and argue. In debates it’s about counting coup, our goal is to defeat and humiliate our opponent, not coming to understand the truth. Discussions won’t have any gotch’ya questions for which there is no right answer, such as, “Have you stopped beating your wife?”

I have a feeling that today’s world is hungry for discussion to find truth instead of debating as blood sport. That’s why such podcasts as the Joe Rogan Experience and the Rubin Report are so popular. In these and other podcasts, the host allows their guest to lay out his theory and ideas and respectfully questions them for better understanding. I’ve never seen them play the “gotch’ya” game of trick questions. (If they did, I would stop watching, and they would lose their audience.) Better still, they invite all comers and allow differing points of view to be aired. Their sole goal is to find and understand the truth.

We Christians could do with more open discussion and less debate. Too often I’ve seen Christians more interested in winning an argument rather than trying to understand the subject. I’ve known a few brothers that seem to delight in the idea of putting notches in their Bible to show how many “heretics” they’ve crushed in debate. And I don’t know how many times I’ve had someone shout a gotch’ya question at me and rather than let me answer thoughtfully, they have answered for me with a smug satisfaction of victory. Although it is a hollow victory because they wallow in self-righteousness and ignorance. Worse still, I have done exactly that same thing.

If we really want to grow in truth and in spirit, we must do the unimaginable and take up Einstein’s humility and admit “We could be wrong.” For what is more important, to win an argument or to find the truth and in doing so, lovingly bring a lost soul back to God.  For who knows, that lost soul could be us.

# Schrödinger, #Einstein, #Debates, #Arguments, #Truth