By now you may have read this quote from George Carlin:
Which leads me to question the wisdom of his quote.
To question a text is to assume a relationship with the text which puts the reader in a position of authority over the text. An individual who questions every text makes himself (or herself) the ultimate critic of every truth claim. In this system, only individuals have authority over truth. Other claimants to truth, such as the larger community or the larger tradition, find themselves stripped of any authority.
Theologically, this is like a man who reads the Bible only to find whether the Bible agrees with his already held notions. Geographically, this is like a woman who travels the world only to question whether other lands and other peoples measure up to her home town. Having discovered that Paris is a lousy replica of Saint Peter, MN, she returns to the culinary delights of The City Grille. Having discovered that the Bible does not say everything he would have said, he returns to his own prejudices.
Skepticism, like tourism, has value when we allow the texts we read and the places we visit to question us. What is it about Paris that might cause me to rethink my home? What is it about sacred text that might cause me to rethink my priorities?
Andy, I have to question (pun intended) what Carlin meant. Is he using the word "question" to mean "be skeptical"? Or is he using it to mean "be critical"--not in its negative sense, but in the sense of "think about it"? And I can read both of those senses in this quote!
ReplyDeleteYou are pointing out how questioning can have a positive role. To "question" a work of art isn't necessarily the same as dismissing art or submitting art to our uninformed tastes. The key, for me, is whether or not I allow myself to be questioned in the conversation I have with a new text or a new place.
ReplyDeleteOf course, a person who questions nothing isn't likely to gain much from an encounter, either.