Mysteries or Lack of Knowledge?

Araceli Munoz

In general, at all times and in all cultures, people are prone to want to have an explanation of all the things that we see, think or do, even if this is beyond our means. People try to find different ways of looking for these answers and these can vary depending on character, education, religion, tradition or culture. We want an answer and if we don’t find one inside our knowledge system, we look for it in another place. We don’t resign ourselves to ignorance or doubt.

As well as the rest of people, I try to look for an explanation for all the things that surround me. Slave of the modern times and the occidental culture, I characterize myself by an extreme incredulity (I won't believe it until I see it) and a great scepticism with relation to strange explanations of unknown phenomena for which science (still) hasn’t found an answer. This includes not being a religious woman, and only having faith in the things which I can see or feel and in the people who I love, like my family and my friends, who I trust (maybe contradictorily) with a blind faith.

Nevertheless, I try to bear in mind that mine isn’t the only existent knowledge system. There also exists other world views in other cultures and these have their own way of explaining the world that surrounds them. The interpretations that these modes of seeing the world provide are as valid, logical and credible for these people as the scientific explanations of occidental culture for me.

Even if everybody tries to explain the things which happen through the knowledge that their tradition or culture provide them, people should also bear in mind that their way of explaining reality isn’t better (or worse) that the manner provided by other societies. The others' world views (different from ours) can supply explanations as logical as our interpretations. Although for us these are intelligible I think that the comprehension of our reality should be accompanied by respect for the way that other people see the world.

But, on the other hand, that doesn’t mean that, inside the same culture and the same manner of seeing the world, we must have an absolute confidence in the explanations that different people, collectives, institutions or groups of interest give us and that we must believe all the assertions that they explain to us. It’s important to underline the role that every person has in the process of rationalizing the information that they receive, deciding by themselves if this information can be a plausible and convincing explanation for their doubts.