This is such a tough bit of humans making progress on any topic. For this frameWORK to WORK, someone needs to do some "heavy lifting," meaning to let go of what "is" in favor of what "could be."
And, indeed, if a thesis is held too tightly, like a climber hanging off a ledge, and not wanting to let go, because the next ledge seems impossibly far, you cannot progress on your climb upwards. And if you keep hanging for too long, well, your fatigue will eventually make you fall...
So, what's the alternative? In my mind, the best answer I have is still to accept the risk and take a leap of faith: the "other side" -- the ledge that seems soooo far away -- still provides the best hope to move on, even though it means I cannot possibly be 100% correct in whatever theses I hold to be true at any given moment, so long as there is a *forceful opposition* to be found, that people are holding on to with equal fervor.
It is such a paradox, and yet also so simple -- once I have learned to let go of the (pseudo-) comfort that comes from certainty of clinging to my ledge. And HOW HARD it is to make that leap.
Your own tussles with religion are maybe an interesting test case for you: can you learn to have faith without becoming enmeshed in a dogmatic cult (or religion)? And without faith, can you actually still move forward...?
This is such a tough bit of humans making progress on any topic. For this frameWORK to WORK, someone needs to do some "heavy lifting," meaning to let go of what "is" in favor of what "could be."
And, indeed, if a thesis is held too tightly, like a climber hanging off a ledge, and not wanting to let go, because the next ledge seems impossibly far, you cannot progress on your climb upwards. And if you keep hanging for too long, well, your fatigue will eventually make you fall...
So, what's the alternative? In my mind, the best answer I have is still to accept the risk and take a leap of faith: the "other side" -- the ledge that seems soooo far away -- still provides the best hope to move on, even though it means I cannot possibly be 100% correct in whatever theses I hold to be true at any given moment, so long as there is a *forceful opposition* to be found, that people are holding on to with equal fervor.
It is such a paradox, and yet also so simple -- once I have learned to let go of the (pseudo-) comfort that comes from certainty of clinging to my ledge. And HOW HARD it is to make that leap.
Your own tussles with religion are maybe an interesting test case for you: can you learn to have faith without becoming enmeshed in a dogmatic cult (or religion)? And without faith, can you actually still move forward...?