Fuzzy
I said in my consternation, ‘Everyone is a liar.’ – Psalm 116:11 (NRSV)
One of the puzzles that has kept philosophers busy is the liar’s paradox. If I say, “I am lying,” what then? If I’m lying when I say I’m lying, I must be telling the truth. But if I’m telling the truth when I say I’m lying; I can’t be telling the truth! Everybody has something to say about this one and I don’t understand most of it.
But I’m pretty sure I understand this: One way through the contradictions is to abandon strict categories altogether, let go of the assumption that something must either be 100% true or 100% false. Admit that something can be, like, half-true and half-not, at least sometimes. They call this “fuzzy logic,” and it’s a real thing, and it does a pretty good job of resolving the liar’s paradox.
It also does a pretty good job of approximating the human condition. The psalmist’s cry, “Everyone is a liar!” is often pointed to as an early instance of the liar’s paradox.
Instead of getting all twisted up about it, we could just say something like, “Everyone is a liar at least once in a while, but most of us are trying hard not to be most of the time.” Everyone—me among the rest—is a sinner at least once in while, but most of us are trying hard not to be. You’re not all good or all bad, and neither is that guy over there. Let go of the idea of perfect states or forever categories. Let fuzz free you from the binaries.
Fuzziness is the human condition, but one thing is always in perfectly sharp focus: God’s love for you, no matter your state. Not logical, just the one thing that’s 100% true.
Prayer
For love amidst my fuzziness, thank you. Amen.
About the AuthorQuinn G. Caldwell is Chaplain of the Protestant Cooperative Ministry at Cornell University. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas. Learn more about it and find him on Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.