The government of the United States was developed under the idea that nobody knew how to make a government, or how to govern. The result is to invent a system to govern when you don’t know how. And the way to arrange it is to permit a system, like we have, wherein new ideas can be developed and tried out and thrown away. The writers of the Constitution knew the value of doubt … The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way some day. That openness of possibility is an opportunity. Doubt and discussion are essential to progress.
Richard Feynman: The Uncertainty of Values
Feynman’s consistent humility with regards to what is knowable was in contrast to his gregarious and self-assured personality. This paragraph isn’t just noteworthy for what it says, but for also what it doesn’t say. It doesn’t argue that as individuals, we shouldn’t strongly hold convictions that we have carefully thought about and defend when necessary. It does say that as a society we should allow doubt and discussion.
Nehaveigur 