Axioms

Mr. Dinkel taught me all about axioms in my high school geometry class. You begin with a set of self-evident truths — axioms — and from them you derive all the complex postulates of Euclidean geometry! I was astonished that so much knowledge could be derived simply by using logic.

Much later it occurred to me that each person is a kind of Euclid. Each of us comes to see the world as a set of self-evident truths and, consciously or unconsciously, each of us extrapolates a worldview from them. The difference is only this: when Euclid stated that the shortest distance between two points on a flat surface is a straight line, he was irrefutably correct. Our axioms, however, are different. They are self-evident truths to each of us but not necessarily to our neighbors, who have their own sets of axioms. And here’s the fascinating bit: the lack of a consensus about personal axioms does nothing to weaken our convictions about their truth. That’s one of my axioms — what you might call a “meta-axiom.” It makes coexistence challenging.

I was talking to my neighbor Luann the other day about the chaos that besets our country, and I asserted that clashing axioms were at the root of it. I thought I saw a glint of interest in her eyes, so I dared to ask a probing question. Here’s how our conversation went …

I’m curious about your axioms, Luann. Would you mind telling me what they are?

Well gee, Ken. I’m not sure I have any. I’d really have to think about that.

I understand. Because they’re self-evident, we don’t bother to think about them. But nonetheless, we have them.

Hmm … You say self-evident. Ah, … God exists! That’s gotta be an axiom!

It certainly has the ring of one. I suppose there are a great many axioms that go along with that one.

Yeah. Like God is good and all-powerful and all-knowing and loving. But it’s hard to go further because God is also mysterious.

What about all the ideas associated with God? Any axioms about heaven and hell and sin?

Oh sure, but for all those things I rely on the Good Book. It’s a gold mine of truths.

A lot of people agree. It’s must be a great solace to have God’s words with you.

It is, Ken, but you have to understand that the Bible has been translated many, many times. In each translation it gets a little corrupted, so it’s up to us to use some common sense when we read it.

Good point. Can you think of an example of how you use your common sense?

Easy. For example, ‘Thou shalt not kill!’ Now, that commandment should be, ‘Thou shalt not kill the innocent.’ If you want to say that like an axiom, I guess it would be, ‘It’s a sin to kill the innocent.’

Why would you add “the innocent”?

Because it’s obvious that killing the unborn is sinful, but killing a murderer or an enemy soldier isn’t. That’s the only sensible way to think of it.

Interesting. You know, to me sin is a complicated idea. There must be axioms that help you understand it.

It’s really not all that complicated. Here’s an axiom for you, Ken: Sin is anything offensive to God.

But Luann, why would God create people who where capable of offending Him?

Because God wanted people to have free will. Here’s another axiom: Sin exists because free will exists.

You’ve really got the hang of this! So God created a world in which it was certain that people would offend Him at times. And I suppose it was inevitable that some people would be more offensive than others.

That’s exactly how it turned out. You have people who are mostly pious and people who are mostly ungodly. It’s sad how so many people start out good but then their understanding of the righteous path gets all twisted. You might say they become twisted people, and all because of free will. Like I told you, God is mysterious.

It’s funny that you describe some people as twisted. It’s like you’re calling them perverts.

Good one, Ken! That sure sums it up. Yeah, all those people who say that baby killing is OK, and election stealing is OK, and needle rape is OK, but having guns is not OK — they’re perverts all right.

That draws a pretty stark line between you and “those people,” Luann.

Well, there is one! But, say. Now that you know so much about me, it’s fair that you share about yourself. Tell me about your axioms, Ken.

I could see she had me boxed in. It seemed I had to tell her the truth, so I did. I told her that my axioms were just the opposite of hers — no God, no sin, no free will, the right to an abortion, the need to regulate gun owners, the willful ignorance of Big Lie supporters and antivaxxers — the whole ugly contrast. Her face grew sullen. She stared at the ground and finally said, “Ken, I gotta go.”

Without another word, she turned and left. I was sure she was thinking the P-word.