← Back

May 18, 2007

#263: Certainty

Certainty

[[A door seen from a hallway, with “Teachers’ Lounge” on the glass. Inside, two teachers are talking.]]

Teacher 1: My students drew me into another political argument.

Teacher 2: Eh; it happens.

Teacher 1: Lately, political debates bother me. They just show how good smart people are at rationalizing.

[[The two teachers continue talking. A third one is seen reading a book on a sofa.]]

Teacher 1: The world is so complicated - the more I learn, the less clear anything gets. There are too many ideas and arguments to pick and choose from. How can I trust myself to know the truth about anything?

And if everything I know is so shaky, what on Earth am I doing teaching?

Teacher 2: I guess you just do your best. No one can impart perfect universal truths to their students.

Teacher 3: «ahem»

Teacher 2: …Except math teachers.

Teacher 3: Thank you.