Thursday 9 October 2008

Sprung Incompleteness

I enjoyed today's In Our Time, on Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem (where I lead, Melvyn follows 8v) ).  So it's not just me who says not all that is true can be proven, nor all that is false disproven.

There was a more practical demonstration of this in our Common Room Meeting today, when a room-full of ordinands were so struck with the futility of words that we agreed to do nothing about something we had previously agreed was burdensome and unjust when it was announced, that we had just agreed had resulted in all kinds of problems, and that we were experiencing directly as some of its impact fell on them.

We are, though, considering buying more newspapers every week.  We will therefore be better informed on all kinds of injustices in which we are less involved, in respect of which we have a less credible voice, and about which we will agonise and do practically nothing.

[I wrote those two paragraphs first with 'they' not 'we,' because mine was one of the voices raised against defeatism and inaction, but did I press my point? No.  So it's 'we,' all right.]

We are the future of the church.  Lord help us. Lord help them.

I feel like the Roman confronted with a dish of battered eels - O Tempura! O Morays!

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It's great to get comments - a good way to encourage, challenge and help me! Thank you. Jeremy