Poetical truth

Mortimer J. Adler’s “Truth in Religion: The Plurality of Religions and the Unity of Truth” is very stimulating, though we would disagree on some points.  One point that needs qualification is his unqualified endorsement of Augustine’s principle that religion must always accord with the science of the day.  He doesn’t define science here perhaps because he is taking a broad brush approach as a philosopher.

But he does define poetical truth, p.102: “Utterances are in the realm of poetical truth if they are about what is possible and if they are not subject to contradiction.”  Note that is essentially Popper’s definition of pseudoscience.

MJ Adler doesn’t say it but evolution fits that definition.  Evolutionists argue that evolution is possible, not that it is probable, and they apply evolution to contradictory situations, e.g., what they consider good designs and bad designs.

So evolution is true — poetically true.  That actually may help since many people are wedded to the idea of evolution and progress.

September 2014