The Problem of Proof

That's something solid, determined, clear. Proof. It isn't an argument; it is ... proof. It's not evidence; it is evidence and argument that convinces.

And therein lies the problem. The dictionary defines the word as "the cogency of evidence that compels acceptance by the mind of a truth or a fact". That sounds pretty settled. Except it does not offer a standard of "compels acceptance by the mind." Consider the current debate between rapper B.o.B. and Neil deGrasse Tyson. B.o.B. insists that the earth is flat. Look at any picture with a horizon. It is flat. Proof! Now, you can cite evidence, say, of photographs from space or even aircraft that have flown around the world. You can challenge him to feel free to fly out to the edge and see what he finds. But it doesn't matter. He has proof.

Oddly enough, this proof ("the cogency of evidence that compels acceptance by the mind") does not convince Tyson ... or any other educated, thinking person. Conversely, no amount of proof ("the cogency of evidence that compels acceptance by the mind") that the Earth is round is convincing B.o.B. So ... where's your proof?

This is a silly argument, to be sure, but the problem of proof is not. You might be asked more seriously to "prove that marriage is the union of a man and a woman" or to "prove that Jesus died for our sins" or to "prove that Christianity is true." Kant wrote the famous Critique of Pure Reason, arguing that God's existence cannot be proven by reason. He went on to argue that there must be a God if morality is to make any sense. The problem of proof.

You see, just as there is none so blind as those who will not see, there is no proof for those will not be convinced. It would seem like evidence and reason should be suitable means of proof, but you know that's not the case. It is entirely possible, for instance, to blind someone to good arguments and evidence by making the truth feel bad. For instance, the Bible clearly makes the case that homosexual behavior is sin, but large and growing numbers of people reject that not because the case is not in there, but because they feel bad about it. How many people have you heard of that changed their position on that fact when they were faced with a family member who announced they were "gay"? That's not evidence or argument, but it compelled acceptance by the mind.

There are a lot of factors that go into what we believe. Family, upbringing, environment, friends, life circumstances, teachers, pastors, the media ... on and on and on. We like to believe that what we believe is "proven" and those who disagree have failed to meet the standard of "proof". But Scripture warns of "foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not." (Jer 5:21) Absence of agreement with something is not lack of evidence or reason. It is simply the mind's unwillingness, for whatever reason, to accept the position. So when you hear, "You failed to prove your position", it feels deadly. Take heart. "Proof" is relative.