Anti-Dogmatism

Invincible Ignorance

Dogma gets a bad rap these days.  One of the most cutting slurs available is to call your opponent "dogmatic" or his views "dogma".  As with all slurs, the thrust is twofold: if you call out your opponent for being dogmatic, the immediate assumption is that you, on the other hand, must be reasonable, pragmatic, and open-minded.  By casting the aspersion at another you paint yourself in a noble light. 

Economist, John Kenneth Galbraith scorned dogma in true dogmatic fashion: "When people are the least sure, they are often the most dogmatic."  This is ad hominem at its most sublime: my opponent is firm in his views, but the very firmness betrays his underlying doubt and uncertainty.  Wow.  Who would have seen that coming. 

Evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould also dogmatically warned of the dangers of dogmatism: