Purpose and Paradox

I'd like to briefly explain why I named this blog "Purpose and Paradox".

The first word, Purpose, was chosen simply because I believe that Judaism gives objective meaning to existence and that without it, humanity is left to rationalize their own purpose and meaning, including coming to the conclusion that life has neither. And yes, I realize that one could argue that Judaism is man made and therefore the meaning it ascribes to existence is likewise an artificial construct, but that is an absolutist position that I am not totally comfortable with, as I shall discuss later on in further posts. I also believe that many non-Jewish philosophers throughout the ages have tapped into existential truth as well, albeit through their own human intellect and reasoning alone. Judaism as a revealed religion is unique because the Prophets, when recording their prophecies, synthesized both their own superior human intellect and the divine perfect intellect to produce texts of remarkable depth and magnitude containing truths that transcend the confines of historical relevancy.

The second word, Paradox, was chosen because I believe that the only way for the ultimately limited human intellect to perceive grandiose all-compassing truth is through parables shrouded in what we perceive as paradox. I am defining paradox to mean two premises that contradict each other given the information available at the moment, but upon further reflection, from a greater vantage point beyond, actually don't. There are well known paradoxes in just about every field imaginable and sometimes, after a period of long reflection and study, many get resolved because of new information that was not previously known and considered. Whereas some individuals read biblical narratives as completely literal accounts and find fault with the numerous contradictions such a reading brings forth, I see the narratives as substantially more flexible and derive truths from the paradoxes found therein.