THE SEDUCTION OF CERTAINTY: A New Way of Looking at Faith, Knowledge, Science, Religion, Politics and the Media

by Mike Luoma

What is the Seduction of Certainty? And do we really need a new way of looking at Faith, Knowledge, Science, Religion, Politics and the Media? Writer Mike Luoma believes we do, and delves into the ways we fool ourselves into believing our metaphors are truths. This pamphlet covers its subject in sharp, concise fashion, delivering numerous insights in its compact form.From "There is an element of Faith in any human endeavor. There has to be. Because certainty is an illusion. Whatever metaphors we use to cope with the world's basic uncertainty will be human constructs attempting to define the undefinable, the human mind attempting to encompass itself. We label things and build systems to explain the world to ourselves. We have to!""The trap is in losing oneself in the metaphor, in convincing oneself the metaphor isn't merely one way of trying to define the ineffable, but the way – losing the sense of metaphor to that sense of "truth" and certainty. It is seductive, that certainty. But that same certitude becomes destructive when and if reality begins throwing up things that challenge the faith in that certainty. At best, the certitude leads its believers to ignore and reject any evidence contrary to their belief systems. At worst, it leads to violent suppression of contrary ideas.""We need to see our metaphors – all of them – for what they attempts to put labels on and to describe a reality which is actually beyond our complete comprehension."

25 pages, Paperback

Published April 14, 2019

About the author

Mike Luoma writes and publishes science fiction and comics, creates the weekly "Glow-in-the-Dark Radio" podcast and hosts middays on "The Point", Vermont's Independent Radio Network, where he's also the Music Director.

His first novel, 2005's "Vatican Assassin" - science fiction set during an interplanetary Western/Muslim war - introduced "BC", a killer for the New catholic Church in 2109. It's been adapted as Graphic Novel with artist Cristian Navarro, and released as an audiobook narrated by Mike. The ebook of the novel is available free everywhere! BC's story continues in the rest of Mike's Vatican Assassin Trilogy - "Vatican Ambassador" and "Vatican Abdicator".

Mike now writes "The Adventures of Alibi Jones" - Twentysomething years later, Alibi Jones – son of BC – is a Mediator for the Solar Alliance Interplanetary Force, negotiating interstellar trade arrangements and other matters with alien races. The series begins in the novel "Alibi Jones" and continues in book two "Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur", the short story collection "Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium", issue one of the comic "The Adventures of Alibi Jones" and in the brand-new novel "Alibi Jones and The Hornet's Nest".

Hear Mike read his work free each week – look for "Mike Luoma" on iTunes for his "Glow-in-the-Dark Radio" podcast and free, downloadable audio books from Podiobooks.com. Find out more at http://glowinthedarkradio.com.