Chasing After Pi

A Re-interpretation of "Why?"

Abstract

The article begins with the recollection of a very early school fascination with the idea of the mathematical construction “PI.” As a young person, I was continually exposed to “truths”— and especially religious and theological "truths" that claimed to be absolute. Yet, with the idea that “PI” could never be fully and absolutely expressed, it became clear that maybe a lot of “truth” was really interpretative and perhaps very biased “getting close.” Later, when astronauts started claiming our attention, we learned that “getting close” could be totally disastrous. It became easy to see Kierkegaard's “leap of faith” at every turn. In some respects, the article develops a philosophical approach to uncertainty. Even more, there is an approach taken that uncertainty may be a richer and more authentic stance than a belief in supposed absolutes. This stance may be the very base of creativity, discovery, and what some have called "revelation." As in many of my articles, I draw deeply on the insights of Robert Hartman and relate Hartman’s work to a variety of voices that may not be regularly related to Hartman's thought. In the end, I try to show how Hartman was ahead of his time in capturing insights gaining wide audiences today. Perhaps by seeing these connections, a wider appreciation of Hartman can be advanced.