You are not able to wander for long on any Buddhist Forum without being accosted with the following quote from the Kalama Sutta, part of the Theravada Canon of Scripture. It is often quoted with approval as some sort of "free thinkers" charter - as opposed to the "dogmatism" perceived to be found in some other Religions - yet the words "commended by the wise" actually sets some sort of parameter to just how "free" our thought should be!
Do not be satisfied with hearsay or with tradition or with legendary lore or with what has come down in scriptures or with conjecture or with logical inference or with weighing the evidence or with liking for a view after pondering over it or with someone else's ability or with the thought "The monk is our teacher." When you know in yourselves: "These things are wholesome, blameless, commended by the wise, and being adopted and put into effect they lead to welfare and happiness," then you should practice and abide in them....
The text would seem to exclude all "knowledge" that is simply an accumulation of our various thought processes. Then the text says :- when you know in yourselves. Myself, I have met many, and read many posts by, those who "know in themselves", this as some sort of "justification" and assumption of being correct, a "true" this or that. In essence, self- commendation.
We get back to Merton's paradox.
