I don’t really even get this question to be honest. Is man infallible? Infallible meaning flawless or perfect? I don’t even see how you can look at the definition to the word and think it possible to apply to humanity. Nothing in our current world—or in the history of our kind—suggests that humans are infallible.
The word itself is sort of one of those “red-light” warning terms, so black or white it its connotations that it is hard to use in reference to anything, let alone humans. If our bodies were made perfectly, why do we get sick; why do some require contacts to see the world at a tolerable—but still not 20/20—standard? If our minds were made without flaws, why do some struggle with balance, fighting mental and psychotic disorders their whole lives; why can some divide 13982 by 3.3 and others fail to subtract 1 from 4?
And the soul? I would suggest that far from infallible, the human soul is defined perhaps by its struggle and coming-to-terms with imperfection.
If we were created as flawless creatures, there would be no conflict, no internal or external need for conflict. Each war we have fought seems to be evidence against this claim of man’s infallibility—for I think we can all agree that if the statement stands, it certainly would not be “American’s are infallible” or “Christians are infallible.” If “man” is perfect, then by definition, all of man must be. It simply wouldn’t work with exceptions.
I feel like this idea may have its roots in the Bible, where in Genesis, “God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27)—and although I am not a religious person myself, I can see how one way of looking at this quote is simple logic: if humans were created by a perfect God to be LIKE this God, then we must be perfect as well. (This gets into another issue, however, dealing with God and his infallibility, which I may try and conquer another day…)
But even if you take these words as complete truth, it still does not stand that by translation, we must hold the “perfection” of God, for an “image” is not in fact an exact replication, but a reflection or likeness of divinity. Human’s are not just little God’s running around—we are mortal after all and at best can be said to be as close to the God of our beliefs as possible on this earth. So this quote alone does not stand as the only evidence of man’s infallibility.
Finally, I would like to say that the thought of people believe in their own perfection is terrifying. Take an extreme version: Warren Jeffs, the self proclaimed profit of a Fundamentalist branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints. He declared his word as infallible through God in the same breath that he told a 14 year old girl to submit “mind, body, and spirit” to her older male cousin. Six years of rape later, his word seems…less than perfect.
But even in less extreme cases, I think that assuming perfection takes away from critical thinking and reasoning—the traits, I believe, that really make us human. Most of life is trying to figure out the flaws and fine tune the good stuff, and if you take away the tension, that seems to make life worthwhile.
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You’re right, I venture to guess that most people would never think man is infallible. All you need to do is watch your locals news at night and you can figure that one out.