This is a question that thinking hard about it will make someone
slightly crazy. It’s quite simple actually. Think about it this way, first name
one thing that is known; to me I know that the shirt that i am wearing right
now is red. Second how do I know that it’s red, well because that what the
color red has always looked like that is the color that I was taught to
associate with red.
Trying to figure out what we know is simple because it has been taught to us. Since we were kids we have been taught many different things, that our parents know, and they learned it from what their parents know. And then I’m sure the question of how do the people in the beginning know what they know. Well I have an answer for that too, no one knows, and i don't really care.
Trying to answer that question is stupid because it doesn’t have an answer someone a long time ago decided that red would be red, that dark people would be called black and that things with four wheels will be called cars. Someone made that decision and because of that person or those people, we know what we now know. I think that the question of how do we know what we know, gets confused with how do we know that what we know is right. I don’t know if what I know is correct but I know how I know it because it’s been passed down. I know it because that’s what I’ve been told.
Trying to figure out what we know is simple because it has been taught to us. Since we were kids we have been taught many different things, that our parents know, and they learned it from what their parents know. And then I’m sure the question of how do the people in the beginning know what they know. Well I have an answer for that too, no one knows, and i don't really care.
Trying to answer that question is stupid because it doesn’t have an answer someone a long time ago decided that red would be red, that dark people would be called black and that things with four wheels will be called cars. Someone made that decision and because of that person or those people, we know what we now know. I think that the question of how do we know what we know, gets confused with how do we know that what we know is right. I don’t know if what I know is correct but I know how I know it because it’s been passed down. I know it because that’s what I’ve been told.
I agree that we know what we know because we have been taught it. It has been passed down to us since we were kids and we have accepted it as knowledge. I like how you mentioned that things become knowledge because someone made that decision. I think its important to think about not what we know, but how what we know, came to be what we know........
ReplyDeleteI agree that while we largely accept what we are taught as true, we do not really know the origins of these "truths." Many times, we will blindly accept what we learn, much like Candide accepted Pangloss' best of all worlds theory. However, can everything we know today really be correct? I think that people who think outside the box and question the "truths" are necessary. They emphasize the value of individual thought and bring different views to the table that get people thinking about the world around them rather than simply going with the flow.
ReplyDeleteIt was bold of you to claim that the initial origins of knowledge are unimportant, and, in a sense, stupid to spend time considering. Your blog put the prompt in a clear, new perspective. I do believe that the accumulation of knowledge is often more complex than you're indicating, but that's why it was great for me to read your blog :)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your take on this prompt and your perspective on knowledge. People are quick to fully accept what they have been taught as total truth like why are dogs called dogs I have no idea but that doesn't mean I'm going to start calling canines by a different name because it's what I've always called them and what they've been called for as long as I've been around to see them. I mean what in the word would you call them if they weren't called dogs?!
ReplyDelete