Sunday, July 13, 2014
Knowledge
Knowledge is a compilation of many people's work throughout our entire conscious history. We, that exist currently, are now playing a part in the "neo-compilation" of knowledge as will future generations. Belief is giving something meaning and relevancy without any evidence or observation. Rhetoric and writing contribute to knowledge on the grounds that they explore new ideas and provide avenues for future research and develop one's curiosity and passion those of which knowledge is based on. However, one can ask if knowledge is discovered or created. I can only speak of science and mathematics given my intimacy with them. In these two disciplines, knowledge is discovered. The universe has been here for some 13.8 billion years with established fundamental laws that we discover in the raw language of mathematics. Newton likened himself to a child playing on a beach with "a vast ocean of discovery" in front of him in light of this. It is very tempting for us as humans to adhere to preconceived ideas but we must learn how to dismiss ideas and hypotheses that do not fit with observations and facts. Furthermore, the plural of anecdote is not data. One must be weary of the myths told by numerous everyday laymen, charlatans, and media such as we only use ten percent of the brain (we use the whole thing!). Maintain a healthy skepticism and do not be lazy; research and verify claims no matter how meaningless the argument. It is good practice and can help in bigger and more important debates such as gay marriage or abortion.
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I agree with your assertion that belief is subjective and does not necessarily require justification. I also like your point that humans tend to adhere to preconceived ideas, which leads to a lot of people having the exact same way of thinking and likely inhibits a lot of potential creativity from being employed. Do you think traditional schooling lends a hand in this?
ReplyDeleteTraditional schooling definitely plays a part in this, especially after Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act". Schooling at this point trains us to be workers and not thinkers. A lot of the schools around the country resemble prisons with bars on the windows and chains on the doors. And when the time comes to escape all of that with the enrollment in a university, students are so disillusioned and do not want to be bothered. We are all born scientists; we are naturally curious and love learning. The traditional school system makes a habit of crushing every ounce of that curiosity and in the process, preventing a vast amount of creativity.
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