Knowledge
Something I have struggled with for many years is the concept of knowledge. The idea that we can know something with an absolute certainty, to me, at times, seems almost ludicrous. Why is that? I suppose this perspective has been influenced by a lot of different ideas over the years: philosophies of existentialism, my explorations into spirituality, learning about statistics and probability, science and various other experiences. Can we ever know anything for certain?
There's all sorts of things that we believe and accept as facts, perhaps even truths We can choose not to believe what is commonly accepted as "known fact" though, like someone who believes that the earth is a flat structure and not spherical. Of course this is a convenient example because much of what was known as fact, such as the earth being flat, in the Middle Ages has now changed. It nicely illustrates my point about "knowing" things and "facts" i.e. we really only believe and have opinions.
True, we rely on evidence to support our beliefs. Often that evidence is gathered by people we don't know but it becomes accepted knowledge. In many cases the evidence is based on something fairly objective. Sometimes the evidence is gathered through our own experience. Evidence (scientific or experiential) is interpreted by someone and subject to alternative interpretation. Perception and interpretation are really subjective, contextual, and limited.
So what this all boils down to is that I think, we ultimately believe stuff and don't really know it.
They key is all these beliefs predicate our behavior. Some beliefs may or may not make much of a difference on our behavior, others are obviously crucial. Our belief in our own value, potential to contribute is likely to have more sway on us and our day to day lives than the belief that the earth is spherical.
Because I believe that I exist, that I am a uniquely intelligent being of a real and material nature, the earth and the universe are real, I get up in the morning. But beyond that, I don't really know what I believe. I've been seeking for a truth, something factual, and I am not sure there is anything like that.
Life was so much simpler when I just went with the program and did what was expected of me and didn't think much about it all. But, I couldn't hide forever from those nagging thoughts and questions. If I could just believe in things that don't make sense anymore, it would be a lot easier. I would know what to do; I'd just pick one of the thousands of "How to live life" plans out there and follow it. It is all laid out and all you have to do is believe. Gospel of Mark 9:23. I might even go with one that assures me it is true, knowable, factual. But, as with most of what I do, I tend to make life harder for myself. So, here I am in non-believer land.
Wait, I've just figured out another thing that I believe: there's an answer to all these pesky questions out there somewhere. At least, I hope there is.
There's all sorts of things that we believe and accept as facts, perhaps even truths We can choose not to believe what is commonly accepted as "known fact" though, like someone who believes that the earth is a flat structure and not spherical. Of course this is a convenient example because much of what was known as fact, such as the earth being flat, in the Middle Ages has now changed. It nicely illustrates my point about "knowing" things and "facts" i.e. we really only believe and have opinions.
True, we rely on evidence to support our beliefs. Often that evidence is gathered by people we don't know but it becomes accepted knowledge. In many cases the evidence is based on something fairly objective. Sometimes the evidence is gathered through our own experience. Evidence (scientific or experiential) is interpreted by someone and subject to alternative interpretation. Perception and interpretation are really subjective, contextual, and limited.
So what this all boils down to is that I think, we ultimately believe stuff and don't really know it.
They key is all these beliefs predicate our behavior. Some beliefs may or may not make much of a difference on our behavior, others are obviously crucial. Our belief in our own value, potential to contribute is likely to have more sway on us and our day to day lives than the belief that the earth is spherical.
Because I believe that I exist, that I am a uniquely intelligent being of a real and material nature, the earth and the universe are real, I get up in the morning. But beyond that, I don't really know what I believe. I've been seeking for a truth, something factual, and I am not sure there is anything like that.
Life was so much simpler when I just went with the program and did what was expected of me and didn't think much about it all. But, I couldn't hide forever from those nagging thoughts and questions. If I could just believe in things that don't make sense anymore, it would be a lot easier. I would know what to do; I'd just pick one of the thousands of "How to live life" plans out there and follow it. It is all laid out and all you have to do is believe. Gospel of Mark 9:23. I might even go with one that assures me it is true, knowable, factual. But, as with most of what I do, I tend to make life harder for myself. So, here I am in non-believer land. Wait, I've just figured out another thing that I believe: there's an answer to all these pesky questions out there somewhere. At least, I hope there is.
