Explore
Gaia Soulmates
 Advertising keeps Gaia free! Interested in sponsoring us?

Certain Knowledge

Posted on Sep 19th, 2008 by Melinda : Start Here Melinda
Genuine authority is important.  It can save time and lives.  But it has to be justified.  What should an authority of knowledge be based upon?  Any kind of knowledge?

The authority of genuine knowing lies not in its absoluteness or finality, but rather in a deep understanding of the contingency of all forms of knowledge and knowing.  An expert or an "authority" on any subject should be able to demonstrate his/her familiarity with the limits of his own awareness and the effect of these limits on any statements or expressions of knowledge.

The trustworthiness of any real kind of knowledge lies in understanding:
  • what each item of knowledge is contingent upon;
  • at which point the basis for knowing something peters off into the unknown,
  • that everything we think we know are in fact islands of contingent certainty floating in an ocean of unknowns.

And what about the possible?
Because our thoughts can lead to real effects in concrete reality, I consider the inner lives of people (our thoughts, emotions, fantasies, reflections) to be an actual sub-category of the real along with possibility itself (whether known, unknown, or unknowable) which I consider a whole order of magnitude closer to concrete reality.
Access_public Access: Public What do you think? Print views (358)  
Tagged with: Knowledge, Authority

You have to be a Gaia member to post comments.
Login or Join now!