"What do you know?" I used to think it was such an absurd question; one that I would arrogantly scoff at and respond with "I know how to breathe, I know that the sky is blue" and so on. However, the thing is, knowing is much more complex than I previously thought. Truthfully, I've never questioned the nature of knowledge in its philosophical sense. The concept of knowledge is impressively intricate that I guess it's something that I take for granted, that trying to dissect it would be futile and would just ultimately lead to a series of migraines.
But the beauty of the Philosophy class is that it teaches you that having all the answers isn't as important as asking the right kind of questions. In order to figure out what are the things that I know, the first step is defining knowledge. Knowledge is such an abstract thing, somewhat difficult to completely grasp (both literally and figuratively ha ha) In its simplest connotation, I associate knowledge with awareness and consciousness.
And yet, it isn't as simple as that.
There are different senses of knowing -- knowing-that, meaning factual knowledge or descriptions of certain things; knowing-how, knowledge of procedures or skills; knowledge by acquaintance or knowledge obtained through a direct casual and is experience-based; and knowledge-wh, the knowledge of whats, whys, wheres, and whos. We acquire this knowledge either subconsciously or not, and sometimes we can't even recall or even reflect upon where we have acquired this knowledge.
Knowledge is no picnic, and there is even a branch of philosophy dedicated entirely to knowledge called "Epistemology". The common misconception of knowledge is that whatever we think of, whatever it is that inhabits our minds is immediately considered knowledge. However, in order for it to be considered knowledge, it must meet 3 conditions: truth, belief, and justification. These three conditions branch out to even more drastic requirements, making the consideration of knowledge seem impossible. Truth, in a more logical sense, is what is overwhelmingly clear that what is false cannot be known. Belief, on the other hand, is accepting something as true; ergo, believing is a requirement for knowing. Lastly, justification is necessary in order for something to be considered as knowledge. It must be supported by evidence, however not all evidences warrant justification. It must evoke certainty; something one cannot doubt.
What I used to stubbornly think as knowledge simply being awareness or consciousness about something that is generally agreed upon, turned out to be a composite web of conditions and requirements; things we unconsciously overlook. And as if it couldn't get even more mind-boggling, the imposition of the question "how do I know that I know" has been burning at the back of mind ever since the start of the class. These are the kind of questions I wouldn't normally attempt to answer on my own, mainly because 1) they're daunting 2) it makes me question everything I've ever known, and 3) a 6-worded question has never made me feel so dumb.
However, fear not, the French philosopher Descartes came up with the cogito argument: "cogito ergo sum" or "I think therefore I am". This was a massive breakthrough in the world of philosophy, and a massive blow to the gut that maybe everything that we claim to know may not be right after all. This was the one thing upon which he built his knowledge, by questioning everything and giving everything he thought he knew the benefit of the doubt.
This was one of the most interesting topics for me, as it challenged the existence of everything, even whether or not our minds were to be trusted. To think this way, I feel, is to live in a constant state of paranoia that even my own thoughts and perceptions are manipulated, and my senses give me wrong impressions, therefore cannot be trusted at all. It is terrifying to consider that maybe what's out there isn't what's in our minds, totally altering our perception of truth, reality, and everything in between. The very thought of questioning our knowledge and whether or not they are actually true brings me a sense of disturbance, as if Descartes is forcing me to confront a question I don't want to know the answer to; as if finding out the answer to this question will drag me away from the comfort and familiarity of the life I've grown accustomed to regardless whether it's the truth or not.
I found that humans are too trusting, afraid to second-guess their knowledge. Much like in Plato's Cave Allegory where the people who've been trapped in a cave all their lives genuinely thought the shadow of a tree was an actual tree. It imposes that perhaps everything our senses perceive are merely illusory representations of what actually exists. It then connects to our sources of knowledge, if they are to be trusted, and how we've perceived them -- what if we were deceived by a supreme evil being or our minds actually function this way?
Scarily enough, knowledge may start out as something basic and harmless, however one idea connects to another and the next thing you know you're under an avalanche of interwoven concepts that branch out to further questions and mysteries. It's amazing how the mind works, and how that little voice in our minds convince us of whatever it wants to.
An intellectual person (I honestly forgot who, but for the sake of references, the last person I heard it say was Littlefinger of Game of Thrones), once said that knowledge is power. It is what keeps us from remaining in the shadows of ignorance. If we are to understand knowledge carefully, it entails a lot of conditions and loopholes. Knowledge must also be separated from merely beliefs because a belief is something that we assume is true, while knowledge is justified and thrives on certainty. However, believing is a requirement for knowledge because knowledge is something we are certain is true, at the same time we must believe that what we know is true.
Overall, I genuinely feel that philosophy class has unlocked some of the most important answers I've been looking for -- not just in knowledge, but I think it has shed some light on life's greatest questions, as we are in the constant pursuit of Truth and Meaning. I find it extremely intellectually-stimulating and satisfying... never mind the occasional headaches.
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