Allow me to ask you a question. Why do we learn?

The most common answer I usually get is something along the lines of: “because we want knowledge”.

It’s a general answer, yet a very accurate one, because any topic you’re learning right now or wish to learn is essentially knowledge. We want to step out of the dark and hence we read our way into the glorious light. It’s that simple.

Now please allow me to ask you a second and more difficult question.

Picture courtesy of Focal Intent

What Is Knowledge?

There is no easy, simple answer to this one. In fact there is no agreed-upon definition of knowledge. Truth is, I don’t believe there will ever be one. There could be such a definition… but only if we lived in a Utopian World.

That’s the slight irony of the situation – the desire we learners have to acquire something we can’t accurately define.

Epistemology

Epistemology is the study that attempts to answer the Big Questions with a number of theories, each providing its own definition and perspective on what knowledge is. It is a complex but deeply interesting field that has kept many philosophers, from Aristotle, Immanuel Kant and Ayn Rand to Confucius, Averroes and Avicenna, collectively very busy for thousands of years.

Over the centuries this vast field witnessed numerous trends which reflected the prevalent philosophical issues of the time. For example, ancient Greek philosophers like Plato viewed knowledge as an awareness of things that are absolute and universal, but later on knowledge would come to be seen by others as something that is actively evolving and continuously adaptive.

In order to answer what knowledge is, epistemology deals with questions like:

• what is the source of knowledge?
• how do we differentiate between “true” knowledge and “false” knowledge?
• how do we come to know what we know?
• why do we believe what we believe?

Modern debate focused on the above questions generally involves three main views fighting for domination:

Rationalism: knowledge acquired through the use of human reason and intellect.

Empiricism: knowledge acquired through experience and human sensory perceptions.

Revelation: knowledge revealed to mankind from a divine source.

To sum it up, epistemology is basically knowledge about knowledge. Learning about it is very beneficial for a number of reasons.

The 3 “Secret” Reasons

The following are the reasons for why it’s useful to explore theories of knowledge (feel free to add your opinions in the comments section).

Reason Number 1 - Healthier Consumption and Digestion

We all eat food. Without it, we die, and without the right types in the appropriate amounts, we harm ourselves. As a result, those who pay attention to what they consume are usually healthy individuals.

Knowledge is similar. Too often, we consume it uncritically, and even when we are critical, or think we are, we must remember that there is always room for improvement.

Besides healthier consumption, exploring the definitions of knowledge also makes it easier for us to spot patterns, relate ideas together and organize them more effectively within our minds. Furthermore, knowledge enhances our thinking, and without understanding what it is and how we acquire it, we can’t develop consistency in the way we reason.

Reason Number 2 - Better Understanding of the World

Epistemology provides valuable insights into the major questions of life and how they’re approached from the perspectives of different traditions. Therein is all the fun! :-)

The definition of knowledge from place to place and culture to culture can differ substantially. In some societies the emphasis is on rationalism while in others it could be on revelation for instance.

Getting to understand those diverse descriptions of knowledge provides valuable insights into the world views of other people and how they approach life. It broadens the mind and makes us more understanding towards each other. Consider it a form of traveling and heavy immersion.

Reason Number 3 - Easier Foundational Tracing

Delving into epistemology also enables learners to trace the ideas of a person back to their philosophical sources with better accuracy and hence provides a useful context which identifies where the propagator of the idea is coming from.

This act of contextualizing through foundational tracing adds extra value to the content we consume by creating depth and background. The positive effect of this should not be underestimated.

And that’s basically it!

I don’t hold a bar of soap the same way I hold a football, and if my hands are wet, I take more care with former.

Epistemology is an immensely interesting field which learners should explore. Initially, it can be a little challenging but gradually, it gets easier and is certainly worth the effort. It is after all about the very thing we want to learn and grasp.

I’ll be exploring and “thinking aloud” about epistemology more in future posts so please stick around.

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