To Know Anything One Must Go Beyond Reason

For the love of the pursuit of knowledge

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Dimmesdale
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To Know Anything One Must Go Beyond Reason

Post #1

Post by Dimmesdale »

In order to know (almost) anything one cannot merely use reason. Reason, or logic, is insufficient. This is because there is a constant "what if?" hanging over any proposition. In other words, any and all propositions can be doubted. If something can be doubted (we MAY live in a matrix, etc) there is no meaning to the idea of "knowing." Knowing implies certainty. If you have no sure certainty, you can only guess, not know.

There could be some exceptions to this rule, but they are very isolated and basic. Things like "experience exists" (regardless of what the content of that experience entails or implies) and apodictic statements that simply ring true (2+2=4) are ones that come to mind. But when it comes to questions such as "We have a loving relationship" or "I know my God is real" cannot be ascertained using reason. Because there is the possibility that the proposition can be annulled by outside factors, whether in the form of sheer uncertainty (we don't know everything) or outright falsification (after 50 years I realized my wife/husband was lying to me all along). So there is no question of knowledge.

Question for debate: is faith then, not only viable, but also necessary even for the atheist? Or what would you put in place of faith?

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Re: To Know Anything One Must Go Beyond Reason

Post #11

Post by mgb »

[Replying to Dimmesdale in post #1]
What you are saying is essentially true. Reason and science can only know primitive truths; 2 + 2 = 4, H + 2o = water etc. If the intellect could understand higher things philosophers would have figured it out long ago. But philosophers disagree with each other and philosophies come and go like fashions on the catwalk. Intellect is not the only path to knowledge. Consciousness is a higher path.

Also there are problems with intellect and philosophy because they are earthbound and tied up with language. Philosophy and psychology are largely tautologies.

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