What is knowledge? What does it mean to know? Can people know the world as it really is? Are there true things we humans can know with absolute certainty? Are there things that we can never know? Stop dear reader. Do not start to think already, for we do not want your answer; not now anyway. It is a very high possibility that it may consist of an individual belief expressed with closed eyes and a smile, or worse, a minuscule form of an expressed individuality we people like to define as opinion. Just in case you still did not recognize us, we go around by the name anarchistic epistemology. Welcome to Earth (Yes! We are polite enough to skeptic forms of life like you who did not stop reading after the fifth sentence). We seek knowledge and its foundation, the relation between knowledge and truth, the roles played by reason and the human senses in acquiring knowledge. We are the ones who let Buddha smile, science experiment and observe, Christianity hate and educate, Islam exist. Yet, we are everyones enemies, even ourselves. Why? Because knowledge is the knowing of that we cannot know. The term epistemology comes from the Greeks. Episteme meaning knowledge and logos meaning reason, therefore, we proudly qualify in the study of knowledge. We have been around for an undefined amount of time, but we know we have been around for long. You may be surprised to know that even you are one of us. Even though with a different interpretation, you ask questions (sometimes unaware of their purpose or importance), therefore, you may state that you too want to know; meaning you seek truth, or as we say it: Want to know what knowledge is? just like us. We are pretty sure that now you got the message of what epistemology is about (note: repeating is not always good, neither bad), but you may want to know what anarchistic means in our epistemological worldview. It ca be many things, but it helps to achieve progress in anyone of the senses one cares to chose. If you are continuing to read, congratulations! It means you passed the first two tests. You may take a breath and enjoy a moment with the modest fact of being curious and skeptic. After you have done so, it is highly recommended you continue to read more. It has something to do with more than an introduction and biographical sentences. Of course you were right! Science and religion. What do we have to say about that? Maybe it is not a big deal, but it is a fact that it has got something more than intro and biographies Either way, we do not care. After all, I think is a very weak word for us nowadays. Lets introduce you to a new concept about opinions, beliefs and knowledge. Imagine an infinitely tall pyramid (supposing you understand well the underlined keywords in the sentence). We have opinions at the very bottom, Beliefs somewhere in the middle, and Knowledge at the very top. Exactly like you, we consider opinions to be the very last reliable statements. You have many examples in everyday life, and never forget that we humans are always naturally born as individuals. Beliefs are somehow considered by us more reliable than opinions. Why? For the simple fact that they are individual opinions (roughly speaking) with more than one supporter. But be very careful with the words I know that when you are around us. You may find yourself under a whole lot of critical questions that usually have a very big probability to mute you. Therefore, knowledge is at the top, and it is the most reliable than any opinion or a statement of belief. We hope you did not guess now what we consider about science and religion, when you know religion is pure belief and you never hear the words I think or I believe in science. Take now a glass of water and a stick. The stick is straight. Place the stick inside that glass of water. What is your comment about the appearance? One thing it is obvious, you agree too. The stick appears to bend. If you never saw a stick before, and for the first time you see it to be bend in water, would you use the words I believe or I know that the stick is always bend.? How do you know?! Another option is: No, the stick is straight; the refraction of the light through the water makes it look bend. And that is when we strike in search of the truth and knowledge: How do you know the stick is straight? How do you know the stick is bending? Is that a belief? Consider the following statements: - I do not think that God exists.
- I do not believe that the Universe has a beginning.
- I do not know much about Islam. An anarchistic epistemologist is blind to the two first statements. We do not care about what religion think or believes; we do not care what science thinks or believes. We care about what they know and how do they know. Anarchistic epistemologists cannot be based on claims, beliefs or opinions, but only on knowledge. Science is the most reliable statement we confirm as being closer to the top of the pyramid, but science itself has many unanswered questions. Anarchistically speaking, and we do not beg your pardon, we do not give a shit about religion which is a completely belief-based world. We can shut them down indifferently just by asking a simple question: How many different religions exist today in our world, and how many more are still in the creating process? (They have our permission to call Satanists as much as they want; does not make much difference, an opinion stays an opinion to us). Opinions come and go, beliefs remain beliefs. We seek knowledge. |
