Scientific knowledge versus spiritual knowledge
February 2, 2016 at 11:44 am
(This post was last modified: February 2, 2016 at 11:48 am by LadyForCamus.)
(January 29, 2016 at 11:50 pm)God of Mr. Hanky Wrote:(January 29, 2016 at 8:21 pm)Irrational Wrote: If I tell you I know that I had chicken for lunch yesterday, is that really scientific knowledge? Or not knowledge?
Can it be verified? Witnesses, deli receipts, biological data? If not, then in it's experience without evidence.
Yes, Hanky! That is exactly what I mean.
Experience by its self cannot equal knowledge. It is an incomplete set of data. It is only one facet, one step toward obtaining actual knowledge about anything in reality.
Okay...hypothetical situation as an example. It's a bit absurd, so try to suspend your disbelief just for the sake of my argument:
I have a red rose. I went to the flower shop, picked out the first red rose I saw, and bought it. I look at my red rose. I am enjoying the visual, sensory experience of seeing my red rose. I know that I have a RED rose, because I am looking at it, and experiencing it as red.
I think my red rose is so pretty, I decide to take it to the streets of NYC and see if other people think so too. So, I ask 100 people what they think of the color of my rose. Out of 100 people, 100 of them tell me that my rose is BLUE. They say things like, "Oh, my god! That is the most beautiful color of blue I've ever seen in a rose!" Or, "wow, what a spectacular blue rose!" Or, "I just love blue roses! They are my favorite!" In addition to these 100 people, others are occasionally stopping me to comment on how they have never seen a rose quite that shade of blue before. I even pass another flower shop, and the owner steps out to ask me which shop I got my blue rose from. I then check my receipt from the flower shop which states that I purchased one rose, color - BLUE, for $5.99.
Do I really KNOW at this point that I have a red rose? Can I still be confident in my "knowledge" in the face of quantifiable, repeatable evidence which suggests otherwise? Granted, my "experiment" is really just a survey; far from scientifically infallible, but it should at the very least raise more questions than it answers, and prompt me (If I am a reasonable person) to further investigation.
Personally, by the time the tenth person told me my rose was blue, I'd start to seriously question whether my internal visual experience is accurately reflecting reality. I have utterly failed to demonstrate to anyone that my rose is red. I would probably wonder if some type of pathology is affecting my sensory perception, and check my self into the nearest hospital to seek answers. In other words, I would follow the evidence.
What I would NOT do, is insist to anyone who will listen that the damn rose is red! It would be an unjustified belief at that point, and NOT a rational pathway to the truth. Or, at least as close to the truth as possible.
Sorry for the rambling...[emoji15]
Nay_Sayer: “Nothing is impossible if you dream big enough, or in this case, nothing is impossible if you use a barrel of KY Jelly and a miniature horse.”
Wiser words were never spoken.
Wiser words were never spoken.
