(April 25, 2013 at 5:49 pm)Dawud Wrote: My knowledge that I don't know about a topic for an exam can motivate me to study...
OK Dawud, I'll engage you....bit by bit if you will allow me. Also, 'knowledge that I don't know about' = 'ignorance'; without the negative emotive connotation.
My reply would be shorter had you not invoked an exam. Preparing for an exam inserts motivations that aren't simply overcoming ignorance. What are the consequences of a poor exam score? Does one's GPA matter? Will parents cut you off for poor performance? Will you lose a scholarship?
What about an insatiable appetite for achievement? Be damned the knowledge attained, that's secondary to the personal fulfillment of earning a high mark. What is different if the motivation is comparative? Did you bust the curve? Or do exam results prove that you are 'normal' (statistically normal of course)?
Perhaps one is not concernced about the raw GPA score, but understands that it becomes important when seeking work. Now the student is compared to others in the same discipline from different institutions. Now the same GPA is marginalized for the sake of the reputation of the degree awarding institution (reputation deserved or not).
I think I have demonstrated that the acquisition of knowledge is not 'simply' motivated by the desire to overcome ignorance. Consider this, and again ask yourself about 'atheist' motivation. Is the motivation atheistic? Or, is an atheist behaviorally motivated by other considerations?
