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My View on Belief vs. Knowledge
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Of course, yeah. God can mean anything.
Feel free to send me a private message.
Please visit my website here! It's got lots of information about atheism/theism and support for new atheists. Index of useful threads and discussions Index of my best videos Quickstart guide to the forum  (February 28, 2015 at 8:56 am)Irrational Wrote: How I see it is there is a difference in meaning between "believing" and "knowing". It seems that, according to this understanding, it is possible to "know" something which is false (e.g. The earth is flat). This seems grossly inadequate to me. Is there a better way to speak about knowledge and what, exactly, it is? I think the Greeks had several words for different "kinds" of knowledge. Perhaps something similar could help?  (February 28, 2015 at 9:25 am)Irrational Wrote:(February 28, 2015 at 9:13 am)Dystopia Wrote: I believe I will be alive but I cannot know that. I'm fairly certain I exist because I can feel it.
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
 (February 28, 2015 at 10:49 am)Ignorant Wrote: It seems that, according to this understanding, it is possible to "know" something which is false (e.g. The earth is flat). This seems grossly inadequate to me. Is there a better way to speak about knowledge and what, exactly, it is? I think the Greeks had several words for different "kinds" of knowledge. Perhaps something similar could help? Ok, judging from some of the posts here, it seems my OP needed to be more clear. In my view, knowledge is more of a strong conviction that something is true because it is observed as such by the "knower" ... even if, in reality, it's actually false. Many people back in the ancient days (except for the smart Greeks, I guess) considered the earth to be flat because, in the absence of observed evidence to the contrary at the time, that's what it looked like to them. So I guess they "knew" that "the earth is flat" because that's what the earth looked like to them.
Ok. What does it mean to hold something "is true"?
RE: My View on Belief vs. Knowledge
February 28, 2015 at 12:08 pm
(This post was last modified: February 28, 2015 at 12:09 pm by Ignorant.)
It seems a pretty important question. Maybe it is worth the difficulty? Not that you have to answer it at this very moment. Just something to think about.
(February 28, 2015 at 12:08 pm)Ignorant Wrote: It seems a pretty important question. Maybe it is worth the difficulty? Not that you have to answer it at this very moment. Just something to think about. Holding something as true = accepting it as reflective of the way the world, or some stuff in it, is or works. This is the best I can do.
I think that is a pretty good start, actually.
Is it ever possible to hold to something that cannot NOT be true. In other words, is it possible to hold to something that cannot be false? (February 28, 2015 at 12:18 pm)Ignorant Wrote: I think that is a pretty good start, actually. I don't see why not. The more important question is can we ever know that something cannot be false. Ignorant, I appreciate your participation, but I would prefer if you could make a counterargument rather than just ask what seems to be leading questions. Asking a question every now and then is fine, but it gets suspicious when you do it all the time without making a concrete point. This is a forum for discussion after all, and not a classroom where you place yourself as the teacher asking questions to his students. Sorry if I'm coming off as harsh like this, but I had to say it. |
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