Active Now

Element 99
Discussion » Questions » Education » How do you know what you think you know?

How do you know what you think you know?

Is it intuition?
Did you learn it from direct experience?
Did you learn and forget so it sunk into your unconscious?
Is what was true then still true now?
Is it what you were taught when young?
Did you read it in a book, see it on You-Tube or a documentary?
Did you ever check to see if it was really true?
Did you experiment to find out?
Or did you never need to because it always seemed to work reliably?

Posted - July 6, 2019

Responses


  • I Google it.

    Then I use it to answer things people post on obscure websites. Sort of like this :


    Ontology deals with what kinds of things exist. Epistemology deals with what we can know and how we can know it (the means and conditions for knowledge), including how we can know what exists. The two are interconnected, since how we can know depends on the nature of the objects of knowledge, and determining what exists and its nature depends on how we can know.
    Our ontology (or inventory) of the world might include physical objects, minds, events, properties, values, and abstract entities such as numbers and sets. Or some of these might be reduced to others. (e.g. a nominalist ontology might say there are no numbers, only symbols or inkmarks; a physicalist might say there are no minds only brains).
    Epistemology might claim that some or all of these are means to knowledge: perception, sensation, intuition, reason (deduction, induction, abduction) — even faith as some religious believers claim. Epistemology might also attempt to define what it is to know: e.g. to improve on the traditional view of knowledge as "justified true belief".

    Then if enough people click " like" and no one corrects my spelling, I know that I know and they know that I know. 

    You know ?

      July 6, 2019 1:59 AM MDT
    2

  • 4631
    I like Google too,
    though I often go down to the bibliography and check out the original source.
    Sometimes - if it seems important - I go way back.
      July 6, 2019 2:16 AM MDT
    1

  • 5391
    What I read here is you know how to use Google. Cut and paste. Copy and post. 
    Is that a correct analysis? 
      July 6, 2019 6:41 AM MDT
    2

  • Yes.

    Now you know everything.
      July 6, 2019 7:10 AM MDT
    1

  • 5391
    What I‘ll call my trove of general understanding is an accretion of all of the methods you mention, in addition to learning that coalesced from related knowledge and experience. 

    As a a trained engineer, as a businessman, it has literally been a factor of my professional livelihood to figure things out, to gather data to form ideas to solve problems, and regularly convene with others in this daily pursuit. Thus, virtually every method and species of inquiry and reasoning has crossed my desk at some point. 
      July 6, 2019 6:38 AM MDT
    2

  • 19942
    Funny you should ask that.  Not long ago, one of my nieces asked me a question and I answered her.  My sister was surprised that I knew the answer and asked me how I knew that.  I've had this happen before.  My formal education stopped after high school graduation.  I think the best answer for me is that I read a lot, watch programs on TV that are not just amusing, but informative, I read magazines and the newspaper every day, I've done some traveling inside and outside the U.S.A.  Somehow, I've absorbed information throughout my 73 years that has stuck with me.  
      July 6, 2019 9:32 AM MDT
    2

  • With the help of my tech minded boyfriend,
    the two of us have cleverly constructed
    the most advanced state of the art galactic frequency audio reception device.
    We can now hear not only the multitude of voices in our own heads
    which were always there
    but now, with crystal clear sound are able to pick up voices from infinity and beyond.
    The voices tell us we are handsome.
    they tell us we are smart.
    they tell us we are talented.
    they tell us we are never wrong.
    Obviously the voices know what they are talking about.
    So, we do what they tell us to do.
    Its a powerful feeling
    and a powerful position to be in knowing what we know.
    And we owe it all to crackpot pseudo science
    And too many junk drawers filled with electrical accouterments.  LOL!



    Coming soon, to a radio shack near you.
    This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at July 6, 2019 9:53 AM MDT
      July 6, 2019 9:51 AM MDT
    0

  • 52903

    I don’t think that there’s any one method by which humans, acquire knowledge. 

    Is it intuition? Some, yes.

    Did you learn it from direct experience? Some, yes.

    Did you learn and forget so it sunk into your unconscious? Some, yes.

    Is what was true then still true now? Some, yes. Many things in life change over time.

    Is it what you were taught when young? Some, yes.

    Did you read it in a book, see it on You-Tube or a documentary? Some, yes.

    Did you ever check to see if it was really true? Some, yes.

    Did you experiment to find out? Some, yes. The Harem didn’t come about based on an idle hands-off attitude.

    Or did you never need to because it always seemed to work reliably? Some, yes.
    ~

      December 7, 2022 8:57 PM MST
    0