uncertainty
Uncertainty about knowledge
In the article The Uncertainty of Knowledge by Edward Harrison, the author highlights the fact that secure knowledge can never be found because it constantly changes; we develop new ideas and discover that our previous beliefs and theories were wrong. Therefore nothing is certain. He compares life to painting a picture; he explains how the picture keeps growing and how we cannot help notice that the gaps on the canvas are spreading faster the paint dabs. Human beings of all societies in all periods of history believe that their ideas on the nature of the real world are the most secure, and that their ideas on religion, ethics and justice are the most enlightened. Like us, they pity the people in earlier ages for not knowing the true facts.
Firstly, it is in our nature as human beings to believe that our current ideas about the world are the most secure; we think that we have reached the ultimate because we know how much we have developed throughout the years and therefore believe that our ideas are correct. We claim to know many things because we have been told them (language- ways of knowing). Throughout history; people were willing to do anything because they believed their ideas were secure. For example, after the pharaohs died, they would bury them with their organs such as their intestines, livers and brains. They were also buried with a guide book called the Book of Dead which was used to guide the pharaohs for there after life. The Pharaohs were also buried with their pets, and meals for the after-life. But most importantly, their valuable objects were buried with them such as gold and silver. They went through all these troubles when burying pharos because they believed their ideas were right and secure and that the pharos needed all those things for their afterlife. Also, a long time ago, people believed that the world was flat; they were so sure about the knowledge they had that the church would jail anyone that said
In the article The Uncertainty of Knowledge by Edward Harrison, the author highlights the fact that secure knowledge can never be found because it constantly changes; we develop new ideas and discover that our previous beliefs and theories were wrong. Therefore nothing is certain. He compares life to painting a picture; he explains how the picture keeps growing and how we cannot help notice that the gaps on the canvas are spreading faster the paint dabs. Human beings of all societies in all periods of history believe that their ideas on the nature of the real world are the most secure, and that their ideas on religion, ethics and justice are the most enlightened. Like us, they pity the people in earlier ages for not knowing the true facts.
Firstly, it is in our nature as human beings to believe that our current ideas about the world are the most secure; we think that we have reached the ultimate because we know how much we have developed throughout the years and therefore believe that our ideas are correct. We claim to know many things because we have been told them (language- ways of knowing). Throughout history; people were willing to do anything because they believed their ideas were secure. For example, after the pharaohs died, they would bury them with their organs such as their intestines, livers and brains. They were also buried with a guide book called the Book of Dead which was used to guide the pharaohs for there after life. The Pharaohs were also buried with their pets, and meals for the after-life. But most importantly, their valuable objects were buried with them such as gold and silver. They went through all these troubles when burying pharos because they believed their ideas were right and secure and that the pharos needed all those things for their afterlife. Also, a long time ago, people believed that the world was flat; they were so sure about the knowledge they had that the church would jail anyone that said