Thursday, October 22, 2009

Why "Knowledge"?!

People ask me, "why knowledge, what's so great about it?"

It's simple: because it's what I hold as my highest ideal.

Almost any other virtue or ideal is useless without knowledge as a core. Logic is nothing without knowledge to deduce from. Reason is inductive knowledge. Truth is essentially “real” knowledge. Reflection is knowledge of self. Courage comes from knowing your cause: compassion comes from acting on your known cause. Love is... Okay, I’ve got nothing for that one, but you get where this is going...

I’ve always been interested in knowledge: from reading books; to learning; through trial and error; through conversation; through asking questions; and pretty much through any other medium or means. It's why I continue to learn. I've always been in pursuit of it, I've always loved to learn and know as much as I could, whenever I could.

Knowledge is why I bother arguing; it's why I debate or discuss; it’s why I speak out if someone makes a false statement; it’s why I point out faulty logic; it’s why I’m blunt; It's basically my reason for any intellectual pursuit.

I’ve always been intrigued by wisdom and knowledge, but I don’t believe that they should both be coined with the same definition. I believe that knowledge is perception through reasoning and learning, and that wisdom is the application of acquired knowledge. I hold knowledge higher because it's the very root of wisdom.

Philosophy has been my biggest tool to learning. Oddly enough, it's because it isn't just solid knowledge. It's also about the questions involved, not just the answers you get. It's about ideas you get from someone shedding a little insight. Whenever something interests me, I need to know more.

If knowledge isn't put to good use, it's pointless. It can be used to exploit others or used to make yourself better. To choose the latter, is my definition of wisdom. A part of philosophy is the study of ethics: moral values and rules. Philosophy allows you to morally interpret in depth what is considered right or wrong; good or bad; moral and immoral. In other words, it allows you to realize what you should and shouldn’t do. This is exactly where knowledge comes into play.

Part of the reason why I value knowledge so much is because I try not to take anything for granted. We live in a generation where it’s so accessible, yet isn't seen for the commodity that it is. Bridges only stand because of the knowledge behind that. An engine only functions because of the knowledge behind that. It'd be fair to say that knowledge is the backbone of society. The foundation for a strong society is determined by how informed its populace, and in turn, its government is.

Have you ever realized how easy it is to know something nowadays? Any time I have a question, I open up a window and search it on google (am I a nerd, or what?). I see the potential for knowledge, and it’s infinitesimal quantity and I can honestly say that it humbles me. It humbles me more than any supposed being in the sky probably ever will (but that’s another topic.).

If you think about it, knowledge is as idealistic as it is practical. To know more than someone about a certain thing puts you one step ahead of them, isn't that how the world works? The random facts I know probably won’t bring about world peace...but it sure as hell makes for a good conversation.

I think of how few absolutes must (if even any,) exist. The great thing about knowledge is that not only is it used as the process or tool to obtain truth, but it’s also the end-result of truth. To me, the journey is just as valuable as the destination is.

I gotta warn you that many of my topics do bring up knowledge, but remember that this is first and foremost: a critical thinking blog...so it's not always gonna be about knowledge (...unless you're the A.Gaelzz, of course.) But seriously, I'll try to keep it to a minimum (no promises though).

I don't mind putting myself in the category of a geek or a nerd, in fact, I embrace it. It's a small price to pay to be well-informed.

So there you have it. I just had to get this out of the way before the real topics start :D. I hope it all makes just a little bit more sense to you.

Peace,
- Alvin

7 comments:

  1. "he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow"
    -ecclesiates 1:18

    ReplyDelete
  2. ignorance is knowledge in its own right.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautifully written!
    I love the idea of your blog, Alvin.

    It's amazing how thoroughly you have explored your drive to search for knowledge. It is rare to come by someone so passionate about the pursuit of reason.

    (:

    -Dawn

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm feelin you, and im not surprised that theres people out there who love this ish as much as i do, but its refreshing to personally know someone as down to earth as you.
    Theres just something about the sensation of questioning existence that is so eerie that it makes me feel good in a way. My curiosity is the very core of my motivation to seek what I don't know.

    Anyways im really lookin forward to hearin some thoughts and i guess i could drop my two cents every now n then.

    One last thing. When you said knowing more about something than someone else puts you a step ahead of them.. it brings up the notion that life or the pursuit of knowledge is some sort of a race. However, what if that 'Other' was headed in another direction than you? Would that 'step ahead' even account for greater knowledge of a specified topic? Lastly, I wouldn't call it a step ahead because that other could potentially have greater knowledge in another area or aspect of life, giving him the edge as you say. So who is really winning ? Think on that aha.

    Stay up bro. ezz

    ~Garrett

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Aphex:
    "There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love, art, and knowledge."
    - Friedrich Nietzsche
    ...I'm not that cheerful by nature.

    @ Vlad:
    Depends how you look at it. Does the lack of knowledge mean that it's knowledge with a 0 > 1 value? The direct definition is a lack of knowledge, with lack being open to interpretation.

    @ Dawn:
    Thanks. Good to see Eena passed it along. Sorry I can't come through tomorrow...I'm working. I look forward to hearing from you.

    @ Garrett:
    Aha, I knew you had it in you.

    You're right - which is why I said "to know more than someone about a CERTAIN THING puts you one step ahead of them". In ideal conditions, if you put two people up against each other...the one more prepared comes out on top. It might not be a competition between the two people per se, but one still ends up ahead.

    Either way, any other benefits aside from knowledge that I reap are secondary.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "The wise are not learned; The learned are not wise."

    I believe it's wisdom and simplicity you should be aiming for. Not knowledge.

    Some people use knowledge for the sake of being clever, some use knowledge for the sake appearing wise and others use knowledge for the sake of complaining about something ( as anyone who doesn't have it can see that kind of attitude gets in the way of things like wisdom and happiness, and pretty much prevents any sort of real accomplishment in life.)

    When you disregard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to those with simpleminded minds : Life is fun.

    From this state of simplicity comes the ability to enjoy the simple and quiet, the natural and the plain. Along with that comes the ability to do things spontaneously and have them work, odd as that may appear to others at times.

    Although scholarly intellect may be useful for analyzing certain things, deeper and broader matters are beyond it's limited reach.

    The Brain, the Academician, the dry as dust absentminded professor divides all kinds of abstract things into little categories and compartments while reaming rather helpless and disorganized in his daily life. Rather than learn from simplicity and from direct experience, he learns intellectually and indirectly, from books. And since he doesn't usually put certain principles into practice in an everyday sort of way, his explanations of them tend to leave out rather important details, such as how they work and where you can apply them. He is one who studies knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and who keeps what he learns to himself or to his own small group writing pompous and pretentious papers that no one else can understand, rather than working on the enlightenment of others.

    Now one rather annoying thing about scholars is that they are always using Big Words that some of us can't understand... and one sometimes gets the impression that those intimidating words are there to keep us from understanding. That way the scholars can appear Superior, and will not likely be suspected of Not Knowing Something. After all, from the scholarly point of view, it 's practically a crime not to know everything.

    But sometimes the knowledge of the scholar is a bit to hard to understand because it doesn't seem to match up with our own experience of things. In other words, Knowledge and Experience do not necessarily speak the same language. But isn't the knowledge that comes from experience more valuable than the knowledge that doesn't? It seems fairly obvious to some of us that a lot of scholars need to go outside and sniff around- walk through the grass, talk to the animals. That sort of thing. *Cough

    Quite often, stuggling like a scholar over relatively unimportant matters can make one increasingly Confused. Now, don't get me wrong! Scholars can be useful and necessary, in their own dull and unamusing way. They provide a lot of information. It's just that there is Something More, and that Something More is what life is really all about.

    I came across your blog somehow while lurking around facebook, it looked interesting. I don't believe you know me!

    Anywho, just thought I'd throw in my 10 cents.

    ~thetaooftrap

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ The Tao of Trap:

    "just thought I'd throw in my 10 cents."
    And I'm glad you did. It was pretty insightful. Please drop me a message on facebook (although I won't be able to answer for a couple of months) so I know who you are OR an e-mail, which should should on my fb account.

    "I believe it's wisdom and simplicity you should be aiming for. Not knowledge."
    I tried that, it's never worked for me. My biggest problem is that I think too much. I've tried not to, but it just doesn't work for me. It's either I come to terms with my problem and learn to accept it...or continue to beat myself over the fact that I think more than I need to.

    "And since he doesn't usually put certain principles into practice in an everyday sort of way, his explanations of them tend to leave out rather important details, such as how they work and where you can apply them. He is one who studies knowledge for the sake of knowledge, and who keeps what he learns to himself or to his own small group writing pompous and pretentious papers that no one else can understand, rather than working on the enlightenment of others. "
    I'm Not sure if that's directed to me...but I get what you're saying. Just to clarify a few things, though:
    - knowledge is the only thing (thus far) that I can justify by chasing for the sake of it.
    - I don't write with the enlightenment of others as my primary concern. Personally, I think enlightenment's a personal endeavour (although it can be guided). I once cared about changing the world, but I'm not sure that I do any more.
    - It's not about having the elite few. Personally, I'd prefer to know more that I can consider intellectuals or bother to be. The problem isn't that there's a lack of intellectuals, the problem is that people don't seem to find the need to be one.
    - Some sort of intellectual potential is the only pre-requisite I have for a friendship/past acquaintances. The only thing it takes to move up from a friend to a best/close friend is the addition of self-sufficiency.
    - I don't hold myself on some sort of pedestal. I got the idea to start the blog because some of the things that I WILL be writing about are things that I constantly discuss with my closest/best friends. I figured that if I could expand the discussion and broaden who it's with, then why not? (For example, you accidentally finding my blog might have never happened!)

    "But isn't the knowledge that comes from experience more valuable than the knowledge that doesn't? It seems fairly obvious to some of us that a lot of scholars need to go outside and sniff around- walk through the grass, talk to the animals. "
    But that's the beauty of knowledge. For myself, I can(and do) lose track of time just admiring the Toronto skyline. I can appreciate it's beauty. I think that having the knowledge behind it adds a whole other dimension to it (looking at the history, finding out the names of the buildings, etc.)
    For me, the addition of knowledge to something I can appreciate turns a beautiful black & white picture into a coloured one.

    Judging from the alias you chose to sign off by, would it be fair to say that Eastern Philosophy/Religion heavily influences your thoughts? Because I'm sure the prevalence of western thought clearly shows in mine.

    I also hear what you're saying about rhetoric, and I try to keep that to a minimum. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with using "big words" if it's the word best-suited/most concise one for what I'm trying to say.

    With all that considered, I hope to hear from you in the future. You could make for some very good discussions.

    ReplyDelete

 

settlement loans

dreamweaver website templates