It's been about a week since I've written my last post, and honestly I've been a bit too busy to write much. But today, I have a few things I'd like to discuss. (By the way, just in case you didn't know, this blog was created under the direction of my worldview teacher, Rabbi G. Thus, it is going to contain quite a bit of philosophic controversy. However, I've always been obsessed with apologetics, so I'll be doing a lot more with that soon. As a matter of fact, I intend to write a review of the Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye debate, so visit here in a few days, and I should have that posted! Now on to the present...)
Knowledge is the key to human existence. Without it, we would have no way of survival. Knowledge is what gives us the ability to work, think, and relax. It tells us when to be sad, and when to be joyful. It tells us that the earth is round, and that hurting oneself or others is generally a bad idea. It tells us that there is a God, and it predicts the weather. It tells us that someone we love has just smiled at us, and it tells the baby to open his mouth so that he can eat. Knowledge is everything.
But how do we know what we know? That, indeed, is the philosophy's most controversial question, and has been debated among the wise and foolish for centuries. The simple answer is that there are three main ways we can know something.
The first is called "cognitive." Simply put, this is what we experience through sight, sense, touch, smell, and taste. Animals have this knowledge. So do people. It is what tells the dog not to go outside the boundaries of the yard, lest he be shocked. It is also what tells a person that chocolate is delightful. It is a purely physical sort of knowledge.
The second kind of knowledge is known as "empirical." This is a type of knowledge that a dog does not have. It takes experience and our senses and compares them with possibilities and fantasies. It compares good with evil. It is what tells us that it is morally wrong to kill another person. It is what tells us that two times two is four. This is what allows a painter to create a clear-cut, recognizable picture completely from his imagination.
The third type of knowledge is revelational. This type of knowledge is strictly known to man. It is what we know as revealed by God or other conscientious beings, such as fellow men or angels. This is what has given us the Bible. This is also what gives us information concerning the past, from the writings of ancestors.
Many ancient men wrestled with the topic of knowledge. Herodotus, for example, believed that the entire world was in constant change and therefore couldn't be known. In other words, "You can't step into the same river twice. However, Parmenides believed the opposite. He stated that knowledge is not derived at from the senses, but only through pure reason. The world was an infinite, unchanging entity, and therefore could be known. Plato combined these and stated that there were two realms of knowledge, the cognitive and the empirical. However, he still stated that things could not fully be known, because truth wasn't revealed in the physical world. Aristotle held many of the same views as Plato, but he believed that truth was inherit within nature. Therefore, knowledge was truly attainable.
Thomas Aquinas, on the other hand, provided evidence for natural theology, using reason alone. Thus, he provided a platform for revelational knowledge.
Due to Aquinas' efforts, people like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and many others were able to provide the public with great masterpieces which are still marveled at today. An example of this is the Sistine Chapel.
However, a few centuries later, Naturalism began to overcome the idealogy of Christianity and grace, because the world became based only on Cognitive and Empirical thinking yet again. This lead to the belief that Christianity has no support by "logic." This caused (and was caused by) a "Line of Despair" between the physical and the unseen. This created a boundary between Church and Science, which in turn lead to a division between Church authority and Biblical authority.
The Reformation, caused by thinkers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, was in response to the split in authority over truth. The reformers reacted by attempting to create harmony between the two worldviews (Naturalism and Christianity.) They said that indeed, the world can be physically observed, but also that science pointed to God as the ultimate authority for truth. During the period known as the Reformation, just laws began to appear for the first time in centuries by brand-new civil governments. The economy in Europe began to thrive like never before. Poverty rates went down immensely. All were impacted by this worldview.
Thanks for reading! Have a great rest of your week.
Sinceriously, Micah Sample
