Definition of Knowledge

[john]

I am currently three quarters of the way through an extremely interesting book, I found out about it when someone here recommended it, I can’t remember who but thanks very much.

The book is SAPIENS A brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Google it!

The title tells you what it is about, sounds like dusty hard work eh! Wrong it is very easy to read, entertaining, amusing and educational. I heartily recommend it. Every page contains some new way of looking at things to open your mind. I keep interrupting the wife to quote from it, “hey did you know.....”

Let me quote you one paragraph, which is appropriate to this forum. It comes from the chapter The Discovery of Ignorance at the foot of page 288 if you have the book.

 
“In 1620 Francis Bacon published a scientific manifesto titled, The New Instrument. In it he argued that “knowledge is power”. The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us. Scientists usually assume that no theory is 100% correct. Consequently truth is a poor test for knowledge. The real test is utility. A theory that enables us to do new things constitutes knowledge.”


I found this very interesting and wonder how this idea goes down with theists, who (of course)  have absolute and inherent knowledge?   

[Gonnagle]

Dear John,

Francis Bacon, the man who famously said,

A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men's minds about to religion.

Shaker will be along to quote later famous philosophers

Knowledge is power, it all depends what we do with that power.

Gonnagle.

[L.A.]

“In 1620 Francis Bacon published a scientific manifesto titled, The New Instrument. In it he argued that “knowledge is power”. The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us. Scientists usually assume that no theory is 100% correct. Consequently truth is a poor test for knowledge. The real test is utility. A theory that enables us to do new things constitutes knowledge.”

Using that definition most of the work of Isaac Newton would have been written-off as there was no immediate pay-off in terms of power.

I think today, most people recognise that we can never know what benefits may come from knowledge, so pursuing truth for it's own sake is the way to bring future benefits to us all.

[SusanDoris]

I have a talking book copy of 'Sapiens' to listen to when I've finished the book I'm currently listening to.

[john]

Susan

I think you will enjoy it, the book has pictures and charts but makes perfect sense without them.

Enjoy. It is a thought provoking book even if you don't agree with it all.

John

[wigginhall]

Sounds interesting.  Another thing that Bacon did was advise scientists to stop going on about Aristotle, or debating about truth and reality.   Down with metaphysics, and up with observation. 

The stuff about utility is also interesting, and this is still debated in philosophy of science, for example, in relation to 'instrumentalism'. 

[L.A.]

Sounds interesting.  Another thing that Bacon did was advise scientists to stop going on about Aristotle, or debating about truth and reality.   Down with metaphysics, and up with observation. 

The stuff about utility is also interesting, and this is still debated in philosophy of science, for example, in relation to 'instrumentalism'.

But the statement " The real test of knowledge is not whether it is true but whether it empowers us" seems to be anti-science. We never know where research will lead, it may well not empower us,or at least not be seen to empower us in the short term.

[Udayana]

Bacon's work was of-course key in establishing the modern concept of the scientific method. I'm not sure that you've taken the word "power" in the sense that he meant it.

What he meant was "the power to predict natural events", which is quite close to the understanding of scientific truth by the later empiricists. i.e. You can't necessarily arrive at the "truth" through deductive logic, but must usually use inductive methods and experimental tests. The better able you are to predict observations then the closer your arguments/methods are to the true laws of nature.

[Udayana]

Sounds interesting.  Another thing that Bacon did was advise scientists to stop going on about Aristotle, or debating about truth and reality.   Down with metaphysics, and up with observation. 

The stuff about utility is also interesting, and this is still debated in philosophy of science, for example, in relation to 'instrumentalism'.

Wasn't it Bertrand Russell who suggested that every major scientific advance began by taking issue with something taken for granted by Aristotle?