Knowledge page 1

Knowledge

One of the first cultural definitions to consider is, "What is knowledge?"
When I ask this question in class, students often answer first (initially) with the response:

"Knowledge is facts."

If I ask them to qualify this statement, I usually hear:

"Knowledge is true facts or the truth."

Occasionally I get the answer,

"Knowledge is wisdom".

Every now and then I encounter the statement,

"Knowledge is power".

So what do you think knowledge is?

Is knowledge "facts"?

Is it "truth"? Is it "wisdom"?

Is it "power"?

What exactly are these things?

And what is the relationship among them?

My favorite story about knowledge and power concerns an ancient Macedonian called Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) He was called 'the great' because he conquered the Persian Empire.

Alexander was tutored by Aristotle (384-322 BC) who was a cataloguer of knowledge, and was a collector of information. Aristotle's teacher had been another Greek philosopher, named Plato (approximately 427-347 BC). You may have heard of him. Plato's teacher was also a philosopher named Socrates (469-399 BC), who some consider to be the father of knowledge, because of his sacrifice for the right to ask questions to determine the truth.

You see, Socrates was a teacher in ancient Greece. He taught the youth of the city of Athens. He taught them that the act of asking questions only strengthened one's beliefs. If one believes that something is true, Socrates taught, then the act of questioning and answering such questions could only strengthen one's conviction that what one believes is the truth.

Socrates taught that it was good (beneficial) to ask questions about everything, so that one's knowledge of everything could grow stronger. For example, asking yourself why you love your spouse can result in either a greater appreciation of your spouse (which would make the mutual love stronger) or a recognition that something is lacking (which, if communicated to your spouse, and acknowledged, also could make the relationship stronger).

However, Socrates' teaching method caused a problem, because the youth (teenagers) began to question the existence of the gods (the Greeks were polytheistic, they believed in more than one god; monotheistic is the term that designates belief in one god only).

The leaders of Athens became upset and Socrates was arrested for 'corrupting the morals of the youth' of the city. There was a trial and Socrates was found guilty. The Athenians (who were citizens because Athens was the first direct democracy - all the free Greek males voted) gave Socrates a choice: he could leave Athens forever (called "exile") or he could drink poison and die.

Socrates chose to drink the poison, Hemlock, rather than subvert (undermine) the search for truth. That is, instead of leaving his home in Athens, he stayed and sacrificed his life for his belief that the best way to search for the truth is to ask questions. Socrates' way of teaching has become known as "the Socratic method".

Plato used this method and so did Aristotle. Consequently, in my mind, there is a direct line between knowledge and power: Socrates taught Plato, who taught Aristotle who tutored Alexander, who conquered the world!

Now, it is probably not due only to Aristotle's tutoring skills (based on what he learned from Plato, who learned from Socrates) that Alexander became 'the Great'. He undoubtedly had other people in his life from whom he learned and a great deal of his own natural abilities. Nevertheless, as the thoughts of all three these philosophers were passed on to him in a direct line, one could reasonably say that if knowledge is not power, certainly in this case, knowledge became power. So, you decide for yourself whether "knowledge is power." Certainly, knowledge can make you powerful (full of power).

Is knowledge "facts"? Is it "truth"? Is it "wisdom"?

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