Knowledge as Nonexistent Notion

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Knowledge is one of the main considerations of peoples lives and the philosophers of all times and nations are tied to answer the question: what do people know? The disability to answer this question may be described by the constant development of peoples knowledge as every day people get to know something new, maybe not very significant, but the understanding of new knowledge possession gives the feeling that the day was lived not in vain. Knowledge is a power and people should know how to use it. It is obvious that people know a lot of things, but at the same time people know nothing, as there is no knowledge at all.

The conversation starts with the exam question What do you know?, which is supposed to be the only question in the ancient Chinese academy final exam. The quarrel appeared out of noting, as Skip was sure that people know absolutely nothing, they just are being able (Rosenberg 2) to do something, such as speak German or ride a bike. Gemma is more optimistic in this conversation, assure that people know a lot of things, like mathematical knowledge, technical or chemistry and a lot of others. All sorts of such things are known to people.

The breaking point of the conversation is that Skip is sure that all people think they know, they just believe in it. The example, which is offered in the book, is about the dream and reality. Skip is not sure that people really live, he insists that it may be just a dream. There happens sometimes that during peoples dream, they are sure that they have got up, but later it becomes realized that they have just got up, and previous awake was just a dream (Rosenberg 6). I personally could relate to this example as it has happened to me, where I woke up a few times within the dream and was very confused afterward. The same may happen with people, they may be sure that blue is blue and that the sun is shining, and in reality everything is vice versa. People can just believe in something, but not know it.

Gemma does not agree with Skip and continues to insist that it is surely known that they are sitting in the blue T-shirts in from of the computer and that it is really known, as it may be seen. The situation occurs in the present time and Gemma may run the scenario according to her personal considerations and in the direction, which she has chosen as the most appropriate one (Rosenberg 9). Furthermore, Gemma agrees that there are things that are impossible to know, and in this case people hesitate and choose the most appropriate variant, and in this case it is possible to say that people know nothing about the situation and the consequences of their choice (Rosenberg 5).

Turning to the mathematical and technical knowledge, the conversation was the most exciting, as everybody was right in their own part. Gemma was sure that mathematical and technical knowledge is the most trusted and these are the concrete sciences and there are no approximations, as all the data and results are checked several times. Skips considerations are that people should never even be sure that there is mathematics and that it is consists of different numbers, vectors, lines, groups, and points (Rosenberg 5). People have created the scope of information, tried to prove it through the same created notions and have named it as knowledge, which in reality (and the real existence, in general, is not proved) is just beliefs and considerations.

So, concluding the conversation between Skip and Gemma, it is possible to strengthen that Skip is sure that he knows nothing, moreover this insurance is unreal, as people may just believe in everything, even if they see it and may touch. His consideration is that all people know is not proved and may turn out to be a dream, which lasts forever. Gemma is more optimistic in the question, she knows that there are a lot of things, which people may just guess about, but still there are a lot of things, which people know for sure, such as that 2 + 2 = 4, not 5 or 3. That the flowers are in blossom or that she is sitting before the computer and takes part in the conversation.

Considering peoples knowledge, what they know, what they do not know but could and what they will never know, it is possible to mention, that people exist, that they are all interrelated, that there is a sun, that peoples interaction is provided through communication and people will die sooner or later. All this is known and may be taken for granted, while there is knowledge that is unknown, but could be learned. Knowledge, which could be possessed by people, is the life on the other planet (with the development of technical issues), how people originated and their past, but not so distant. The issues which will always be beyond peoples understanding and knowledge is peoples distant past, as they can just guess or believe in some events, which took place in distant past, what morality is and whether such things as abortions may be considered as morally acceptable, or what George Washington would say about the modern war in Iraq. These notions will never be known as there is no possibility to know them, to possess the knowledge about them as the laws of life are structured in such a way that past will never come through the present or future.

The question about God is one of the most crucial in the raw of knowledge possession. People have never seen God, they even do not have any sufficient pieces of evidence of Gods existence, but most people continue to believe that God exists, moreover, they are eager to quarrel about Gods real existence and contradicting that everything else in the world is uncertain (Rosenberg 38). It is believed that God exists, and there is the personal consideration, whether to believe in Gods existence, or just know about His presence, or just to reject God as unreal creature, who subsists only in peoples imagination.

The question of knowledge is a rather difficult and quarreled issue to consider, and great deal of people does not have the definite opinion about the issue. The first question, which appears in mind, is what the knowledge means in reality. The scope of information, the data, the insurance in something, the ability to do something, and so on are all the definers of knowledge, and it is impossible to conclude what knowledge in reality is, so there is no correct or wrong information about knowing existence, only different perspectives. Considering my personal opinion, it is believed that people may know nothing. Looking at the table, people just think that it is a table, as they were taught about it from childhood, but in reality they cannot know for sure what it is and what its function and designation is. Watching on the sky people know it is blue, but they are mistaken, as they can just believe that it is blue, and so on.

Supporting Skips arguments, people know nothing, as even the very notion of the word knowledge is undefined. People speak, but it does not mean that they know English, they just use it. Being able to swim, they do not know it, they can, and it is two different notions. According to my personal insurance and the scope of information, which I have, people are unable to know something like the long time development of the world has made us believe in different things and it is impossible to say that it is knowledge. People can either believe, or be able to do something, that is all. Skips consideration of the possibility of peoples dreams is the other reason why peoples knowledge is impossible. People may dream, people may see flowers, and in reality it is just a grey stick, which protrudes out of the earth.

So, people have their own considerations, beliefs and abilities, which they call knowledge. People are unable to possess knowledge (in the meaning which is given to this word) as it is even unknown whether the world people live in is real. It has been constructed historically that the sun is yellow and water is blue, but all these are peoples beliefs, as they were taught or learned to identify them from the very beginning of their life. If a person is taught that skirt should be worn on the head, and everybody could relate to wear it on their heads, they will most likely wear it on their heads. The whole power is in consideration and peoples beliefs, and there is no knowledge at all as people are unable to be sure in anything, they are just suggested that they know.

On the contrary, going against the traditional definition of knowledge, everything that we learn or were taught is knowledge. If something is taught falsely, it is still knowledge, until it is discovered that it is false, and then one identifies it as false knowledge. The same thing could be said about good or bad knowledge until it realized that it is the right opposite of what it was believed to be, it remains as it was intended. There is no good or bad, right or wrong, justified or unjustified, knowledge or no knowledge, only different perspectives and opinions.

Works Cited

Rosenberg, Jay F. Thinking about knowing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Rosenberg, Jay F. Three conversations about knowing. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing, 2000.

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Knowledge as Nonexistent Notion

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