Philosophy of Knowledge
Introduction
One of the most important aspects to gaining new knowledge is the pain and discomfort that
is often associated with the understanding and application of that new knowledge. Though
we struggle when confronted with new knowledge, we gain so much more than just the
knowledge itself when we persist through the discomfort.
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What basic philosophy is most important: The fact that though knowledge and
change are painful, they are useful for our personal growth.
Explanation
In this section of Plato’s Republic,
Socrates describes a scenario in which
people who have been exposed to very
little (nothing but a cave filled with fire
and shadows) are exposed to something
new and foreign. After being exposed
to the sun for the first time these
individuals feel immediate pain and
discomfort and are unable to process
anything. After some time, these
individuals are able to process and
interpret this new information without
the discomfort. Now these individuals
Explanation
Eventually the individuals from the
cave would want to return to the cave.
These individuals would want to share
what they’ve learned with people just
like them, share how much wider and
more wonderful the world is outside of
the cave. Yet these people would
“know” that this person is wrong, and
if that person pushed too hard they’d
be murdered out of fear.
Explanation
Evidence from original philosophical text:
“…SOCRATES: ...would not the one who had been dragged like
this feel, in the process, pain and rage?
And when he got into the sunlight, wouldn't his eyes be filled
with the glare, and wouldn't he thus be unable
to see any of the things that are now revealed to him as the
unhidden?” (Plato, Republic, VII)
Evidence that the philosophy exists in other texts:
“SOCRATES: Now if once again, along with those who had remained shackled there,
the freed person had to engage in the business of asserting and maintaining opinions
about the shadows -- while his eyes are estill weak and before they have readjusted, an
adjustment that would require quite a bit of time -- would he not then be exposed to
ridicule down there? And would they not let him know that he had gone up but only in
order to come back down into the cave with his eyes ruined -- and thus it certainly does
not pay to go up… And if they can get hold of this person who takes it in hand to free
them from their chains and to lead them up, and if they could kill him, will they not
actually kill him?” (Plato, Republic VII)
Additional evidence of that philosophy:
A Modern example of this piece of philosophy can be found in a Podcast
called RadioLab. In The Good Show, the hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert
Krulwich discuss a modern philosopher and scientist named Richard
Dawkins. Dawkins discovered an equation that quantified goodness, and
reduced it to a biological imperitive only useful for survival. Basically,
creatures are only “good” because it benefits them and there is no actual
point to truly being “good.” This shocked him to a point that made him
change his whole life, give away everything he owned, and eventually kill
himself; possibly because he could no longer live in a world without true
goodness.
“After Richard Dawkins had given everything
away he paid the ultimate sacrifice”
Jad – “You mean he killed himself.”
Robert – “He killed himself.” (Radio Lab, “The
Good Show” 0:20.00)
Modern representation of that philosophy in existence in society:
“Last week, a mob of 200 people in the Indian state of Assam dragged a 65-year-old woman out of her house, stripped
her and beheaded her with a machete. They did so because a self-proclaimed “goddess,” who asked them to gather at a
local temple, proclaimed that the woman was a witch and would bring bad luck and illness to the village.
In a country teeming with IT graduates and higher-education institutes, such attacks are sadly and strangely common.
Ninety people in Assam, a majority of them of them women, lost their lives in the last six years because they were
branded as witches. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 2,097 murders between 2000 and 2012 were
committed when the victims were accused of practicing witchcraft”(Jaiswal, Why witches are still being beheaded in India)
Conclusion: So What? Why does this philosophy matter? The notion of the “cave” and the discomfort
we feel when encountering knowledge is fundamental. We may feel discomfort but we must persist. If we don’t learn new things we
might continue to kill and persecute those we don’t understand. If we aren’t prepared for new knowledge we may not be able to
survive the implications that knowledge creates. And most importantly, we must be careful in how we process and share new
knowledge. Others may not understand and may react violently, but with persistence and care; anyone can take in new information.