Topic Tuesday #84 2014/02/25 - "How Do You Know?"

   Simple interrogative statement, and one that I ask my children and myself fairly often: "How do you know?". The field of philosophy that this question introduces is called Epistemology, defined as "theory of knowledge" or "how/why we know, what we know".
  The concept as I use it in practice, with my kids, is to promote critical thinking skills. A constant background check of perceived reality.
Daughter 1) " 'Jane' is my best friend!"
Father/ME) "That's wonderful, what makes her your best friend?"
Daughter 1) Thinks for a moment, "She's funny and makes me laugh."
Father/ME) "I thought 'Alice' was your best friend. Not anymore?"
Daughter 1) "Not so much." (She's 6 BTW.)
Father/ME) "Why not?"
Daughter 1) "She's not as much fun anymore."
Father/ME) "Sometimes people change. Maybe you both changed. Grew up some."
Daughter 1) "Yeah. It's okay."
Father/ME) "What about 'Jane' makes you laugh?"
  The conversation went on like this for a while. I wanted to get her to understand what she liked about her friend, while I found out too. Sometimes we don't understand why we think or feel a certain way, and though that is fine most of the time, we should be able to ask ourselves 'why' anytime and be able to get to the answer.

What do you know? Why do you know that? Can you change your mind about it? Should you? Would you be better off overcoming the root cause? Can you?

   The mind is a ponderous organ. It interprets every little thing and stores our experiences. Built upon each other, the experiences of our life make up the way we think and feel. I am surely not alone in being transported to the memory of a place, time, and feeling by a sensory input. As we begin to sort through why we think any given "truth", sometimes what we uncover is unpleasant, while other times you can use this knowledge to surpass the unpleasantness and gain an awareness of how you interact with the world. Examples:
  Why you don't like a particular scent. Perhaps there was a traumatizing experience that happened when that odor was particularly prominent. This may manifest as "I don't like it" and after reflection and rational examination, was revealed and can be faced. It might take a long time but it will be one less skeleton in the closet to haunt your days.
Others:
  The smell of a roasting turkey bringing back memories of holidays and family.
  The feel of a fabric at a store whisking you back to a time when you were with your grandmother and she let you play with her scarf.
  The smell of fresh paint reminding you of a time when you tipped a gallon of paint over and were punished for ruining a carpet.
  The sight of a post card in a gift shop of a painting you saw when you visited a gallery with your parents and thinking the hall was so big and you get a sensation of vertigo because now you are tall.
  The smell of night blooming flowers reminding you of a lost love.
  I know I hate liver and onions. Why do I know that? Why do I not like that food? (Bad memory or bad taste?)
  Jane is my best friend. Why are they a friend, and what makes them your best friend? Why do I like this person? (Do you even know?)

  Thinking critically of our own lives is a fair habit to get into. Rationally coming to conclusions and being secure that you are not in a delusional state can be very reassuring. Like climbing an uncertain cliff for the first time, and not being sure that the next ledge will hold your weight, after testing it and becoming secure in that footing, it makes you safer for the next.

  This method of examination is like a conscience whispering to you to keep you safe. Your very own
Jiminy Cricket. "Are you sure that will hold you?" "How do you know?" "Did someone tell you?" "Do you trust your source? Why do you?" "Have you found out yourself?" "Did you watch someone use it before and have seen proof?" "Is it just a hunch with no supporting data?"

Epistemology: how we know things.
Do you think you could use more critical thinking in your life?
What does your gut say? Now... why did it say that?