Epistemology and Knowledge
Epistemological confusion is an integral part of the human experience, a perennial problem that faced our Neanderthal ancestors as much as it does neuroscientists and astrophysicists. The quest for knowledge entertains us, excites us, causes us to fight, quarrel, and can even lead to war. Stimulated by an every-present thirst for knowledge, I have come a long way since commencing my own personal quest but questions linger and will probably plague me for the rest of my life. The notion of certainty perplexes me in particular: how can people be sure of what they know, when so often theories and ideas are turned on their heads. Religious belief remains a contentious issue, at the heart of much interpersonal and cultural conflict and therefore epistemological questions related to cosmology, metaphysics, and the existence of a god are all confounding ones. The role of the observer; or the definition of self is another area of substantial confusion for me, especially due to the wide range of theories and viewpoints on the issue.Just when I feel ready to throw in the towel and shut off my mind entirely, I encounter readings by such philosophers like Kant or Russell and the journey begins once again. At the root of my confusion, I have
Scientific empiricism is the religion of our time, and trying to fit in an idealistic epistemology into an empirical framework seems impossible at times. Kant did a good job of resolving some of the problems associated with bridging the gap between two conflicting modes of inquiry, and I have realized that to do so is far from impossible. In fact, some of the most fruitful investigations in the nature of knowledge and the process by which we acquire it yield new insights. Kantian syntheses of epistemological viewpoints are essential to resolving epistemological problems. To allow for categorizations of knowledge, the philosopher can approach reality as it is: from various facets and angles. One of the great contributions, I believe, of cognitive science and artificial intelligence is the multifaceted categorization of knowledge. Teaching machines how to think and building machines capable of independent thought, will help human beings understand our own biases. Ironically, artificial intelligence proposes connectivity as well: through mimicking the brains' neural networks, scientists can create brain-possessing machines that can synthesize data and which may be capable of creative thought. Finally, the nature of human consciousness and the mind hold out the most confounding epistemological problems. All human inquiries will be limited by the power of our minds. Just as a cat cannot think beyond its life experiences and perceptions, so too are humans limited by prior experience,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Kant Russell, , human consciousness, epistemological questions, experiences perceptions, holds universe, nature human consciousness, human experience, quest knowledge, willingness acknowledge, artificial intelligence, nature human, specific issues,
Approximate Word count = 1004
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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