What You Know about That?

After reading the ideas of many classical philosophers for this class, I’ve realized that it is necessary to question what we know to be true. There are many ideas spread by people that are influenced by their view of the world, making them not necessarily true for me. And let’s not forget conspiracies and flat out lies. Our society is not always an honest one. So we know not to trust everything we hear. But this realization leads us to the real question: How do we know what we know?

I have no definite answer for how we can be certain about anything. In fact, I think it really depends on the person. We all see the world differently, so naturally, we all find our truth in different ways. Personally, I verify what I know using a combination of methods. I can find knowledge through my senses. For instance, I know that boiling water is painfully hot, or hot to me, because I have been burned by it before and know how it made me feel. I also think that we were all born with a certain amount of knowledge. Some great examples of this are universal morals. We are not taught from a young age that killing someone is wrong, but there is something in all of us that tells us so.

There are, however, some ideas that I have had no direct contact with that I believe to be true. For instance, I have never experimented with electricity enough to make my own conclusions, but I believe what scientists tell me about it. There are just some things (usually ones that require logical, not sensory, thought) that I just believe because of what others say. Of course I wish that I could prove everything I know, but as of now that’s not possible. For now, it is easier to get through life using my own knowledge along with the help of discoveries others have made.