LEARNING ABOUT EPISTEMOLOGY? - CRITICAL THINKING (2018-09-13) #

0:00:10 [Music]
0:00:29 so I'm not a liar but I kept on welcome
0:00:32 to a new series of critical thinking
0:00:35 obviously and critical thinking is as it
0:00:38 says on the tin we're gonna try and
0:00:40 equip you guys with the necessary and
0:00:42 appropriate tools to understand things
0:00:46 and more specifically understand things
0:00:49 philosophically in the context of
0:00:51 discourse in the context of discussions
0:00:54 in the base that we have around things
0:00:56 like purpose and so what we're going to
0:00:59 start with the channel as an
0:01:00 introductory lesson which hopefully will
0:01:03 aim to lay some foundation some basic
0:01:05 foundations on knowledge itself see if
0:01:09 you can see behind me what we're doing
0:01:12 today is simply to know how knowledge is
0:01:15 acquired to understand the different
0:01:18 philosophical perspectives on knowledge
0:01:19 and to be able to make a judgment on
0:01:22 epistemology these are the three
0:01:24 learning objectives so by the end of
0:01:26 this we should know what this topology
0:01:28 is as a keyword that will enchant
0:01:31 uncover but also we should have a
0:01:35 judgment that were able to make on
0:01:38 Lizzie the hip joint with the one and
0:01:41 only the man himself the one that you
0:01:57 really someone that's not seeing that
0:02:00 much body does a lot for the
0:02:01 organization and obviously we have a
0:02:03 brother honey as well some of you might
0:02:05 know him from now let's get started with
0:02:12 some required questions which online
0:02:13 this is going to be an interactive
0:02:15 session and so we're gonna ask a lot of
0:02:18 questions and I want you guys to think
0:02:19 about what we're talking about rather
0:02:20 than a me just giving you the
0:02:22 information let's start with a very
0:02:24 introductory question what is knowledge
0:02:29 yes information facts the dictionary
0:02:35 definition if you go on oxford
0:02:38 dictionary they'll say knowledge
0:02:41 in fact said skills acquired you know is
0:02:44 how we use the word yeah in terms of
0:02:47 common day usage is there anything else
0:02:49 you add to that I don't think that's
0:02:56 correct this is true now having said
0:03:06 that I want to answer your question um
0:03:08 and this is a more fundamental question
0:03:09 well actually there's a question on
0:03:13 concentration actually let's think about
0:03:15 this right I wanted to really think
0:03:16 about this and I thought the people are
0:03:18 home to think about this question as
0:03:20 well yeah how do we get to know or
0:03:25 something in other words how do we
0:03:26 acquire knowledge right so this is the
0:03:29 question how to that question well I'd
0:03:39 like you to do is you spend one minute
0:03:41 by yourselves
0:03:42 you know writing down some of the ways
0:03:45 in which you think you come to know
0:03:48 things so just by the minute wait
0:03:53 whatever it may be just put down what
0:03:55 you think is the correct answer
0:03:57 we'll come back
0:04:15 [Music]
0:04:47 [Music]
0:04:56 well I'm trying to very good very good
0:04:58 very good things are what I'm trying to
0:05:01 avoid in this series especially in the
0:05:04 introductory lesson I'm trying to grade
0:05:06 my language as much as possible so
0:05:07 everyone can be included but there are
0:05:10 some very good keywords that was
0:05:11 intended we will build up to using more
0:05:17 maybe complex terminologies and
0:05:19 important dis lesson well that's that's
0:05:21 what the small you say so knowledge
0:05:23 gained from other places
0:05:24 okay can you expound on that so I did a
0:05:30 degree biology and I want to learn about
0:05:32 the physical to gain this knowledge I
0:05:37 have to read books relating to the topic
0:05:40 so books would be a place where you gain
0:05:43 money okay and how did you very simply
0:05:46 how do you actually read books how does
0:05:49 that work we use your eyes okay yeah
0:05:52 camera words okay you interpret the word
0:05:55 okay oh yeah so that's a question
0:05:59 although the country is what we meant by
0:06:00 it so if you meant how we acquire you I
0:06:03 was going to sell
0:06:08 okay so five senses yeah okay very good
0:06:16 answer
0:06:16 Jorah exeter anything else is there any
0:06:20 other way you can get and that's always
0:06:25 limited you know okay excellent but
0:06:27 you've made a point and you said there
0:06:29 were two ways which is what as we're
0:06:33 gonna find out Bertrand Russell himself
0:06:34 in the problems of philosophies in that
0:06:36 book that will kind of we're using that
0:06:39 kind of book by the way I haven't
0:06:40 mentioned it already does
0:06:41 well we're using Bertrand Russell's
0:06:43 problems and philosophies look it's a
0:06:46 book which very small but very very
0:06:49 important actually in the entomology
0:06:51 yeah because Apple isn't what called the
0:06:54 problems of philosophy where our lessons
0:06:56 are being kind of scheduled in
0:06:58 accordance with the chapters of that
0:06:59 book but it's not rigid in a sense that
0:07:02 we're not gonna go outside and the
0:07:04 reason why chosen that particular book
0:07:06 is because you'll find that most
0:07:09 universities that do things that they
0:07:11 have that required reading yeah and and
0:07:14 for good reason I comes out for Oxford
0:07:16 University for its people a degree they
0:07:18 they don't allow you to do that degree
0:07:20 unless you have they do a lot of I mean
0:07:22 they recommend before you actually get
0:07:24 started with you me that you mean that
0:07:25 book and it's because it gives you that
0:07:27 foundation in you need right so the two
0:07:30 things that you mentioned is very
0:07:31 important because actually it's
0:07:32 mentioned it is right so five senses is
0:07:37 good yeah so it's kind of like the
0:07:39 outside yeah making it very simple but
0:07:41 you also said knowledge from within so
0:07:45 could you expound on that one please so
0:07:48 this could be things that you learn
0:07:51 about yourself things that you learn
0:07:53 about other people who are interacting
0:07:55 with them so you said something discover
0:08:00 something that's unique that you would
0:08:02 you know
0:08:02 it could be both so give us an example
0:08:06 of that it could be both give an example
0:08:07 of something which you already know so
0:08:09 your personality like what things are
0:08:12 know you so I get really annoying when I
0:08:16 see
0:08:17 with homeless that's something that I've
0:08:20 learned about myself the best I'm not
0:08:23 sure that's very good I think you're
0:08:25 right your tracks but wait there's some
0:08:27 there's still some refinement we can do
0:08:29 yes or okay holding a little bit more I
0:08:32 think a little bit deeper so what is
0:08:34 that exactly
0:08:35 you feel what noise you need to watch
0:08:38 people who used to I feel what we
0:08:41 talking about is a certain emotion right
0:08:45 yeah some cool this intuitive knowledge
0:08:57 and some and you can also play within
0:09:00 that experiential knowledge okay so
0:09:13 emotions will fit in that context of
0:09:16 experiential knowledge because you
0:09:18 experience the emotions you experience
0:09:24 emotions now if you experience emotions
0:09:27 it's first-person everyone on board
0:09:35 there are three kinds of person right
0:09:38 which I want this person something which
0:09:59 is first-person pronoun which is
0:10:00 first-person like okay give me an
0:10:05 example of a second person pronoun to
0:10:07 you okay and give me a couple of third
0:10:11 person now if we come back to here
0:10:18 emotions is it I knew or they'd be so
0:10:23 yeah this is your emotions we're talking
0:10:26 about something which is first-person
0:10:30 now this is
0:10:31 very important the reason why it's very
0:10:37 very important especially in in
0:10:39 acquiring knowledge yeah it's because
0:10:42 the whole field of science you said
0:10:47 you're violated again the whole field of
0:10:49 science obviously this down here for
0:10:51 this time the whole field of science is
0:10:53 very personable in order for something
0:10:59 to be scientific it has to be
0:11:06 experimental science yeah okay what do
0:11:14 anyway so scientific experiments are
0:11:19 experimented upon they do not relate to
0:11:23 your own subjective experience okay
0:11:28 so science can't attack yeah cannot feel
0:11:36 it can't detect that does that make
0:11:40 sense how do you feel it's a
0:11:42 first-person question what if you're the
0:11:48 scientist whose discovery even if you're
0:11:50 the scientist to discover right in any
0:11:53 case your experience is always first
0:11:56 person you say I feel where science is
0:12:00 always that person has to you have to
0:12:02 have an expert experiment yeah so that's
0:12:06 important
0:12:06 well the tongue will come to it later on
0:12:09 that's important so here we're worried
0:12:12 or two things right I will stick to
0:12:14 those who thinks because they're quite
0:12:15 important so a quote the external and
0:12:17 you've got the internal feel like yeah
0:12:18 the external the five senses they
0:12:21 they're the window to the outside world
0:12:23 yeah and then you have intuitive
0:12:27 knowledge and experience or knowledge
0:12:28 it's more internal can you think of
0:12:31 something else which is knowledge which
0:12:36 you don't get from the five senses
0:12:38 that's my question
0:12:39 give me examples of other kinds of
0:12:42 knowledge which are not acquired through
0:12:45 the person
0:12:45 so we said experience our eight emotions
0:12:48 this is relating back to the Quran
0:12:52 hidden he knew how to do certain things
0:12:55 for instance
0:12:56 he made a hole in the boat you fixed the
0:12:59 hole and he took care of that point
0:13:03 these things these things here at wisdom
0:13:13 [Music]
0:13:16 this thing will knowledge their work
0:13:21 from that world from within you could
0:13:27 argue it's from now how do you why some
0:13:29 say he was a prophet okay and if he's a
0:13:31 prophet who's getting from why yeah
0:13:33 which is from Allah you're onto
0:13:37 something you're definitely on to
0:13:39 something here so you're not wrong
0:13:40 complete what other knowledge is not a
0:13:43 quiet from the outside world
0:13:50 consciousness is not really knowledge
0:13:52 it's a state of being
0:13:54 yeah well you're definitely right you're
0:13:57 definitely right and so much of
0:13:59 consciousness cannot be experimented
0:14:02 upon yeah yeah so consciousness is first
0:14:05 person and third person yes that's great
0:14:09 well we're sticking on the field of
0:14:10 knowledge right so you think something
0:14:12 that we do without exactly that's what
0:14:16 we just think about what do we know
0:14:18 without using our five senses with
0:14:21 animals some animals are born they also
0:14:24 go any teachers around them no the first
0:14:26 teacher to teach them and the only thing
0:14:29 you know how to survive
0:14:32 yeah maybe something that it's
0:14:38 programmed to do okay so this he wasn't
0:14:41 taught you could argue this point you
0:14:42 could argue this point this is cool
0:14:44 instinct yeah with instincts well I'm
0:14:50 going to say because there is a debate
0:14:55 in psychology called the nature versus
0:14:58 nurture people okay which I don't want
0:15:01 to go into too much voice idea is this
0:15:03 baby really being tall or hot or is it
0:15:06 something that they've gotten actually
0:15:07 yeah that's it the baby the one again
0:15:09 but it's something you could argue yeah
0:15:11 so I'm not gonna say it's wrong it's not
0:15:14 completely undisputed okay
0:15:16 emotions are pretty much on this view
0:15:18 that you can't say that they're instinct
0:15:22 you could dispute what else is of the
0:15:23 way I think of this way in order for
0:15:30 something to be detected by the five
0:15:32 senses what properties must I have has
0:15:36 to be pending okay excellent tangible is
0:15:41 another way of saying one physical
0:15:43 excellent so what do we know which is
0:15:47 not physical
0:15:48 makes it physical things now give me an
0:15:51 example or something we know which is
0:15:52 metaphysical
0:15:59 something we know which is that's
0:16:10 religious yeah I'm saying something no
0:16:13 non-supe you've all disagreeable
0:16:16 consciousness okay we know exist so what
0:16:26 do we know gravity gravity we don't get
0:16:30 the effect of yeah almost single
0:16:35 scientific they're still in the tangible
0:16:36 world you can detect them to some extent
0:16:38 yeah well the effect of their maybe
0:16:40 we're saying this thing is not in the in
0:16:43 the physical world at all and it's
0:16:45 undetectable memory memories you can say
0:16:49 you could argue this brain in neurons
0:16:51 you could argue from a physical
0:16:53 perspective love emotions or whatever
0:16:57 but they call you also know you could
0:17:03 argue that that's what materialists do I
0:17:05 do
0:17:16 okay yeah okay the question cannot be
0:18:59 detected through scientific inquiry no
0:19:06 every close to this can you can you feel
0:19:12 numbers no can you taste numbers up can
0:19:16 you see
0:19:19 [Music]
0:19:20 Isaac Isaac that's a symbol the right
0:19:23 totally good abstract concepts yes this
0:19:32 is right so please put this down okay
0:19:37 mathematics is knowledge from within
0:19:44 which is undetectable in the material
0:19:47 world okay all right that's excellent
0:19:52 all right so I think we're going to a
0:19:54 very very good stuff I'm really doing
0:19:56 just I'm happy to hear that
0:20:02 now let's go to the next question if we
0:20:04 know what knowledge is yes and this is
0:20:08 what Bertrand Russell says in his first
0:20:09 chapter as well okay if we don't want
0:20:14 knowledge is the question is what is
0:20:17 that absence of knowledge let's think
0:20:23 about it for a second before we say that
0:20:28 you can't be certain
0:20:33 yeah it's what 70 is or here's the
0:20:36 question
0:20:37 that's what what is reasonable that
0:20:53 hiccup I think because what do you say
0:21:01 people we get people say I have doubts
0:21:05 and it's not just a religious context
0:21:07 doubts
0:21:08 yeah and it could be I have doubts about
0:21:10 life I have doubts about meaning I have
0:21:13 doubts about my performance I have
0:21:15 doubts about X bar Y button question is
0:21:18 what is reasonable doubt now what I want
0:21:21 to think about more specifically what we
0:21:28 to really think about is when is it
0:21:33 two down when does it make sense to
0:21:36 doubt something and I'm going to give
0:21:41 you another hint actually coherence
0:21:48 coherence is consistency yeah
0:21:52 when does it make coherent sense to
0:21:56 doubt in something hmm
0:22:00 can you say for example did you know
0:22:02 that study that was done by that guy who
0:22:04 put some straws in there but there was a
0:22:09 group of people they will keep choosing
0:22:11 something comparing me they will
0:22:18 continue to collect in that consistency
0:22:21 and it won't doubt into the other
0:22:23 person's mouth because we can looking
0:22:26 you know the old finger so when you know
0:22:28 something to be that I know for example
0:22:30 when an egg drop it breaks so when I see
0:22:33 it drop in a no break and I'm gonna
0:22:34 think to myself if there's a doubt that
0:22:35 you should have you're making points
0:22:41 examples to give it examples of when now
0:22:44 is apply that meteorite who those who
0:22:46 don't but I want you to think more
0:22:48 fundamentally now think about what we've
0:22:50 just done yeah because doubt relates to
0:22:53 one one certainty but something more
0:22:57 fundamental insanity which we discovered
0:22:59 think about the learning objective so
0:23:04 what's the key word learning alright so
0:23:07 doubt and knowledge are related yes
0:23:10 so doubt exists when there's a lack of
0:23:14 usually right okay so let's ask a
0:23:17 question our game plan what is
0:23:19 reasonable doubt when you have evidence
0:23:21 to suggest that the pattern of coherence
0:23:27 when there is a reasonable stray off the
0:23:31 path alone okay so here what you're
0:23:34 saying is a reason reasonable doubt is
0:23:36 when something for example goes against
0:23:39 logical principles okay when there is a
0:23:46 lack of
0:23:47 full knowledge okay that's important now
0:23:51 support at the stage to think about
0:23:54 something very close to the all right I
0:23:57 don't need support we'll give you too
0:23:59 many names but one person that you
0:24:01 should know is this person this guy's
0:24:10 Rene Descartes okay this product no he's
0:24:16 a big public and it's been an hour he
0:24:19 isn't there on the water
0:24:24 Renee Renee Renee take off yesterday
0:24:28 okay
0:24:31 he was a existed in the Renaissance
0:24:36 period okay in the Renaissance the
0:24:41 Renaissance period is anything between
0:24:43 fourteen sixty or 1491 words but he was
0:24:48 around he made a book called the
0:24:53 meditations he was called a rationalist
0:25:01 okay a rationalist
0:25:09 and what he did I think that six
0:25:11 chapters in his book six times and in
0:25:14 each chapter what he did was he
0:25:17 described how he doubts certain
0:25:22 knowledge that we take for granted I'll
0:25:25 give you one example of that to give you
0:25:27 to to to drive the point he said for
0:25:30 example the five senses we said five
0:25:32 senses was a way of making sense in the
0:25:34 world for us to know the world yeah he
0:25:37 said how do I know for sure that my five
0:25:42 senses are not deluding I'm going to put
0:25:46 it down so how do I know for sure is the
0:25:49 question hood that I'm not delusional in
0:25:55 my understanding of the world as a
0:25:57 result of my five senses
0:26:00 now is there a possible is there a way
0:26:03 of knowing that our five senses are
0:26:06 perfectly functional it's different and
0:26:10 it's a better question is their way of
0:26:12 proving is there a way of proving that
0:26:15 our five senses are perfectly functional
0:26:19 no there's no way of proving that you
0:26:25 cannot prove that the five senses are
0:26:27 perfectly functional at the end of it
0:26:31 what is called systematic doubt yeah
0:26:34 systematic down in other words anything
0:26:37 he could doubt he would reject okay so
0:26:42 they call anything he would doubt yeah
0:26:45 he would reject him does not make sense
0:26:48 so for join us I'm saying yeah yeah all
0:26:50 right so you know when he ends up school
0:27:00 systematic doubt yeah he ended up with
0:27:08 something called the Khajiit oh now I'll
0:27:10 tell you what it's called util it's very
0:27:12 important in philosophy henceforth Co
0:27:14 JIT oh yeah GOG IPO is very very
0:27:17 important it's one of the most popular
0:27:20 concepts and all of philosophy one of
0:27:22 the most popular concepts in all right
0:27:26 he ended up with something called the
0:27:29 Khajiit Oh was it called
0:27:32 cachito okay some say capito some portal
0:27:36 it's about you know Kuji - yeah what is
0:27:40 what could you talk I remember he now
0:27:43 he's doubting everything's been doubting
0:27:45 his senses he's doubting his faculties
0:27:48 he's doubting everything after six
0:27:51 chapters he says there's one thing I
0:27:53 can't doubt what do you think he said