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> settled knowledge today can have a renewed impact tomorrow We need to move away from the idea that there is such a thing as 'settled knowledge', because as y
by dotsam 3y ago
> settled knowledge today can have a renewed impact tomorrow
We need to move away from the idea that there is such a thing as 'settled knowledge', because as you suggest there is always something else to uncover. Our knowledge is fallible, never settled, there is always the possibility to find and correct errors.
- dleeftink 3y agoThanks for reminding, I was about to edit: "settled knowledge (if there is such a thing [...] )"
- andrewgleave 3y agoPerversely, this "settled knowledge" nonsense actively inhibits the growth of knowledge and just leads to the "justified true belief" swamp... All we have is our current best explanations/understanding. We use them to make progress until we find a problem with it – something it fails to account for, something it makes an incorrect prediction for etc. Then, we attempt to conjecture new explanations which solves the new problem while still accounting for all the useful aspects of the old theory. That is knowledge creation, and also progress. [Edit]
- mistermann 3y ago> All we have is our current best explanations/understanding. And if our forefather/mothers ran away every time they encountered a "swamp", we wouldn't have that. If you ask me the philosophical accomplishments of this era are minimal, if not negative...let's hope there's no penalty for that, for us or our children (say, the effects of climate change on a species who is unable to act).