DAY 40 - Epistemology - Socratic Discussions. What Do You Believe?

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.       Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

Thomas Paine proposed that "I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense...".

Sounds good right? 

People talk about common sense all the time. No doubt, someone has chastised you for not using common sense. But what is common sense exactly?

Common sense is a commonly shared (communal) understanding of an idea, issue or outcome. Its validity lasts as long as the group that espouses it continues to. When used and agreed upon, it confirms and supports the shared belief. Can you think of anything that you would call 'common sense'?

1. It's Common Sense

Einstein suggested that "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen". So is common sense a valuable source of knowledge? Well, that depends on how it is utilized. After all, it's common sense to avoid running into traffic without looking. But is that true knowledge? And does it matter?

Well, that too depends. On the surface, common sense doesn't appear too convincing as true knowledge. However, for thousands of years societies have relied on common (communal) sense to function. Over time, many of those aspects of common sense became codified into laws while others remained unwritten but known to all. The Kiriwina of New Guinea have a word - mokita - which means 'the truth which no one speaks'.

2. An Eye for an Eye

The Code of Hammurabi is one of the oldest, written legal codes. Written in 1760 BC, it lists 282 laws. King Hammurabi purposefully inscribed the laws in stone to illustrate that they were now immutable and unchanging, and that even a King was bound to them.

However, most of the laws themselves are common sense transcriptions; however, to ensure their compliance, the punishment was often death.

3. "I'd Like a Second Opinion"

Philosophers rarely rely on opinion as knowledge. The reason for that is clear: opinions vary. For example, a teacher might believe your friend hates class because they sleep in, but you know they are tired because they need to work to support their family.

Yet, opinions are important; after all, they add variety to the human experience. When you visit a doctor, you can ask for a second opinion. Does this suggest the first doctor is wrong? Not necessarily, it is just that there could be other, better options available. This, then, demonstrates how knowledge and its application is a complex, difficult issue.

Nonetheless, opinions can also be suggestive, misleading or wrong.

Check out this Test of your Attention - How many times do the people in white shirts pass the basketball to each other????  Pay Attention - Passing the Basketball.

4. "Wikiality" and You

It's difficult to deny that Wikipedia has changed the way people access information. With a simple site and search, millions of articles become immediately accessible. When was the last time you wrote a research paper without using Wikipedia? As far as ease of use goes, Wikipedia works!

But can you trust Wikipedia? Did you know that it is flawed? You may, in fact, be reading and perpetuating tainted common sense! You see, Wikipedia is an open source encyclopedia; in other words, anyone can edit and alter articles. In most cases, this is a good thing since it allows for experts around the world to conveniently share information.

Unfortunately, not everyone holds to these ideals. Since Wikipedia is open source, information ranging from small mistakes to outright lies have been posted.

If you still have your doubts consider:
After introducing the word 'wikiality', Steven Colbert encouraged viewers to edit Wikipedia to report that the number of African elephants has tripled in the last six months. And the information was revised in accordance with this incorrect trivial information.  Click here for Colbert's Ideas.

Can You Trust Wikiality?
Seigenthaler incident,

4. Opinions vs. Beliefs

Philosophically, Epistemologists are more willing to accept beliefs over opinions. Unfortunately, for many people the words are mere semantics. Statements of belief can be true or false, while statements of opinion (as you read above) cannot necessarily be slotted into true or false categories. However, justified true beliefs are often considered knowledge.

A justified true belief requires three conditions:

1. The statement is true;
2. You believe the statement is true;
3. You are justified in believing the statement is true.

For example, you could make a knowledge claim that marshmallows are soft if (if and only if):

1. Marshmallows are soft;
2. You believe marshmallows are soft;
3. You are justified in believing marshmallows are soft.

Required Reading

In his dialogues, Plato often explored the nature of knowledge. In his famous work Theaetetus, Plato had Socrates discuss whether knowledge from belief can be counted as true.   I want you to have a sense of what this work looks like, that it's a lengthy dialogue between two people and demonstrates the power of the Socratic Method.

Next go here and read a bit under each of the main headings.  This site discusses the meaning behind short passages of Theaetetus and is a great source for some worthy quotes for your note-taking for future reference!  Don't miss this opportunity!

Gettier Problem

Although the concept of justified true belief was accepted for centuries, in 1963 philosopher Edmund Gettier introduced a snag. Basically, he was able to show how someone could make a claim that fit the criteria for a justified true belief and yet still be wrong. Can you think of an example?

Click here to read Gettier's short but influential paper.

5. Truthiness

On his program, the "Steven Colbert Report", Steven Colbert drew attention to the common sense concerns that arise in a media-rich word. In the Merriam-Webster's Words of the Year 2006, truthiness is defined as:

1. "truth that comes from the gut, not books" (Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," October 2005),
2. "the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than concepts or facts known to be true" (American Dialect Society, January 2006)"

Colbert's Report on Truthiness.

Truthiness is tearing apart our country, and I don't mean the argument over who came up with the word. I don't know whether it's a new thing, but it's certainly a current thing, in that it doesn't seem to matter what facts are. It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all. Perception is everything. It's certainty.  What do You think?