How Do I Know

How Do I Know?

December 15, 1997

Knowledge from the Mind & Senses

The question of knowing focuses on how we know.
This question is difficult to grasp yet it is as fundamental as origin & identity.
For this reason an entire chapter is given to the question & surrounding issues.
At least two sources of knowledge are generally accepted.
Information originating from the mind is called rational knowledge.
Information originating from the senses is called empirical knowledge.
These follow from the intuitive & sensing personality type distinctions.
Figure: "The Biblical Relationship to Personality Types."
See also: "A Christian Perspective of Myers-Briggs Personality Types."
These two sources of information have several differences.
Figure: "Knowledge from the Mind & Senses."

Advantages & Deficiencies

Knowledge from the mind & senses each have their advantages & deficiencies.
Sensed information is useful since it is from the real world.
But it is not certain because there are always exceptions & more data.
Information from the mind is treated as certain.
But its usefulness is often questioned since it does not come from the real world.
Used together, the two sources can be used to substantiate the other.
They are not, however, totally conclusive.
In the case where both are in error, they cannot verify the other source.

The Secular System of Knowing

Many religious worldviews hold that there is a third source of knowing.
For example, Christianity distinguishes revelation from the rational & empirical.
Revelation is distinct from rational & empirical because God is its source.
In non-religious or secular worldviews, there are only two sources of knowing.
In any worldview, knowing is upheld by certain assumptions.
In a secular worldview, it is upheld by the reality of matter & ideas.
Figure: "Assumptions in the Secular System of Knowing."
The secular system of knowing is underpinned with puzzling assumptions.
The unstable basis of secular knowing impacts all other areas of knowledge.
Figure: "A Crippled Quest in the Secular System of Knowing."

Summary