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title: "i know nothing; i see nothing; i hear nothing" |
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published: 2019-06-18 |
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## a brief explanation of a core philosophical belief of mine |
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> i will be making a sincere effort to keep this as short as i |
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> possibly can. it will not be a thorough or comprehensive explanation |
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> worthy of the time i've spent just thinking about it, so don't judge |
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> it as such. it's a summary thrown together on the spot with little |
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> to no forethought. |
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i titled this post using three recurring iconic quotes said by |
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sergeant schultz in the comedy television series **hogan's heroes** |
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which takes place in a wwii pow camp and that i highly recommend. but |
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the first one on there is basically the only logical conclusion i can |
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come up with when considering what the truth is and what it means to |
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really *know* something. to say one knows something, the way it is |
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generally understood, that person must be right. for example, a |
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flat-earther might say s/he knows the earth is flat. but to those who |
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do not think the earth is flat, the flat-earther doesn't actually know |
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that because they are wrong. in other words, the flat-earther *thinks* |
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they know the earth is flat but is simply wrong about knowing it. |
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another example to illustrate the implications of "knowing" something |
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being the truth: you remember putting setting your mobile phone down |
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in the kitchen and are so sure of it that you "know" it's there. only |
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it isn't when you go to retrieve it. you revise your thought from |
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knowing it was there to *thinking that you knew* it was there. it |
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wasn't knowledge, just an errant belief. |
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to be able to truly know something (and i'm skipping a few steps |
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here), you must be able to logically prove it's truth with absolutely |
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no possibility of error. pure logic assumes nothing. the closest thing |
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to pure logic that i am aware of is maths. mathematics is based on six |
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assumptions, for example: |
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` a + b = b + a` |
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there is no mathematical proof for that statement. it's the basis for |
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other proofs. if something cannot be proven, it cannot truly be known, |
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because assuming something isn't the same as knowing something and |
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every belief is based on varying degrees of assumptions. i do believe |
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that it is likely that some things are more probable than others. the |
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odds i'm hallucinating writing this or that i don't exist except in |
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the sense that the only truly conscious being in existence (who |
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presumably is reading this article) can attach a fake persona to the |
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words and that persona is therefore me—are both low/improbable. |
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> so… you're suggesting a paradox? |
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actually, there is nothing paradoxical about what i've said. i don't |
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know if any of this is true, but i do believe it is. and because i |
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can't prove any of it without relying on assumption, i am willing to |
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easily accept that i may very well be wrong. if i thought it was |
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possible to know that nothing at all can be known, then i'd be |
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proposing a paradox. instead, what i'm proposing is a belief. i |
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imagine that when one believes this as well as accepts it, it is |
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likely they will have a more open mind and hopefully be able to admit |
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to others and oneself when mistakes are made. also, it's ok to change |
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your mind about things. you do it all the time. don't think just |
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because you stated something must be one way at one point you have to |
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stick to that belief forever. |
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> i see nothing; i was not here; i did not even get up this morning! |
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> <p text-align="right">~sgt schultz</p> |
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murabito