1. Topic: Methods of knowing knowledge There are several possible approaches in answering how we know something. These approaches may be c...
1. Topic: Methods of knowing knowledge
There are several possible approaches in answering how we know something. These approaches may be called methods of knowing.
American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (S. C. Peirce: 1839 - 1914), in his essay “The Fixation of Believe” published in 1877 in Popular Science Monthly examined four different methods of knowing that people use to believe something or not
Here are four methods of knowing:
i. Method of Tenacity
A user of the method of tenacity follows the logic that something is true because it has always been true. The idea is that nothing changes. What was good, bad, or successful before will continue to be so in the future. It says that the knowledge is transferred from tradition or culture. Its validity and reliability is unquestionable and there is no chance of verification.
ii. Method of Intuition
In this method, a person assumes that something is true because it is ‘self-evident.’ Here, truth is true because it is logical. It derives from reasoning but does not bear empirical support. To this people scientific research is a waste of time.
iii. Method of Authority
This method promotes a belief in something because a trusted source, such as a parent, a news correspondent, or a teacher, says it is true. Here source is very important to the person; not on the method the source uses. It believes on authority blindly. Do not question authority because what authority says is true. The emphasis is on the source, not on the methods the source may have used to gain the information.
iv. The Scientific Method
It is an approach where learning or knowing something is result of a series of small steps. That is, one study or one source provides only an indication of what may or may not be true. The truth is found trough a series of objective analyses. Method of science is more reliable than others mentioned above. There is less chance of errors. Science is more trustworthy method of knowing. It is systematic, objective, verifiable, cumulative, and logical. It undergoes various steps to find out the solution and it is systematic. It is verifiable also.
belief is “a calm and satisfactory state which we do not wish to avoid” [I have trouble picturing how this works: for example I believe that abortion should be a right for women…but that belief does not make me feel calm or satisfied.]
“both doubt and belief have positive effects on us”
Read more: Crisis Management Examples.
Class test. Manarat International University
Author, Rafique Ruman. Head of DepartmentManarat International University
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