The limits of knowledge | Rupert Sheldrake, Suchitra Sebastian, Tommy Curry
Jan 2, 2024
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Acquisition of knowledge and its limits are debated by Rupert Sheldrake, Suchitra Sebastian, and Tommy Curry. They challenge the Western view of knowledge, discuss alternative ways of knowing, and emphasize the importance of questioning and embracing discomfort in science.
The pursuit of knowledge should be approached with humility, acknowledging the limitations and contextual nature of our understanding.
Embracing pluralism in knowledge acquisition challenges the fixed model of knowledge, leading to a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the world.
Deep dives
The Quest for Knowledge is a Continual Process
The pursuit of knowledge is a never-ending process that constantly seeks to grasp the infinite unknown. Science, for example, is not about reaching a finite end point of knowledge, but rather a continual quest to uncover new phenomena and understand the complexities of the universe. This process of knowing is dynamic and ever-changing, with each discovery leading to new questions and uncharted territories. It emphasizes the importance of approaching knowledge with humility and acknowledging the limitations and contextual nature of our understanding.
The Need for Pluralism in Western Ways of Knowing
Western thought and scientific paradigms have often claimed universality, assuming that they are the sole venues for acquiring knowledge. However, it is essential to recognize that knowledge is not exclusive to one culture or perspective. Embracing pluralism means acknowledging different ways of knowing that emerge from diverse social locations, histories, and contexts. This challenges the fixed model of knowledge and opens up possibilities for understanding various outcomes and contingencies in the pursuit of truth. Pluralism also encourages the verification and comparison of different forms of knowledge, fostering a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the world.
The Intricacies of Scientific Knowledge
Scientific knowledge is inherently reductive, reducing complex phenomena to numbers, diagrams, and two-dimensional representations. It is crucial to recognize that scientific knowledge is not as objective as it is often claimed to be, as it can be shaped by prejudices, paradigms, and cultural influences. Rupert Sheldrake's hypothesis of morphic resonance challenges the prevailing mechanistic materialism paradigm by suggesting the existence of memory in nature, patterns that repeat across time. This hypothesis provides a different lens for understanding inheritance and memory, offering a new way of experiencing the world without claiming to possess ultimate truth. Science should embrace pluralism, with diverse theories and national science policies, encouraging a richer and more interesting scientific exploration.
Interrogating Power and Perspective in the Pursuit of Knowledge
The pursuit of knowledge is not exempt from power dynamics and assumptions that seek to validate one's own perspectives and interests. The Western tradition has often excluded other forms of knowledge and ways of knowing, assuming that its own approach encompasses universal truth. However, there is a need to challenge this assumption and recognize that different social groups, locations, and historical contexts shape knowledge formation. It is important to understand that knowledge is co-authored and contingent, rather than a conquest or mastery. Critical questioning, verification, and comparison of different forms of knowledge can help overcome biases and shed light on the indeterminacy and contextuality of human inquiry.
The acquisition of knowledge has been a central factor driving advance. And since Descartes, Western thought has placed the question of what we know, and how we know what we know, at the centre of philosophy. But might this focus on knowledge be a mistake? Feminist and postmodernist critics argue that in seeking to validate knowledge philosophers have merely sought to justify their own interests and prejudices. Instead they argue all knowledge is limited by perspective whether by culture, class, gender, race or the many other factors that influence understanding.
Should we give up the idea that our beliefs can provide us with objective knowledge? Should we reject epistemology as an attempt to elevate and make undeniable our particular perspective, interests and prejudices and focus instead on the consequences of adopting a given framework of belief? Or is knowledge essential to culture and the notion that beliefs might be definitively true vital to progress?
Philosopher of race Tommy Curry, theoretical physicist Suchitra Sebastian and outspoken scientist Rupert Sheldrake debate the limits of what we can know. Hosted by Joanna Kavenna.
