Can we 'know' anything?

Discuss any topics related to metaphysics (the philosophical study of the principles of reality) or epistemology (the philosophical study of knowledge) in this forum.
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selfless
Posts: 18
Joined: March 14th, 2007, 10:25 pm

Post by selfless »

MyshiningOne wrote:
Boy, did this come out of your brain? This
is pretty smart! Change is a part of everything, and
without it we cannot know about how there is
a way for change to come about. Without stillness
there cannot be movement. Without evil, there
cannot be goodness... A man cannot really know
true happiness if he is never experienced sorrow
in his life...I get what you're saying.
Amazing insight!
I find it hard to discern sarcasm from true feelings through this medium. I meant to share my thoughts and discuss them. What thoughts are original? Thoughts always seem to be based on previous thoughts of others that are interpreted in different fashions related to unique situations of the observer. It's as though all thoughts are syntax of others thoughts?

If you are ridiculing me for stating the obvious, then my only response is that I have been reading alot of Advaita philosophy,as of late, and trying to put what I have concluded into some fashion of understanding regarding truth cloaked in the illusion of knowing.
MyshiningOne
Posts: 202
Joined: March 7th, 2007, 9:51 pm

Post by MyshiningOne »

selfless wrote:
MyshiningOne wrote:
Boy, did this come out of your brain? This
is pretty smart! Change is a part of everything, and
without it we cannot know about how there is
a way for change to come about. Without stillness
there cannot be movement. Without evil, there
cannot be goodness... A man cannot really know
true happiness if he is never experienced sorrow
in his life...I get what you're saying.
Amazing insight!
I find it hard to discern sarcasm from true feelings through this medium. I meant to share my thoughts and discuss them. What thoughts are original? Thoughts always seem to be based on previous thoughts of others that are interpreted in different fashions related to unique situations of the observer. It's as though all thoughts are syntax of others thoughts?

If you are ridiculing me for stating the obvious, then my only response is that I have been reading alot of Advaita philosophy,as of late, and trying to put what I have concluded into some fashion of understanding regarding truth cloaked in the illusion of knowing.
I wasn't ridiculing you at all. I really liked what you had written. I didn't literally mean that
those were your original thoughts; I know that our thoughts have probably been stated before. Nothing is
original. I just thought that that was a superb
point you made, and I wanted to know where you
found it. I did not mean to offend you.
It's not what you know that makes
you smart, it's knowing what you don't know.
selfless
Posts: 18
Joined: March 14th, 2007, 10:25 pm

Post by selfless »

MyshiningOne wrote:
selfless wrote: I find it hard to discern sarcasm from true feelings through this medium. I meant to share my thoughts and discuss them. What thoughts are original? Thoughts always seem to be based on previous thoughts of others that are interpreted in different fashions related to unique situations of the observer. It's as though all thoughts are syntax of others thoughts?

If you are ridiculing me for stating the obvious, then my only response is that I have been reading alot of Advaita philosophy,as of late, and trying to put what I have concluded into some fashion of understanding regarding truth cloaked in the illusion of knowing.
I wasn't ridiculing you at all. I really liked what you had written. I didn't literally mean that
those were your original thoughts; I know that our thoughts have probably been stated before. Nothing is
original. I just thought that that was a superb
point you made, and I wanted to know where you
found it. I did not mean to offend you.
The thoughts were mine. They came from my interest in Advaita. Ramana Maharshi and J. Krishnamurti are two great minds that have influenced my thoughts. The other influence was Jesus of Nazareth. He embodied the selfless philosophy.
MyshiningOne
Posts: 202
Joined: March 7th, 2007, 9:51 pm

Post by MyshiningOne »

selfless wrote:
MyshiningOne wrote: I wasn't ridiculing you at all. I really liked what you had written. I didn't literally mean that
those were your original thoughts; I know that our thoughts have probably been stated before. Nothing is
original. I just thought that that was a superb
point you made, and I wanted to know where you
found it. I did not mean to offend you.
The thoughts were mine. They came from my interest in Advaita. Ramana Maharshi and J. Krishnamurti are two great minds that have influenced my thoughts. The other influence was Jesus of Nazareth. He embodied the selfless philosophy.
That's very interesting. I'll have to check out
some of their ideas. Of course, the last one is
very familiar to me, but I'll have to read some
of the philosophies of the other two.
It's not what you know that makes
you smart, it's knowing what you don't know.
cynicallyinsane
Posts: 118
Joined: March 3rd, 2007, 11:58 am

Post by cynicallyinsane »

Jesus didn't leave any writings behind. We only have what other people say.
complimentarymatters
Posts: 39
Joined: October 30th, 2007, 6:47 pm

Post by complimentarymatters »

I don't see how we could know anything because everything we think we know is based on other pretenses which could be false.
kyle22
Posts: 60
Joined: November 20th, 2007, 10:27 pm

Post by kyle22 »

I know that Washington, DC is the capital of the United States. You guys are trying to redefine the word know.
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Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

For one to answer that question they would have to know everything, would they not?
fiftyfifty
Posts: 9
Joined: November 25th, 2007, 12:08 pm

Post by fiftyfifty »

So here I am, sitting in this god-forsaken desert. My children have not eaten for days. I have not eaten for days. Our hunger and thirst have taken over our whole beings. We are suffering badly.
If this that was happening to us was not real, my suffering would remain real to me…even if it was unreal. Telling me that the misery that surrounds me is not real, somehow doesn’t make the pain go away…even though it may be unreal. For me there is no difference between “knowing” and “feeling”. For what I “know”, I have come to know through what I “feel” (and see, and hear, and taste, and smell.)
Whether my reality is real or not, whether my suffering is real or not….I am really suffering…and that reality is all that matters to me now.
User avatar
Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

fiftyfifty wrote:So here I am, sitting in this god-forsaken desert. My children have not eaten for days. I have not eaten for days. Our hunger and thirst have taken over our whole beings. We are suffering badly.
If this that was happening to us was not real, my suffering would remain real to me…even if it was unreal. Telling me that the misery that surrounds me is not real, somehow doesn’t make the pain go away…even though it may be unreal. For me there is no difference between “knowing” and “feeling”. For what I “know”, I have come to know through what I “feel” (and see, and hear, and taste, and smell.)
Whether my reality is real or not, whether my suffering is real or not….I am really suffering…and that reality is all that matters to me now.
Suffering is a state of mind.
There is a buddha boy who has gone six month with out food or water..The Buddha boy from napal..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4797064.stm
fiftyfifty
Posts: 9
Joined: November 25th, 2007, 12:08 pm

Post by fiftyfifty »

Suffering is a state of mind.
Do you really believe that hunger and thirst is just a state of mind? I mean...really?
There is a buddha boy who has gone six month with out food or water..The Buddha boy from napal..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4797064.stm
Have you read the whole article? How about the follwing paragraph from the article?:

"They refused, however, to allow any independent investigation about the health conditions of Bomjan saying that "it would disturb him.""

How about this part?:

"The authorities also did not intervene to avoid hurting local feeling."
User avatar
Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

fiftyfifty wrote:
Suffering is a state of mind.
Do you really believe that hunger and thirst is just a state of mind? I mean...really?
There is a buddha boy who has gone six month with out food or water..The Buddha boy from napal..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4797064.stm
Have you read the whole article? How about the follwing paragraph from the article?:

"They refused, however, to allow any independent investigation about the health conditions of Bomjan saying that "it would disturb him.""

How about this part?:

"The authorities also did not intervene to avoid hurting local feeling."
....and did you read the bible when they said to Jesus "and by what authority do you speak?" and he replyed "And by what authority did john the baptist speak?"

what your missing, and what they did not write, is that in the begining people stayed with him all night, and there are other articals..this one you read was wrote Last Updated: Saturday, 11 March 2006, 15:36 GMT That was last year, he has done a fair bit since then, just starting you at the first stone on the path kinda...up to you to researsh more about him..or course they would let doctors look at him.

IT WOULD DISTURB THE MEDITATION = THUS HIS WHOLE REASON FOR BEING THERE - IT IS A 6 YEAR MEDITATION HE IS GOING INTO...
fiftyfifty
Posts: 9
Joined: November 25th, 2007, 12:08 pm

Post by fiftyfifty »

IT WOULD DISTURB THE MEDITATION = THUS HIS WHOLE REASON FOR BEING THERE - IT IS A 6 YEAR MEDITATION HE IS GOING INTO....
If you are willing to believe that another person went without food and water for six months (and lived to tell the tale), there is no sense in us continuing this debate. If you believe that tale...well you can believe anything. I am willing to go into a debate with anyone, as long as the debate follows a rational path. I am not willing to waste my time arguing about the existence of the tooth fairy. Sorry.
User avatar
Samhains
Posts: 193
Joined: December 15th, 2007, 2:56 pm

Post by Samhains »

fiftyfifty wrote:
IT WOULD DISTURB THE MEDITATION = THUS HIS WHOLE REASON FOR BEING THERE - IT IS A 6 YEAR MEDITATION HE IS GOING INTO....
If you are willing to believe that another person went without food and water for six months (and lived to tell the tale), there is no sense in us continuing this debate. If you believe that tale...well you can believe anything. I am willing to go into a debate with anyone, as long as the debate follows a rational path. I am not willing to waste my time arguing about the existence of the tooth fairy. Sorry.
If you believe that a person can not go without food and water for six months then your right there is no reason to continue this, because I have seen my wife, after her gastro-bipass go 8 months with out food and only allowed 3 shot glasses of water a day..you piss out more than that. So anyways like I said if you dont believe that a person can do this then there is no reason continuing this...
And I have seen fairys befor..
james1951
Posts: 92
Joined: January 8th, 2008, 3:44 pm

Post by james1951 »

captain_crunk wrote:To me it seems pretty obvious that we do know some things, but that the problem lies in how we know that we know them. I mean, no matter what we can pretty much question how reliable any source of information is.

For example. I KNOW that I'm posting something on a philosophy discussion forum right now. How do I know? I'm seeing it happen before my eyes. But how do I know that my firsthand account of this is a reliable source? Sadly I don't. I just sort of have to...trust it I guess. Dunno.
But how "real" is what you are posting? Are you actually posting it physically or are you just dreaming that you are posting it? What if you suddenly walk up and though. Wow I was dreaming that I was posting a message on an online discussion group. All of a sudden you would realize that it was just a dream. What if all of reality is just a dream that we are dreaming. ANd that all of us are just characters in the imagination of an awareness that has no physical exixtence at all. Just an awareness.
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