Philosophy Discussion Forums

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

The beginning of philosophy to him at least who enters on it in the right way and by the door, is a consciousness of his own weakness and inability about necessary things...

...And the cause of this is that we come into the world already taught as it were by nature some things on this matter, and proceeding from these we have added to them self-conceit. "For why," a man says, "do I not know the beautiful and the ugly? Have I not the notion of it?" You have. "Do I not adapt it to particulars?" You do. "Do I not then adapt it properly?" In that lies the whole question; and conceit is added here. For, beginning from these things which are admitted, men proceed to that which is matter of dispute by means of unsuitable adaptation; for if they possessed this power of adaptation in addition to those things, what would hinder them from being perfect?...

...Does the madman do any other things than the things as in which seem to him right? Is then this criterion for him also? It is not sufficient. Come then to something which is superior to seeming. What is this?...

...Observe, this is the beginning of philosophy, a perception of the disagreement of men with one another, and an inquiry into the cause of the disagreement, and a condemnation and distrust of that which only "seems," and a certain investigation of that which "seems" whether it "seems" rightly, and a discovery of some rule, as we have discovered a balance in the determination of weights, and a carpenter's rule in the case of straight and crooked things. This is the beginning of philosophy...

...Thus things are tested and weighed when the rules are ready. And to philosophize is this, to examine and confirm the rules; and then to use them when they are known is the act of a wise and good man." Epictetus, "The Discourses", book 2, chapter 11

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

ThomasHobbes wrote: ↑July 9th, 2018, 5:22 pm

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

None of the above.

We are born with a limited amount of knowledge ...

Mosesquine wrote: ↑July 10th, 2018, 5:05 am The naturalized epistemologists might suggest that sensations are starting points of knowledge. So-called sensations, perceptions, bundles of stimulus, etc., might be called 'the beginning (or the beginnings) of knowledge'.

chewybrian wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2018, 8:04 am

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Of these choices, perhaps skepticism is closest to the truth.

I would say suspension of belief is the first step, in the manner of Socrates, and Descartes, and Epictetus:

The beginning of philosophy to him at least who enters on it in the right way and by the door, is a consciousness of his own weakness and inability about necessary things...

...And the cause of this is that we come into the world already taught as it were by nature some things on this matter, and proceeding from these we have added to them self-conceit. "For why," a man says, "do I not know the beautiful and the ugly? Have I not the notion of it?" You have. "Do I not adapt it to particulars?" You do. "Do I not then adapt it properly?" In that lies the whole question; and conceit is added here. For, beginning from these things which are admitted, men proceed to that which is matter of dispute by means of unsuitable adaptation; for if they possessed this power of adaptation in addition to those things, what would hinder them from being perfect?...

...Does the madman do any other things than the things as in which seem to him right? Is then this criterion for him also? It is not sufficient. Come then to something which is superior to seeming. What is this?...

...Observe, this is the beginning of philosophy, a perception of the disagreement of men with one another, and an inquiry into the cause of the disagreement, and a condemnation and distrust of that which only "seems," and a certain investigation of that which "seems" whether it "seems" rightly, and a discovery of some rule, as we have discovered a balance in the determination of weights, and a carpenter's rule in the case of straight and crooked things. This is the beginning of philosophy...

...Thus things are tested and weighed when the rules are ready. And to philosophize is this, to examine and confirm the rules; and then to use them when they are known is the act of a wise and good man." Epictetus, "The Discourses", book 2, chapter 11

So, we often fail to attain knowledge because we don't begin with well-deserved humility. We begin instead with preconceptions, and lazy habits of seeing everything through the lens of our (often unfounded) beliefs, and an undeserved respect for our own ability to get things right without doing the necessary work. We jump to the conclusion(s) that fit our beliefs and avoid the proper steps of investigation that should be applied at each level of understanding. We enter the arena armed with pseudo-logic designed to discredit our opponent rather than disprove his position. We dismiss opposing views because they oppose our view, rather than because they are disproved.

Most of us we never taught how to learn, and are too full of ourselves to gain anything from these arguments of Epictetus, even if we are presented with them. Surely, there are people in the world who need that advice, like our ignorant and incorrect opponents, but not US, right?

http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/discourses.2.two.html

mr533473 wrote: ↑July 4th, 2018, 6:29 am

Ghazanfar Arif wrote: ↑June 28th, 2018, 3:34 am Hi guys,

I want to know about the following statements/pharases which one is correct to you and why


Wonder is the beginning of knowledge.

Skepticism is the beginning of knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

is there any interactions between them or it is your personnel experience three or correct.

I just realised that I misinterpreted your post. I though you were trying to work out the best option for you to use, like you were writing something and wanted assistance to define the beginning of knowledge. On second view I realise that it's just an open ended question to spur dialogue so dismiss my last post. My bad.