Absolute Knowledge...
- Small Offerings
- Apr 20, 2020
- 2 min read
April 20th, Monday, 2020
In Chapter 11 entitled 'Knowledge and Certainty' of his book 'The Ascent of Man', Jakob Bronowski writes what physics has now done is to show that " there is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy. All information is imperfect. We have to treat it with humility. That is the human condition, and that is what quantum physics says. I mean it literally."
Does this mean that I may never say 'I know?'
I know that the sun will rise tomorrow even though I may not witness it myself.
May I not say that it is a proven fact that water freezes into ice at a particular temperature?
May I not say that my Mother loves me?
May I not claim that 'I know that my Redeemer liveth and that on the last day I shall see my God'?
In one sense even I can see that all this knowledge is not certain.
The sun is dying and will one day be no more.
Water turns to ice at a certain temperature but that temperature varies depending on conditions.
Perhaps with regard to my Mother's love I need to define my terms.
As to my Redeemer that is not accepted as knowledge by many and as 'make believe and fantasy' by others.
Are we merely playing semantics here?
As humans in a physical world we accept that certain things are the case and on that assumption we live our lives.
Certain human constructs are also what we accept such as 2 + 2 = 4.
Knowledge is constantly pursued. At times it is expressed in formulae we have decided.
My knowledge and understanding of quantum physics is minimal but it has revolutionised knowledge.
The mind boggles; the mind is not all knowing, is finite, is not infallible: so out of Bronowski's passage I emphasise the words 'with humility'.
Do you know Shelley's poem 'Ozymandias'?
Man's pride put in place!
".....Two vast and trunk less legs of stone
Stand in the desert...Near them on the sand,
half sunk, a shattered visage...
And on the pedestal these words appear
'My name is Ozymandias, King of kings,
Look at my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains..."
A sober warning.
We too will pass.
Not necessarily will all things pass but we know not.
We approach ourselves and all we see and do not see, know and do not know, with humility.
Only the other month I visited an old friend, a scholar, a good musician and a most engaging man. He has been diagnosed with dementia and all he knew is no more it would seem. The man I thought I knew is no more yet so there not something which remains constant and I know...he is a human being.
Perhaps it is merely that all knowledge is imperfect but that we seek the perfect with humility. What a wonderful lesson for life, for thought, for all that we are and do.
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