Goethe, a German writer/stateman, once said that confidence is only possible when we know very little. Knowledge increases doubt. What is knowledge? The term knowledge has been a topic philosophers have sought for centuries. According the modern definition of knowledge, facts, information, skills, and education are all that is required to understand a subject. Rene Descartes is a French scientist, mathematician, philosopher and widely recognized as the father modern philosophy. His unique approach to knowledge and acquiring it was doubt. He doubted everything and questioned whether it was true. Finally, he came out with “cogito.ergo sum”, which roughly means “I think therefore i am.” He can only be certain in his ability to think, and that he exists, so he can’t be sure he knows. This partly explains the expression “We can only be confident when we know very little, but doubt grows with knowledge.” This phrase states that confidence is a function of how much one knows. Confidence will drop if you have more knowledge. This could mean that you can be confident only in certain areas of knowledge and doubt all others. Descartes, a philosopher of great knowledge, is confident in one statement but doubts the rest.
Descartes’ philosophy of knowledge was the basis for modern science and philosophy. In it, he described knowledge in terms that could be doubted. Descartes separates factual and subjective knowledge (scientia) by saying that knowledge can only be based on one thing. Descartes used doubt to contrast with certainty. Descartes was unable to find certainty because of the increase in doubt. Since the dawn of Greek philosophy in Greece, doubt has been a key part of philosophy. The Sophists used doubt to discover knowledge. They also concluded that it was impossible to know for sure. Knowledge could only be gained through our sensory organs. They can also be easily deceived. The universe is always changing and science can be deceived. History has proven Descartes’ claims to be true. His statements are best illustrated by the fact that once it was accepted that the earth was flat. Galileo Galilei is an Italian philosopher/astronomer. He helped establish the Copernican, heliocentric system. Copernican, heliocentric systems is a system that shows the Sun and other planets orbiting it at or near the center. Galileo discovered that the Earth was a spherical, round shape after he used the telescope. The notion that the Earth’s surface is flat was common belief in the 16th and17th centuries. This idea was supported even by ‘knowledgeable scientists’ of the time. Galileo, who advocated the Copernican system of heliocentricity, was rebuked by society. This historical event is a proof of Descartes’s and Sophists’ belief that knowledge can’t be trusted. It supports the statement that knowledge can be trusted only when it is little. Knowledge increases doubt. Before Christ, many tribes and societies believed that Gods ran the world. As they gained more knowledge, the doubts and uncertainties that they experienced began to surface. The truth that was once accepted is now a theory or a possibility in the current moment.
The Church and Christianity have played an important role in history. It has been one the most powerful institutions for many centuries and is well-known for its abuse of power. The Catholic Church has been guilty of many crimes during its rule, from burning “witches” women to covering up thousands of child rapes. Galileo Galilei is an example of a case in which the Church intervened in matters related to science. Jan Hus’s burning is a similar example. Hus was a Czech-Bohemian priest who was closely related to the Church. He was involved in Western Schism throughout his career (where there were three competing popes each with their own followers). Hus was already an iconic figure because of his relationship with the Church. Hus began to study philosophy and the Bible, realizing that humans are flawed, so the Church must be too. Hus’s philosophy was considered a threat and disapproval by the Church. Hus was invited by the Council of Constance to be part of their efforts to stop the idea spreading. Although he initially resisted, he accepted the offer of safe conduct. Hus was later imprisoned after he arrived. Blindly, the Church’s followers believed in the Church’s “knowledge”. Because they had sufficient information, no one could doubt the Church. As science advanced, human knowledge increased, so did the questioning of their beliefs. The Church lost its power, and it is now no longer an institution.
Philosophers, scientists, as well as researchers, have tried to explain the state of ignorance. Sokrates explained that “I am wiser then this man” because neither one of us seems to know anything important or good. However, he pretends he does know something while he doesn’t know it. I don’t know anything so I don’t think I know. This is a small example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, which will later be described as a way to make me seem wiser than him. Science can provide a rational explanation for why people are less skilled in certain areas than they are. In the late 1990’s, Justin Kruger and David Dunning discovered that people with low competence are unable to accurately judge their competence and understand it. Their lower level of competence is responsible for their inability to judge and analyze themselves correctly, leading to overestimating their abilities.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a theory that people with lower competence levels tend to be more confident in their knowledge. However, Catholic Church members and other people who suppress those who try to learn more are not stupid. They are not in line with Goethe’s philosophy. These historical events show that the influential people are not incompetent, but their followers. People will not question what they don’t know. This makes it easier for them to control. These influencers filter what they see to ensure that they have control over the crowd. Many people are influenced to think that they can “knowledge and confidence” so Jan Hus and Galileo leave the herd. People begin to leave the group as the influencers lose control. The Catholic Church held a great deal of power over a large number of people for centuries. They made them believe in “knowledge” they had modified and filtered. Their influence diminished over time and science progressed, eventually leaving them behind as a leading global power. Descartes’ philosophy provides a good explanation for what most people accept today as knowledge philosophy. Many people agree that our ability to think is the reason we are alive. Some also accept other facts as knowledge. It is well known that all facts may change, but “I believe, therefore I’m” will stay.
