REASON, FAITH, LANGUAGE & MEMORY

in 8 slides

DEDUCTIVE REASONING & its limitations• Deductive reasoning moves from the

general to the specific.• All dogs are mammals

Chester is a dog.Therefore Chester is a mammal.

• A deductive argument is reliable only if it’s logically valid and if its premises are true.

• Invalid (illogical) structure results in fallacies (errors in reasoning). They are unethical and misleading.

• Deductive reasoning depends on inductive reasoning & on other WOKs (like sense perception) to get true premises.

INDUCTIVE REASONING & its limitations• Inductive reasoning moves from the

specific data to the general conclusion.• Inductive reasoning relies on the

coherence of data – all evidence fitting together.

• Limitations?• Depends on sense

perception/observations• It relies on a limited number of examples.

This can also result in fallacies (hasty generalization, irrelevant evidence, etc.)

• Generalizations can easily turn into stereotyping and prejudice.

• confirmation bias: people tend to select and look for evidence that confirms their expectations and prejudices.

FAITH & its limitations as a WOK

• Controversial due to it’s lack of evidence; can be seen as an obstacle to knowledge, contrasted with reason.• Also defined as complete trust or confidence in someone or

something – not necessarily spiritual.• Instead of being inconsistent, faith & reason can be seen as

working together. • Faith (spiritual or not) can provide hope and motivation,

even when reason or other WOKs fail…• For many communities of people, faith is a key way in

which they understand and explain the world – a key to their shared knowledge.• Religious faith has undeniable historical & contemporary

significance for morality and community building.

Language & its limitations as a WOK

• Language is one of the best ways we acquire shared knowledge.• Some of its limitations:• Ambiguity, vagueness, connotation,

figurative language• Language changes in context – as a

reflection of culture & time; can also serve to isolate from other groups•Knowledge “lost in translation”• Language can be used to persuade

and manipulate – advertising, propaganda, brainwashing, labeling, stereotyping…

Memory & its limitations as a WOK: • The capacity of the mind to store and remember

information • Most of the knowledge we have is in the form of memory • New knowledge is dependent on & influenced by memory• Issues with memory:• Other WOKs are used to provide initial knowledge; which

ones create the most reliable or permanent memories?• Its reliability varies a lot; unconscious transference • Influenced by one’s brain function, personality, emotion, by

other people, by imagination...• It’s hard to apply the correspondence test, but can apply

the coherence & pragmatic truth tests to memories• Connected to identity (both personal or shared)

ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE)• A student of Plato & one of the most

influential thinkers of all times.• Invented many disciplines and

terms still used today - ethics, physics, psychology, zoology, logic (deductive/inductive reasoning), etc.• “All men by nature desire to know”

– Aristotle• Tutor to Alexander the Great• “Plato is dear to me, but dearer still

is the truth”• Empiricism – experience is the

basis of knowledge!

We should keep our feet on the ground…

• The true essence of a thing is not its matter, but its form and function; the real point of everything is what it does, what it is for…• Everything changes & acquires a new form.• In ethics, Aristotle developed the doctrine of the

“golden mean” – moderation in all things – similar to the “Middle Way” in Buddhism – the way to achieve happiness & balance• He was so influential for the next 2000 years,

that all modern scientists & thinkers had to start by challenging his authority.• For example – his geocentric theory was

challenged by Galileo in 1600s, his idea that everything consisted of 4 elements (earth, water, air, fire) was challenged by 17th century chemistry (Boyle).