I recently
watched a video of comedian Louis C.K. talking about his young daughter who
continuously asks “why?” to whatever response her father gives her. She simply
asked, “Why can’t we go outside today?” He answered, “Because it’s raining.” An
easy enough answer for an easy enough question, right? No. After being asked
why over and over again, he realizes that he doesn’t really know why things are
the way they are and his responses become less and less legitimate. By the end,
he is babbling about how “some things are and some things are not.” Why?
“Because something that is not can’t be!” Huh?
It is crazy how
we seem to accept whatever response given to us. When we are young and just
starting to understand the world, we are curious so it is easy to ask “why?”
over and over again until we fully understand. But to do this with everything
that is told to us would be exhausting, so we begin to accept anything. Louis
C.K. answered her child in the easiest way possible because he wasn’t curious.
Is this something that comes with age? It is sad that over the years we become
less and less interested about the world. Our minds get filled with more and
more strange and abstract concepts that we accept simply because it is “common
knowledge” and if no one else is rejecting it, why should you?
Perhaps that’s
why the world seemed like such a mysterious place when we were young. Let’s be
honest. The world doesn’t make sense. So many things are still unanswered. Is
there a God? Is the big bang theory true? If not, how did we come to be? How is
it that everything is made of atoms that we can’t even see? Why can’t I see
any?! Are all thumbs the same? How do we know? Have we checked every thumb in
the world?
If someone were
to attempt to answer a simple question like “why is the sky blue?” chances are
that they will answer it easily and simply. However, if one is to ask you
“why?” over and over again to your “simple” answer, it is easy to eventually
realize that you have no idea why. Why are some things true and some things
false? Who said so?
Knowledge is a
crazy concept. How can we ever be sure that what we know is true? And if we’re
not sure, can it really be considered knowledge? For example, the sky is blue.
Is it really? It has been proven that different animals see things in different
colors, but to us it is blue. How can that be knowledge if we don’t really know
100 percent that the sky is actually blue?
We live in a
society where we are forced to go to school to learn. Despite the constant
frustrations, stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation, I sometimes sort of like
school. But what is the point if we aren’t going to ask why? I believe that a
child’s mind holds the best kind of thinking; a free and open way of seeing the
world that is not foolish enough to accept just anything.
Lost in the
“why” questions thrown at him, Louis C.K. eventually says that he doesn’t know
because he’s dumb and he’s dumb because he didn’t pay attention in high school
and was high all the time. This rises yet another question. Is school what
makes us knowledgeable? Also, what is stronger, knowledge that is told to us or
knowledge that is gained by experience? I believe that to be truly
knowledgeable, we can’t just accept anything and everything that is thrown at
us. If we truly want to know the truth about something, we have to answer any
and all “why” questions.
Forgive the
various questions, but I believe that a wild concept like knowledge can’t be
addressed simply. I don’t have all the answers.
Do you also accept whatever people say to you or do you think about it before you agree or disagree with that person's claim? Do you ever question what you know or do you just think that because other people think that, you should think the same thing? I don't think that when you get older you don't see the world in the same way as a child does, you are less naif. Though a child wants to know things that they haven't learned yet. When you are an adult you already know those things, you have learned them growing up and so questioning them when you have gone by those theories your whole life just doesn't make sense to you. Maybe we all still ask why is our heads but we understand that asking why constantly won't lead us to any concrete answers. If you constantly ask why though will it take you anywhere? And will you have gained more knowledge than if you hadn't?
ReplyDeleteMelanie, I like the way you framed your inquiry with the Louis CK monologue. I really appreciate that you took the time to write it out rather than just putting in a link to Louis CK and letting the reader figure it out. You're a good writer, and I want you to keep doing it this way on this blog. However, people may want to see the link, so what we've agreed on for ToK is that you can add a paragraph onto the end of any blog post and use it to include more enriched text, including links.
ReplyDeleteYour questions about knowledge are good. You're in the right class! You have shown an ability to generate interesting questions and to challenge your own assumptions. Good. In your next post I want you to try to answer some of them. Set a rule for yourself not to ask any question that you're not wiling to try to answer. And you can answer them using ToK concepts that you're learning. They won't get you an "answer" in the final sense of the word, but may help you find some kind of box for your questions, some insight and control.
Nice post, Melanie.