Knowledge: Seen and Unseen

[TeaDidikai]

Phronesis: Addressed in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics- Phronesis is practical knowledge- the knowledge that in daily life keeps a person from licking a light socket.

Episteme: The works of Plato offer a formula for Episteme, that roughly translates as an opinion justified by an argument- an example would be the knowledge that The Wica is an Initiatory, Ditheistic Fertility Witchcult that worships ~insert rest of info dump here~. We know this because we have a working knowledge justified by an argument.


Gnosis: Spiritual Knowledge- this is direct revelation-style spiritual Truth. What Paul describes in his Epistles on the road to Damascus (true or not) is an example of Gnosis. A dramatic example, but an example.

Doxa: Common belief or popular opinion. The earth will continue to rotate on it's axis and thus the sun will be seen rising in the east and setting in the west just like yesterday. Yeshua was YHVH incarnate.

As we can see, we have four kinds of knowledge here. Objective, Common, Spiritual and Reasoned. Some of these overlap. Some do not.

As a result, when we talk about knowledge, philosophically, we have to be aware of what kind of knowledge we are addressing- and the means by which our knowledge may be flawed.

So lets play a game.

Look at the different kinds of knowledge and explain what parts of your path are reflected in this.

Edit: Celeblin adds:

Theoria is theoretical knowledge and poiesis is creational knowledge, as in making things, specifically beautiful things  

[washu_2004]

Washuian Free thinking discordianism:

Phronesis: Obtained from scientific enquiry, e.g.: Observing the effects things have on others and from studying reputable sources.

Episteme: The free thought school of philosophy has many published works from respected philosophers that justify its standing points such as the works of Voltaire, Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Anthony Collins.

Gnosis: Discordianism teaches that knowledge or Gnosis is obtained from not taking things overly seriously, questioning everything and not accept things at face value.

Doxa: Free thought discourages dogma and tradition. and offers the following advice "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." ~ William Kingdon Clifford

Theoria: Science has a extensive body of theoretical knowledge. (stuff that is only partially proven)

Poiesis: Science is responsible for a great deal of creative work such as providing elegant proofs of mathematics and physics problems that have great truth, for as it has often been said truth is beauty (but beauty is not necessarily truth).