Would you agree with this statement of knowledge, or no?

Question

I believe, along the basis of Socrates' knowlege, that we do not know anything worth knowing. This is, simply because, all of our information is opinionated. Opinion does not reflect knowledge, in that there is room for doubt. It is not factual. Knowlede cannot be disproven, while opinion can be. Therefore, we as a people pretend to know what we do not know, at all. We are people full of false-wisdom. Do you agree?

Wonderful, MAB. Here is how I respond.
I do not believe it is 'biased' per say. I simply believe it is an opinion. Just as a teacher uses his/her opinion in teaching. They may not mean to, but where they learned it, it was also an opinion. I just beleive we do not know anything at all. No one truly does. Do you agree?

And for the record, to those who get heated about this...I'm just thinking. Isn't that waht philosophy is? I am studying socrates, so don't get fired up, I simply wanted to extend on his ideas, make them my own and see if anyone agrees. Don't get snippy, reply, but nicely. Thank you.

Answer 1

Socrates does not state anything of the sort, and by Socrates I and presumably you mean Plato of course because we have no direct knowledge of anything Socrates. Plato states that Socrates epistemic theory has three requirements in order for anything to count as knowledge. First one needs to believe proposition X to be objectively true, secondly one would need to ground that belief with reasons, and thirdly that belief would have to actually be true. Additionally your statement that opinion is not factual is incorrect. If it is my opinion that the year is 2007 than it is correct, and factual. I believe that you are attributing Thrysamaccus points about knowledge to Socrates when they are actually opposed. Socrates believed that we could know propositions to be true. However he believed it was difficult for one to know conclusively what abstract ideas meant, i.e. justice, the ideas that people had while not complete were still informative insofar as they contained elements of truth.

Answer 2

No, I don't agree with the statement, at the very least as an accurate account of Socrates and his teaching. What he said was not that we don't know anything worth knowing, but that he knew he knew nothing, a statement completely at odds with the former. Opinions may reflect some modicum of knowledge, but have to be continually questioned and refined which he set about doing. It is only by questioning opinions that we come to any understanding of knowledge of the true and the beautiful residing in the Forms just beyond our reach. Wisdom that questions is not false.

Answer 3

Mostly, I agree with you. The Masters (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) taught that ALL KNOWLEDGE is based upon assumptions. Everyone has these feelings at one time or another: is this real or a dream? What if?
That is the thing. Maybe we are in a dream state and our bodies are supplying energy for aliens...
This has been brought up many a time when they study the situation in public schools: the teacher is no better than her/his educational background, to include WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW they grew up, as the environment most definitely reflect upon one's learning and knowledge.
As an example, I wear a cap that says: "I Am Not Opinionated I Am Just Always Right". I mean, it is a big laugh, but people all do act that way, at least from time to time.
So, in general at least, I agree with your premise.

Answer 4

Deep question, But your whole context is based on a philosophy. That in it self, is opinionated. Example: My opinion is "the sun rises in the morning", by stating this opinion, am I not using knowledge! Is this statement factual. What proof would be needed to prove this statement? Could I get proof of this "knowledge", beyond reasonable doubt? Knowledge is obtained thru experience, but different people glean this knowledge from their own perspective. There fore,we as people know that wisdom, true, or false comes from experience, and if you believe in false wisdom, the statement itself is an oxymoron!

Answer 5

I would agree with falsified knowledge but wisdom cannot be false. Socrates
said ‘I know that I know nothing’ meaning that one cannot know anything with absolute certainty but can feel confident about certain things.
Information is designed to generate intentional reactions since there is purpose behind its design.
Opinions vary among people as the individual’s perception is related to experience, education, awareness and viewpoints pertaining to knowledge.

Answer 6

Not every thing is opinion
We know if we throw a rock in the air...it will fall
We know water does not run uphill
If I stub my toe...or slam my thumb with a hammer, I will notice a feeling
If I build a strong foundation, my house my stand awhile
We can watch the effects of temperature on different things; water (liquid, gas, solid).
We can use this information to our advantage
Not everything requires opinion
Now communication, language, and some way to relate to one another will always introduce opinion

Answer 7

Not really. Think of all the historical, scientific, or linguistic facts (look at the answers to this, for example: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvbqqfYBz72rQzOtLeWAb2jty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20070924133808AAyZSiK&show=7#profile-info-GxiTp8Apaa )

that we would consider as concrete knowledge. Are these worth knowing? I think so. Probably life's most important questions are more opinion-based, but I think that is what it means to be human: having opinions and hypotheses, testing them, and modifying as necessary.

Answer 8

By "American" I assume you mean "inhabitant of the USA". There are well over 300 million people in the USA. I find it hard to imagine that there is not one person among that 300 million who has SOME knowledge of English football. And do you mean "football" in general, e.g. rules and customs of association football as played in England, or do you mean great knowledge of the many football clubs in England, and which ones are on top of the various leagues at the moment?

Answer 9

What is this "we"
You make many assumptions.
Why not say what you think, from your experience or knowledge or both.
Trying to prove or disprove what you have taken out of context is wild.

I for one, speak for myself, I don't presume that I know what others think, and I don't ask closed questions or label things.
A little more freedom in your speech please.

Socrates lived a long time ago.

Answer 10

I absolutely do not agree:
"all information is opinionated" is not a factual statement. Of course if Socrates lived today he would not make such a ludicrous statement.

Information can be proven in many ways in our world; that wasn't possible in Socrates time.

You can say: "I am, because I am." Of course you can only say that while you are alive. Does this prove you are alive. Of course it does.

Socrates. Wasn't he that fellow who was poisoned because he didn't tell the truth? Similar to what should be happening to a log of american politicians on the so-called "right" side of the political spectrum today.