How do you know that you "know" something?

Question

This question is more complicated than it seems, I am asking this question literally, what makes us feel as if we "know" something, and what does it really mean when you say "I know this/that"

Answer 1

Knowledge is something that is not easily defined in philosophy. But, I'll go the way of empiricism and say that knowledge is a justified, true belief. Now, what is appropriate as justification and, on an ontological level, what exactly is the truth? These are questions which don't seem to hold any sort of easy answer, certainly nothing a fifteen year old on "Yahoo! Answers" could tell you (this is more of a critique of "Yahoo! Answers" and less of fifteen year olds - I've heard a few fifteen year olds say some pretty smart things). But, I'll bite anyways: David Hume, a good dead friend of mine, would probably argue that knowledge, "justified true belief," is a human impossibility. We just don't have, within our sensory experience and perception, the ability to connect the dots in all certainty - not even with causality. We can experience that A follows B, but nothing within that experience can tell us that in all cases, across all time, A follows B, and even if it could, we could never be sure that A follows B in necessity of B. What I'm trying to say here is epistemology is most profound and poignant when it is pointing out the folly of our skeptical efforts - it grants us humility. We can't know anything, let alone whether or not we really know something - and, the greatest irony of all, I'm not even so sure of that.

Answer 2

This is a purely personal response to your question, and I don't claim this means for anyone else, speaking only from my own experience. I "know" something when it "feels" right for me or to me; there is a vibrational response within me that hums, a sense of well-being, so to speak. There is a resonance between my being and the "knowing," that is strong and quite apparent. I cannot base knowing on facts, especially since facts change all of the time. For me to "know," there is a perfect alignment within with the outer information, whatever it might be--a situation, a feeling, an observation, a person, etc. There seems to be a sort of union or merging with the other, a calm acceptance that supports the knowing. If I resonate to it, then it is right for me in that moment--I "know." I am Sirius

Answer 3

I have spent most of my working life challenging this in myself and others. Most people mean 'I remember something about this' which when you challenge it is nearly always imperfect or incomplete. A few have a certainty that the 'understand' something and in my experience that is effectively the same; there are increasing numbers who mean 'I believe' which is often based on dogma and ignorance. How can anyone truly 'know' anything when an individual can only ever see what they can see and try to take on board what others can also see? 'Know' can be defined as 'I think I understand a bit about this'

Answer 4

Prior experience and education a question comes up and the answer is in my memories and life experience. if I didn't know I would be struggling for an answer and maybe "draw a blank". As to how my mind works, who knows?

Answer 5

Actually we do not know anything. That may be the only thing we know. I know I exist because of Descartes. "I think therefore I am." All I know is that there is something here that gives me the idea (or illusion) of an existence. I may not be real, you may not be real, we may not even exist. This could all be a dream.

Answer 6

It means that you are deluded.

The idea that we think that we know something often means that we have closed our minds to other possibilities.

This creates a pair of mental blinders that we wear when ever that particular situation confronts us.

Better to just say I will keep an open mind.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 7

We know that we know something about a thing, when the knowledge comes from tearful and hard experience.

Answer 8

i agree with Sirius, to me, its a deep sense of the thought being "in balance" within you, it feels right, it feels correct, so there is a balance with your heart and mind, spirit, and the facts/observations that you have
it is about remaining open-minded, and being willing to review more observations/feelings as they come, but its accepting the knowledge for the present

Answer 9

hehhhehehe.........in terms on what u speaking abt.........? we all hve different feelings towards different actions for example lets take if ur in a relationship u as an individual might think this is for real while others might not think so....or take in school terms when u knw the answer u feel good eventually its ur brain doing all the thinking..........

Answer 10

When it is based on FACTS :)
Also, it would have to be in it's entirety, not partial facts, or partial knowledge. You can't know how to fix a car if you don't know what a glow plug is, or how a thermostat works, replacing other parts doesn't qualify you as a mechanic who KNOWS how to fix a car :)