Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Foundations 2

Knowledge


Can we take a part "knowledge" as a noun, a verb, as an orange, as a book (or more)?

Knowledge is information--and information we can definitely be split up and categorize. Indeed our entirety is based upon the differences and similarities between pieces of information, which leaves us with "definitions". Definitions describe things, they explain to us, and therefore give meaning (and thereby open up more unknowns) to us.

With each piece of information, with each definition, with each explanation and meaning, leaves us with another question and makes us aware of (yet another) gaps in our overall understanding of reality, of everything.

This is only temporarily true, assuming that the universe is (though massive) finite and therefore has finite amounts of definitions, meanings and connections.
One could say that in theory the human race could continue on into time, growing in means of understanding while gathering and comprehending each unit of information until all is "understood".
Except this is false, unless man is able to 1) become immortal and 2) stop reproducing. For with each human comes new unknowns, a mind that gives further complexity to the already unimaginably vast universe.
So to understand all, one would have to understand not only the physical universe but the universe of mind and knowledge.

Which brings us back to the idea and concept of knowledge.