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Truth, Knowledge, Belief

Truth, Knowledge, Belief. I know that Jupiter has moons How?. Knowledge and Truth. Knowledge changes with time, the truth remains the same: Up until 1610 nobody knew that Jupiter had moons For a while during 1610, Galileo was the only person who knew that Jupiter had moons

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Truth, Knowledge, Belief

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  1. Truth, Knowledge, Belief

  2. I know that Jupiter has moons How?

  3. Knowledge and Truth Knowledge changes with time, the truth remains the same: • Up until 1610 nobody knew that Jupiter had moons • For a while during 1610, Galileo was the only person who knew that Jupiter had moons • Eventually, more people knew that Jupiter had moons

  4. Different ways to formulate knowledge • Jupiter has moons; the hypothesis that Jupiter has no moons is incorrect. • Galileo observed four moons, and so have others. • Jupiter has exactly four moons. • Jupiter has at least four moons. • If you look at Jupiter through a telescope, you will see four moons.

  5. Different ways to formulate knowledge • Is statement 5 true? • Can it be modified so that it is true?

  6. Knowledge as a mental model • What theories do we use to understand the moons of Jupiter? • Properties of a moon as a solid object • Properties of motion • Properties of light

  7. The evolution of scientific knowledge • Before the advent of the telescope: “Jupiter has no moons” was adequate in explaining the observations made with the naked eye. • In 1610 Galileo observed four moons, and subsequently so did others. “Jupiter has four moons” superseded the old model. • How does this model account for observations in which less than 4 moons are observed?

  8. The evolution of scientific knowledge • When more powerful telescopes became available, astronomers started to observe more than four moons, and the model had to be changed again. • Knowledge could be thought of as the models we create to make sense of reality. Our theories are an attempt to model the “truths” that are in evidence at a given time.

  9. The evolution of scientific knowledge • In most cases scientists are aware that their theories only represent reality imperfectly. • Even when there is a perfect match between theory and observation, there is no certainty that the model represents the truth. • Future observations may force us to modify or discard our current knowledge.

  10. The nature of knowledge • Knowledge is mostly inexact. • Can you think of an undoubtedly true statement? • The moon is not made of cheese.

  11. Knowledge and Belief • How different are knowledge and belief? • Isn’t knowledge a belief in the correctness of our models?

  12. Inexact Knowledge • Inexact knowledge can be useful: • Even though the earth is not a perfect sphere, modeling it as one can be very useful in a wide range of applications. • The model is not the truth, just as the map is not the territory.

  13. Journal Questions • Can we ever be certain of the truth? • Where does belief end and knowledge begin? • Does knowledge depend on context? • What role do paradigms play in knowledge? • To what extent should we accept knowledge by authority?

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