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3 I The Best Online Education System in the world
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Kathlyn Q. Barrozo
Class of 1991, University of Santo Tomas
B.S. Medical Technology
Knowledge and belief are not always relative. While it may be true that a person can absolutely believe in
knowledge that he completely possesses, one can not entirely know that what they believe is absolutely
correct or beyond question.
For instance, I believe that Einstein’s theory of relativity, or Pythagoras’ theorem on the three sides of a right
triangle can be proven. However, my knowledge is limited by the fact that I do not engage in strictly
mathematical pursuits, so I am of no compulsion or capability to prove that my belief is true. Quantum physics
experts are able to explain physical phenomena based on theories, but who is to know the limits of their
knowledge except the quantum physicists themselves?
When I declare that I believe in one God, all Omniscient and all Omnipotent, I believe it in my heart to be
completely true. So when someone with an entirely different faith and belief approaches me and questions the
dogmas, concepts and ideals that I stand for, I can only keep my faith as my anchor, but be unsupported by
absolute knowledge. Faith is immeasurable just as it is unquantifiable for most people; there’s no way of
absolutely knowing—all you have to do is to believe.
Which brings me to the question: can absolute knowledge guarantee absolute faith? The jury is still out on that,
ladies and gentlemen. I can believe without knowing, but can I know without believing? Perhaps that’s a
question that learned and wise people like Confucius and Plato and Socrates and the rest of their tribe can
answer. But knowing how confounding the concepts espoused by philosophers can often be, who can ever be
certain?
As for people of this planet, well, there are undoubtedly many who know a lot of things and believe in a lot of
concepts, too. But there can never be any one who can profess to know absolutely everything and believe in
everything. There will always be mysteries we are not meant to solve, questions we can never answer, and
things we will not perfectly comprehend. We may possess virtually all the knowledge there is in our particular
field, but who is to know that what we do know is absolutely and completely true and beyond doubt?
Twilight zone, anyone?
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.
What types of things confuse you or have you perplexed? Why?
2.
Can you be absolutely sure that what you know is absolutely correct and true? How?
3.
How is knowledge destructive? When is it useful?
4.
What responsibility/ies do scientists have to mankind?
5.
Why is a little learning considered to be a dangerous thing? Why is tremendous knowledge also
potentially dangerous?