[lit-ideas] Re: Agnotology
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:18:11 EDT
In a message dated 4/19/2011 11:30:13, _jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx)
considers the social basis of 'agnotology'
His account relies heavily on Durkheim and Comte (not in that order).
"Here's the deal," Geary notes. "I ignore what I'm ignorant of."
Tautological? In symbols.
For any given "p",
~(KNOW (S, p)) --> ~(~(KNOW (S, p)))
by reducing 'double negation' ("I don't know nothing") we get the claim
above is not tautologic. It's synthetic-a priori.
"Here's the deal. I ignore what I'm ignorant of. That way I never find
myself not knowing."
Geary is struggling with Socrates (as in "Protagoras", "Dialogues of
Plato", tr. B. Jowett, Oxford: Clarendon Press):
"I only know one thing: that I don't know it."
-----
Geary is claiming that the above, "I ignore what I'm ignorant of"
~(KNOW (S, p)) --> ~(~(KNOW (S, p)))
serves as premise for the conclusion:
"I never find myself not knowing".
In symbols,
For "p", ~(KNOW (S, p)) --> ~(~(KNOW (S, p)))
This is not tollendo tollens, but ponendo ponens
~(KNOW (S, p)) --> ~(~(KNOW (S, p)))
and
~(KNOW (S, p))
_____
Therefore: ~(~(KNOW (S, p)))
"Here's the deal. I ignore what I'm ignorant of. That way I never find
myself not knowing. What is knowing? I don't know and so I'm going to
ignore this topic. Cfr. Lecture, "To Know You Not"".
As an example he proposes tackling 'knowledge' itself as the object of
'agnotology'.
It's not any given "p" ("It is raining") but a specific proposition Geary
narrows his search on:
"Geary knows"
"What is knowing? I don't know."
~(KNOW (S (KNOW (S, p))).
As Geary notes, a practical consequence is entailed by this practical
syllogism: "And so I'm going to ignore this topic".
As a side comment, since 'ignore' is lack of knowledge, Langland, in "Piers
Plowman", refers to the plowman as 'noring' things. By which he means
_knowing_ them. This is a backformation.
JL
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