[lit-ideas] Re: As Far As I Know (Not Far)
- From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 May 2013 04:25:49 -0700 (PDT)
________________________________
From: Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 10:36 AM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: As Far As I Know (Not Far)
Unless we define 'knowledge' and 'knowing' so as to restrict these terms to
claims where the person making them is sure or certain of their correctness,
then we might say in such a case (and without contradiction or offending
against standard usage), "He knows once you set the excerpt length, you cannot
change the length for display on a different page, though he isn't entirely
sure". But as indicated in my previous post, such a restrictive definition of
'knowledge' or 'knowing', as would stipulate that because he isn't entirely
sure therefore he cannot 'know' here, at best represents a strand of standard
usage where 'know' is used restrictively to indicate 'know with certainty' -
it cannot claim to exhaust standard usage in which there are many cases where
'know' is used even though the 'knower' isn't certain.
*If we say: "He knows once you set the excerpt length, you cannot change the
length for display on a different page, though he isn't entirely sure", we are
obviously assuming that it is true that, in the given institutional
circumstances, you aren't supposed to change the length for display on a
different page. If we thought that it is in fact not true that you cannot
change the length for display on a different page, we would surely indicate
this by using: "he thinks" or "believes" rather than "he knows," lest we become
guilty of spreading the misconception.
Generally, any dispute about knowing in ordinary usage is about the possession
of a belief, not about its correctness.
A: Does Tom know that Sally is going to be at the party ?
B: Yes, he does. / No, he doesn't. / I'm not sure.
(A. "Well, she isn't coming. " Surely this would be a stunning comical turn)
Barring such a paradoxical and improbable continuation, obviously, the question
and any of the possible replies assume that Sally is indeed going to be at the
party. What is being questioned, and subsequently affirmed or denied or
doubted, is Tom's awareness of this.
O.K.
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