Power And Knowledge In The Constant Fire By Adam Frank

While my initial expectations for this assignment were vague, I did not imagine that I will have so much interesting. In addition, the course brought interesting issues about knowledge and different ways of knowing. This gives me a wonderful chance to connect with our patterns of knowing to daily living. Consequently, I noted myself able to build connections to my life’s experiences and knowledge.

Within philosophy, there has long been a question about the relationship between science and religion. These two systems of human experience have undoubtedly had a lot of influence in the course of mankind’s development. The philosopher Ian Barbour created a taxonomy regarding science and religion that has become widely influential. His taxonomy postulates that there are four ways in which science and religion are thought to interact. The four categories are: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration. By using articles from a select few philosophers, theologians, and scientists, it is clear to see the ways in which these two systems of human experience are categorized in the four categories presented by Ian barbour. However, it will be apparent that the category of conflict may be seen as the most dominant in regard to the interaction between science and religion.

It has the power to make an ordinary person to an extraordinary one. It gives mental, moral and spiritual advancement to people, which enables them to exercise immense power and influence over others. That is the reason it’s said, “Knowledge is power.” To emphasize the power of knowledge, let’s have an interesting case:-

What is knowledge? Everyone has acquired some type of knowledge in their lifetime, either if it’s helpful or destructive. People utilize their knowledge for many varieties of things, such as acquiring excellent grades, working at their job or even outwit people they shouldn’t have. Many people misuse the acquirement of knowledge, by generating things they shouldn’t have manufactured. Knowledge can be beneficial as in assisting you reach your goals in life, but also can take you to dark places you don’t want to think about.

There was a time when people viewed the universe as a creation of magic, they went on to believe it was a myth, but recently our scientific knowledge has evolved and our knowledge of the universe keeps growing because science adds to it. However, everyone still has their own views about the universe and its purpose, which is fine. Sagan wrote in Can We Know the Universe, “Science is a way of thinking much more then it is a body of knowledge.” Sagan understood that science isn’t about what we know, but about the questions we ask regarding what is already known. I can make a T-W connection here because any scientific knowledge that is known to humans right now would not exist, if a person were not curious enough to question the world around us. Hence, what is known about the universe would not be known if someone didn’t wonder about it. Thus, we are all scientists in a way, with contradictory views on things that relate to the way we think. However, with so many contradictory views, it is difficult to

“That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow”. Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge.

Before the scientific revolution, controversy, alienation, and even imprisonment was what many new developing thinkers faced. Proposed ideas that challenged the teachings of the churches sparked controversy. Their early negative response has since then led many to believe religion clashes with science and obstructs the understanding of the natural world. However, faith and knowledge have been wrongly separated into two different groups and their cohesiveness has been over looked. This will be examined through selected texts. Both science and religion provide different ideas that together, contribute towards the better understanding of the natural world.

Knowledge is a fundamental component of being human. The ability to comprehend information, apply it to the future as well as understand the past, is remarkable. Without knowledge, there could be no critical thinking, empathy, or technological progress. This is an incredible ingredient of our makeup that touches every aspect of human life, and arguably the ingredient that makes us human. The great scholars and philosophers have understood this for thousands of years and have documented as such in their works. The Biblical Genesis, which purportedly describes the first humans, shows how knowledge was first obtained, showing from an early age that man understood its importance. Aesop’s fables from ancient times use the acquisition and application of knowledge as a cornerstone for their construction. Homer’s Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno, both great recognized works, demonstrate protagonists with prudent minds, and the rewards that follow their actions. Prudence was a highly valued attribute to these authors, in which knowledge, both possessing and applying, is the key to the successes and failures of their characters, and also from a religious aspect, a determiner of their ultimate fates.

Stuart Firestein Ignorance: How it drives Science, is book about how science does not progress from learning and assurance, yet from ignorance and uncertainty. Stuart said that in spite of the fact that knowledge is a huge subject, he accepts that obliviousness is greater and better. He said when we investigate the obscure, which is the genuine motor of science, ignorance helps researcher focus on their exploration. Stuart mentions that the ignorance he means is a kind that is less pejorative. He said in science, knowing a lot of material does not make you a scientist. Knowing a lot of things will perhaps bring you to more ignorance. The point of knowing a lot of stuff is to give you the capability to ask questions.

Scientia, the Latin noun meaning “to know” is the etymological root of the modern English word science (Merriam-Webster, 2016). It is perhaps fitting that many of the greatest minds of our time consider science to be the ultimate source of truth, knowledge, and understanding. Famed chemist, professor, and author Peter Atkins (1995) believes “science is the best procedure yet discovered for exposing fundamental truths about the world” (Atkins, 1995, p. 97). This paper will challenge that assertion and argue that science is not the only source of truth, that there are deeply philosophical and metaphysical questions that science cannot fully explain. This paper will explore the idea of truth as a subjective, non-quantifiable phenomenon that is not wholly consistent with the scientific process. Finally, this paper will briefly explore the divide between science and religion.

‘What is the extent of our knowledge?’ – About what sorts of things the knowledge can be acquired?

Knowledge, as we all understand, can be general or specialized. We are able to gather knowledge about certain aspects of reality, branches of science, skills, traits and phenomena observable in nature. But there is another kind of “knowledge”, which is the sum of every subcategoric, specific knowledge. This knowledge is what we know about the “world” - how knowledgeable we are, how well can we navigate the seas of reality because of our knowledge about its currents, flows and hidden reefs.

It seems that science and religion stand to ask two sides of a very similar question: How does the world work? Science, on the one hand, looks to answer this question with evidence of the way the physical world works as it can be ardently observed by human eyes. While on the other hand, religion offers an account of why the world stands the way it does from the perspective of one all-powerful God. The different perspectives that science and religion employ in answering this grand question are part of the reason that both are necessary in their own standing. Because when it comes down to it, answering these questions and thinking about their implications is an extremely important aspect of being human and being alive.

There are many today who are in search of knowledge and wisdom hoping to find within these qualities the answers of life’s struggles or the strength to endure even the most burdensome trials that life holds for us. Gaining these qualities may take many a lifetime to achieve. Once one is in possession of either knowledge,

There are many definitions for knowledge. One common definition is “human faculty resulting from interpreted information; understanding that germinates from combination of data, information, experience, and individual interpretation (“Knowledge”).” Knowledge is gained when a person discovers new information; however, knowledge is more intricate and meaningful than plain information. Knowledge includes a variety of aspects such as: awareness, familiarity, understanding gained through experience or study, and results from making comparisons, identifying consequences, and making connections (“What is Knowledge?”). The production of knowledge is a complex, time consuming process. For knowledge to be produced, a person must first think of an idea, and then decide to further pursue it. Knowledge is produced by a person as a response to and as a reflection of one 's own or others ' experiences, ideas, and information. Knowledge is relative to a social frame of reference, meaning that it is both social and personal, and both objective and subjective at the same time. Knowledge is a part of the process of daily life, yet it includes moments of detachment and reflection. It is both a belief and a potential for action. Knowledge aims for socialization and externalization. It grows and expands further by overcoming and incorporating the responses from external resources, and by undergoing the necessary modifications and improvements in itself. A person’s knowledge both influences and is