John,
Thanks.
Let me share that, from a ToK and Justification Systems Theory (JUST) perspective on epistemology, there is not a hard and fast line or straight dichotomy between errant “rationalizations” and authentic True “knowledge.” Rather, we want
to place things on a dimension of “justification,” which allows us to first characterize what kind of thing linguistic propositions are (all verbal meaning making propositions are justifications). And such propositions can be placed on a continuum of justification
that ranges on the one end from lying (known falsehoods) to rationalizing (hiding needs, giving reasons) to the more middle “truth value” of offering opinions and practical/social reasons to formulating systematic arguments to developing coherent logically
consistent systems (like math) to developing correspondence between propositional systems and empirical findings (something like general relativity would serving as an example of a “true” justification system, in that it meets the highest standards of epistemology
even as we can be confident it is not the final Truth of the universe).
With that clarification, I certainly agree that we want to move from wishful rationalizations and the current confusion that is dominated by ego-based needs and Emotional Warfare to much more accurate and morally defensible states of
justification that can be perhaps characterized as “knowledge-into-wisdom.”
Best,
Gregg
From: tree of knowledge system discussion <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of JOHN TORDAY
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2019 9:53 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Age of Clarity
Dear Gregg and ToK, regarding Gregg's excellent article addressing Wilson's "Consilience" and the ToK, as I have said before, there must IMHO be recognition that our present and future are based on our past, literally, because that's how
evolution works folks. Wilson superficially and glibly said that if all knowledge is being reduced to 'one's and zero's' that there is opportunity to integrate all of it as a whole. But I submit that he's talking about information, not knowledge, so all that
you've got is a fancy 'index' without a way of formulating thought as knowledge. In the same vein, the ToK needs the mechanistic connections between the levels from matter to consciousness in order to gain the historic 'arc' of psychology. To only 'justify'
our actions without recognizing their historic origins and processes is to rationalize, not 'know'. Respectfully, John Torday
On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 6:22 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx <[log in to unmask]> wrote: