Foundations (Philosophy of Knowledge Series, #1)

Any philosophy must begin by laying a foundation of postulates from which proofs may proceed.

First postulate: I exist.
The sine qua non.  Eons have been spent proving that one's self exists.  Of all the self-evident propositions, none seems more obvious than this.

Second postulate: I perceive.
I able to collect information about things that appear around me.

Third postulate: I imagine
I can create mental concepts ("thoughts") internally and independent of what I perceive.

Fourth postulate: I think
I am able to process and interpret that which I perceive and imagine.

Fifth postulate: I reason.
I am able to combine my thoughts to establish a conclusion, belief or knowledge.

What's with all the "I"s?

Some of you may have noticed that this post is full of "I" statements.  My choice to use the first person is intentional and is not meant to imply "only I", but rather that "I" is the logical starting point for a philosophy of knowledge.

Before We Begin...

On Sunday, I posted that I was going to "try and develop, with a mathematically rigorous process, the basis of knowledge and all it's derivatives." Before we begin, I should explain the goal a little more clearly.

The goal is to develop, from foundational postulates to final truths, a coherent, reasonable philosophy of knowledge and understanding. At it's end state, I will have shown that faith in Jesus Christ as the source of my salvation is both intellectually defensible and justified by the weight of the evidence.

What I am not doing is attempting to prove the existence of God. Nor am I attempting to justify His will or His means of salvation. God does not need me to defend Him. He is the creator and king over the entire universe.

Mathematically Rigorous Process

I do not intend to create a mathematical proof of my philosophy, but rather I intend to hold myself to making no assumptions, except where foundational and irreducible. Additionally, each step in my philosophy must logically stem from all previous work. There are to be no inexplicable leaps. This is where I will need your help the most. As I have no formal education in philosophy, I will be learning as I go. If you find a weakness or mistake in my logic, please tell me, so I can adjust.

Next Post: Here We Go!

The Least You Must Know

I may be trying to create a rationally defensible, rigorous foundation for my faith. However, the beauty of the Bible is that the essentials are simple enough that a small child can understand them, while men and women much smarter than I can spend lifetimes delving its depths without exhausting all there is to learn from God.

Before I launch into the esoteric, I want to take a moment to explain the basics.

• Everyone has done wrong.
• Everyone who does wrong is separated from God.
• God loves us so much He died on a cross to pay the penalty for our wrong doing.
• If you truly accept God's sacrifice as payment for your wrong doing, you will be reunited with God.

That's it. That's all you really need to know.

If anyone desires to know how to "truly accept God's sacrifice", please contact me at: matthew looman 92 at hot mail dot com. (Take out the spaces, change the at to @ and the dot to . for my email address.)

A fresh start???

Ok, so this is my second or third attempt to keep this blog up to date. I can't blame you if you're skeptical that this attempt will fare any better than the last. Honestly, I feel the same way. So, we're not going to put any pressure on me. Deal?

So where am I going this time? Well, I've decided to go further back than the beginnings of the universe, life, and such. Instead, I have been contemplating the beginning of knowledge itself. Not where knowledge began, but the foundation of my knowledge which results in my faith. So, I'm going to try and develop, with a mathematically rigorous process, the basis of knowledge and all it's derivatives.

First of all, I am only hopeful that I can pursue this study because Proverbs 1:7 tells us "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." No true knowledge can be acquired apart from the LORD. Whether you acknowledge God or not, all things still originate and have their being in Him. For those who do not accept God, they can still only know truth by admitting the eternal character of God in the works of His hand. Namely, the universe obeys constant, unchanging laws and truth can only be known, because it is true and unchanging.

I began this quest by starting with the fact I believe these statements to be true, because I believe the Bible is true. (You could say that the basis for belief in Christ as the creator is based in my belief in the veracity of the Bible.) Next, I believe the Bible is true, because I believe that the account of Christ recorded in the Bible, which I believe because the weight of the evidence for Christ's life, miracles, death and resurrection proves this beyond reasonable doubt. So you see how each belief (each truth) is only true, so long as it is based on another truth. If any of the truths prove false, then all of the dependent truths become suspect. So, as I worked backwards, I began to realize, that there are some fundamental issues of from which I might develop a rational philosophy of knowledge and truth.

Please understand that I undertake this effort, firm in my conviction that faith in the God of the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ will be justified by the rational arguments I plan on using. To each man I say understand the foundation of your faith as far as you are able. If you can only believe because you have been told by someone whom you trust, then rest on that knowledge. If you are able to understand all philosophy and spent years working in that field, then evaluate your knowledge in light of the real and convincing proofs that exist. If you are in between, then pursue your understanding as far as you are able, and then stretch a little further. You will not be excused if you have decided to oppose the LORD in your beliefs, even if you consider your efforts at understanding sincere.

To all, regardless of your worldview, I ask your patience and assistance where my efforts fall short of the goal. Only in so much that this effort be to the glory of God, do I undertake it. So to those who are Christians, believing on Christ for their salvation, I ask you to hold me accountable. To warn me against sin and error and to correct me if I fall. Though God is perfect I am not. God's ways are beyond our understanding and his thoughts are above our thoughts. Therefore, this is not an attempt to prove God, to defend Him or justify his ways. This is only an attempt to show, by rational argument, why trusting God and placing your faith in Jesus Christ is not only reasonable, but the only way to obtain salvation from your sins and inherit eternal life.

NEXT: The core of faith in Jesus Christ.

Value #4: Don't be afraid of the Data

Like tools, inventions and firearms, data are not inherently evil or good. Data simply are. Some data are correct, some data are incorrect, but unless the data were produced illegitimately, we should not be afraid of the data.

How we use the data, the conclusion we draw, the actions we take based on our conclusions, the philosophies we build on those conclusions, those may be judged good or evil, but the underlying data can only be judged correct or incorrect, accurate or inaccurate, perhaps even mostly accurate, but not quite. But under no circumstances are the data themselves subject to moral judgements.

We don't have to like the data, we don't have to agree with the data, but we cannot alter it, dismiss it or ignore it without reason. If it is in error, then we must expose the error; if it is incomplete, we must complete it; if it is anomalous, we must explain the anomaly, not ignore it. To ignore the data only exposes our own ignorance and irrationality. I much prefer the man who admits "I believe contrary to the evidence presented, but I do consider the evidence. Would you like to present it differently?", for this man will listen. More importantly, this man has things to teach me, because there is reason to his belief, not just blind adherence to a doctrine he little understands.

Not everything you know agrees with what you believe. Science is not nearly as neat and clear-cut as we would like to believe. There is much disagreement over what the data mean. Don't fear the conflict. Relish it. Enter the fray and dig deeper into the data that contradict your beliefs.