Methods of Epistemology
Mon, 01/28/2008 - 17:02 — admin
TEACHER: Generally, when we learn, or when we seek information about something, it is in one of four ways: (1) by direct sense experience; (2) by deductive reasoning; (3) by inductive reasoning; and (4) by hearing from authorities.
By touching water, a person learns that the water he is touching is wet. This is an example of learning through direct sense perception. Another example is that of a child who burns his finger by sticking it in the flame of a candle, thus directly experiencing that the candle flame is hot.
The next way in which we learn is through deductive reasoning. When a person has access to a certain body of facts, and on the basis of these facts can deduce or conclude something else to be true, this is called knowledge achieved through deductive reasoning. For example, if I know that (1) only single men live on Smith Street, and (2) that George lives on Smith Street, then by the process of deduction I can logically conclude that George is a single man. Even though I have never met George, by deductive reasoning I can understand that he is single.
Inductive reasoning is a similar process, but it works in the reverse order. By deductive reasoning, one arrives at a particular conclusion or particular fact by considering other facts or general observations. By inductive reasoning, however, one reasons from the particular to the general. For example, if I have experienced on numerous occasions that fire is hot, whether in the form of a candle, a blow torch, a bonfire, the burner on my stove, etc., and I see fire under a circumstance I've never seen it before-say, for instance, the flame of a cigarette lighter-then I can deduce that the fire in the cigarette lighter is also hot. On the other hand, if I have experienced that fire in a candle flame is hot and fire in a Bunsen burner is also hot, and I go on to conclude that all fire is hot, that is an example of inductive reasoning.
The fourth method of acquiring knowledge is to receive information from authorities. One can take advantage of the information others have learned through their direct experiences and also that which they have arrived at through deductive or inductive reasoning. Without the necessity of having to directly experience something, and without having to ponder over puzzling details, any person can learn about something simply by receiving information from those who already know about it. This saves immense time and energy, and allows one to profit not only by receiving knowledge from those who live today, but also makes it possible for one to have access to information accrued by great minds of the past. It is due to this method that science and technology are advancing by such enormous leaps and bounds.
How we learn or receive information can be further broken down into two categories, the descending method and the ascending method.
MICHAEL: What's the difference?
LEARNING FROM HISTORYMethods of Epistemology
In this world, people are always fighting over property. They want to stake their claims of ownership on both the living and the nonliving. According to the Sri Ishopanishad, these people are like thieves fighting over stolen loot. If we look at the question from the relatively short-term view, we may find it hard to accept that no one is really an owner of anything. But if we adopt the point of view of the Sri Ishopanishad — which sees the universe not in terms of decades, centuries, or even thousands of years, but in terms of many millions of years — then we can understand this point.
Science of Identity Foundation – Siddhaswarupananda
TEACHER: Generally, when we learn, or when we seek information about something, it is in one of four ways: (1) by direct sense experience; (2) by deductive reasoning; (3) by inductive reasoning; and (4) by hearing from authorities.
By touching water, a person learns that the water he is touching is wet. This is an example of learning through direct sense perception. Another example is that of a child who burns his finger by sticking it in the flame of a candle, thus directly experiencing that the candle flame is hot.
The next way in which we learn is through deductive reasoning. When a person has access to a certain body of facts, and on the basis of these facts can deduce or conclude something else to be true, this is called knowledge achieved through deductive reasoning. For example, if I know that (1) only single men live on Smith Street, and (2) that George lives on Smith Street, then by the process of deduction I can logically conclude that George is a single man. Even though I have never met George, by deductive reasoning I can understand that he is single.
Inductive reasoning is a similar process, but it works in the reverse order. By deductive reasoning, one arrives at a particular conclusion or particular fact by considering other facts or general observations. By inductive reasoning, however, one reasons from the particular to the general. For example, if I have experienced on numerous occasions that fire is hot, whether in the form of a candle, a blow torch, a bonfire, the burner on my stove, etc., and I see fire under a circumstance I've never seen it before-say, for instance, the flame of a cigarette lighter-then I can deduce that the fire in the cigarette lighter is also hot. On the other hand, if I have experienced that fire in a candle flame is hot and fire in a Bunsen burner is also hot, and I go on to conclude that all fire is hot, that is an example of inductive reasoning.
The fourth method of acquiring knowledge is to receive information from authorities. One can take advantage of the information others have learned through their direct experiences and also that which they have arrived at through deductive or inductive reasoning. Without the necessity of having to directly experience something, and without having to ponder over puzzling details, any person can learn about something simply by receiving information from those who already know about it. This saves immense time and energy, and allows one to profit not only by receiving knowledge from those who live today, but also makes it possible for one to have access to information accrued by great minds of the past. It is due to this method that science and technology are advancing by such enormous leaps and bounds.
How we learn or receive information can be further broken down into two categories, the descending method and the ascending method.
MICHAEL: What's the difference?