Naman Jain 12 D

Dubai International Academy

Theory of Knowledge
Essay #1

Ways of Knowing

Naman Jain 12 D
Dubai International Academy
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing.
Complete rationality is only a theoretical possibility; that is a stipulation
humankind will have to come to terms with sooner or later. Still, human behavior,
for example with reference to economics or government, is studied with the
assumption of a rational man. Some argue, that this would be a smarter, simpler
and more efficient being. Some argue that he would be less creative and much
less able to co-exist with one and another. Who is to say that either is wrong?
Logical reasoning is a function through which we can deduce, induce and derive
new information from pre-existing information or data. The epitome of
intelligence, a completely rational agent is said to maximize expected utility from
his reasoned knowledge. Reasoned knowledge refers to only facts that we can
establish and derive through scientific experimentation and methods. This
technical approach to decision making aims to ensure a certain expected
outcome. There is a lack of distorted information since pure reason is free of the
forces of hearsay, connotative meaning, illusory imaging and emotional intuition.
Reason is the only way of knowing through which such volumes of knowledge can
be derived through a universal scientific method. It is pretty convenient that we
can use the same way of knowing to solve physics problems in class and to win a
game of rock, paper, scissors. As a cognitive process, rational decision making
ensures that maximum and most efficient work is done towards achieving the presupposed goal. Reason is seen as the only most definite way of knowing, where
the shades of grey separate into black and white, right and wrong. If we left
shades of grey behind the laws of physics, for example, we would effectively leave
ourselves incapable of using any of them to operate and construct any of the
appliances and technologies that we use today; from the wheel to the laptop on
which I type this essay.
The objectives of using a rational decision making model, in other words relying
on reason as a way of knowing, are to weigh up all the alternatives, possible
consequences and requirements of each decision. Rational agents can intelligibly
pick the most suitable option from a range of possibilities through careful
evaluation of the scenario itself. A presumed stipulation for the use of reason is
complete knowledge of the scenario. Anyone who has tried to solve an algebraic
equation with two unknowns would understand the importance of always looking
for more information. Therefore, those employing reason will always be inclined to
search for information in all directions. And, as is always pointed out, maximum
information accounts for a more open-minded outlook. An open-minded outlook
would ensure the preparation for all possible outcomes. It is the use of reason
within modern meteorology and epidemiology that has enabled the level of
security of whole populations in the rationalized societies of the West through
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Naman Jain 12 D
Dubai International Academy
greater information and preparedness arising from a rational focus on making
decisions.
One of the greatest developments in rational decision making models is that of
game theory. The advent of game theory itself represents the strength of reason
as a way of knowing. The fact that one can use basic background data on a
situation to determine the utility of different strategies within the scenario for
multiple players purely through manipulation of information and logical derivation
in scenarios ranging from evolutionary biology to a game of poker reflects the
utility in universality of this way of knowing.
Rationality is an impossibility, as mentioned before primarily as a result of three
inherent properties of our world and these form its greatest weaknesses. Firstly,
the definition of pure reason as stated above renders its use impossible since
distortive influences will always be ever-present due to the existence of the
hypothalamus as a natural emotional trigger. The fact that human behavior will
involve elements of irrational due to the primal core effectively deems any
rational study of our beings to be redundant. Unfortunately, some of the greatest
strengths of reason can turn into its greatest limitations. The fact that rational
decision making assumes complete knowledge and unlimited cognitive abilities
renders it impossible to standardize reason as a way of knowing. Yet, as per
definition the infinite amount of information that complete knowledge can never
be attained and since humans are in no way homogenous products, it would be
disastrous to promote reason as the universal way of knowing.
Our inability to understand human behavior can largely be accredited to this overreliance on reason as a way of knowing. Not one of the best economists in the
world, those with access to a myriad of consumer and producer data of decades of
existence, could to the best of their abilities predict the most recent financial
crisis. This was reflected in their inability to determine how consumers would
react to the advertising of sub prime housing loans for one, which is now seen as
the generator of the eye of this financial storm.
I can advocate reason as a mathematically inclined student. But, if Vincent Van
Gogh would have been asked to rationalize and optimize his decisions one of two
things would have happened: his art would not have been celebrated due to the
limitations of reason during the creative process or his decisions would have been
the product of a fallacy of reason due to the employment of rationalized logic as a
result of incorrect, inadequate information being provided to a naturally impulsive
being. The
For example, in political and military scenarios, one can not imagine impulsive
and faith motivated reactions would be ignored when preparing strategies. Some
of our greatest victories happen when we get passionate about our cause. Passion
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Naman Jain 12 D
Dubai International Academy
transcends reason. There is no logic behind having faith in your team winning
when you are down by 2 goals with a minute to go in a football match. But, people
have won from these situations, I have won from such a situation and illogical as it
may seem, I felt good about it. Any revolutionary to have brought change has
kept faith and fought against the probable odds and against reason to reach a
step closer to achieving their goal. This could be attributed to both Mahatma
Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King.
The rational perspective to life condenses our thought process to the time from
when the individual is born the time of death. The objective of rationality is value,
thereby generating a scenario where each individual works towards creating value
for oneself. If I have artificially high intelligence and am unaffected by any
distortive influence, there is nothing stopping me from breaching the rules of
society through alienation in my attempts to achieve my goal. Now, if everyone
did this there would be no society! We would all be on our own, and without
collaboration we would become extinct over generations.
Loyalty is irrational, but does that mean it is inherently bad? In the recent past
society has been going through a process of rationalization wherein the ideologies
of nationalism and patriotism now play a relatively smaller role in our daily lives
(in most parts of the world) today. It is said that nationalism was a fallacy of
reason whereby excuses are made; our group is better than the other group or
Our own soldiers take care of the poor families; the enemy rapes them'. Yet,
looking at the utility of our current model of society, it could also be argued that
although international wars that sprung from the influences of language and
emotion (in particular) civilians were not involved in conflicts the way they are
today. The year 2011 itself has seen protest and anarchist movements in more 15
countries around the world including the United States and the United Kingdom.
As reason triumphs over human connection within a society, the society itself
becomes dysfunctional. Without the irrational sense of belonging, we have
societies where self interest and animalistic competition is more rife than ever. If
we reason too much we will never be able to trust. Trust is the glue of humanity.
Only time will tell whether the rationalized model of society works better than
previous models. And maybe evaluating the use of the different ways of knowing
in society at a later period in time will give a better or at least more definite
judgment on reason. All that we know for now is that while the scientific method is
the best way to predict outcomes, the best way to attain holistic knowledge is to
consider its limitations and thus work towards finding a way around them through
the employment of the other ways of knowing.