The problem with knowledge...read on please?

The illusion is the notion that we can KNOW something when in reality everything is a guess.

But it's absurd to believe all guesses are created equal.

What we call knowledge is the collection of our best guesses. Call that illusory if you want, but if it enables me to make a gun, which enables me to take your food....

....you can spout epistemological theories all day. At the end of the day, I have dinner & you don't.

The earth under your feet is not an illusion. Neither is the fact that the sun rises and sets every day. If you are hungry, your imagination will not stave off starvation. If I smack you in the jaw, the pain you feel will definitely be real. You require knowledge as much as the air you breathe. Without it you would be unable to function. You are completely dependent on knowledge and the accuracy of your knowledge, yet you ask these ridiculous questions. Why?

You need to bear in mind the world is forever changing, new discoveries etc... you can never put 100% faith in what you know because it might change. Just keep an open mind i think.

Here is a great quote;

"The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the oceans was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge."

The level of any knowledge acquired is subject to the relevant need. If it meets the need it is complete, if it doesn't then you have to continue your explorations till it fulfills the demand - now you tell me which of your needs are illusory?

If knowledge is illusory, I spent about sixteen years too long in school! I want my life back! *shakes fist*

Anyway--a scientist always admits that they know very little in the grand scheme of the universe, but we are always striving to learn more. The advancement of understanding of our world has exploded in the last century. I'm truly envious of my future children; the world they'll see, the wonders they'll experience..

There is always more to learn after you think you found all the answers, so therefore they feel it to be an illusion.

Yes, it seems illusory because it is incomplete. We are surrounded by indestructible mystery.

I need, therefor I know. If I were dead, I may argue something completely different. For now, 'incomplete' is my wisdom.

Wisdom you dont get ..that way.. its more valuable..