Review: Longing to Know

Back in 2003, Brazos (an imprint of Baker Book House) released Esther Meek’s Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People. I read it a while back, took some summary notes, and then apparently forgot about them. Just recently I ran across them and thought they might be helpful to those who are curious about what’s called epistemology (the philosophy of knowledge), but turned off by dry academic tomes.

1) Preliminary Concerns:

A) According to Meek, the history of western philosophy can be described as the path from skepticism to certainty back to skepticism. As a result those who seek knowledge that does not change (and indeed cannot change) have purposed several criteria for what qualifies as ”certainty” in the field of epistemology.

One important qualification for certainty is that the object of our knowledge must be impervious to doubt beyond question (or indubitable). But there’s a crucial problem with this model of certainty, namely that it does not fulfill it’s own requirements. This proposition for certainty (”Genuine objects of knowledge must be impervious to doubt and beyond question”) is itself subject to doubt, yet, in light of this we still claim knowledge of many things as is abundantly demonstrated by our everyday experience as “knowing” agents. Thus, this foundational pillar of epistemology must be reexamined, and quite possibly redefined.

B) Another problem that nags epistemological endeavors is that if we are to formulate a true-to-life epistemology we are faced with examining an action that we perform almost every moment of our life. While tacitly we perform these actions, putting them into carefully formulated propositions is quite tricky. We’re are so “close” that stepping back and reflecting on our “epistemic activity” is often like trying to look, without the help of a mirror, at the nose on our face.

2) What is Knowing?

A) One thing that Meek stresses in the book is the body-soul unity of human beings. She doesn’t use this language in the book, yet repeatedly Meek calls us away from the modernist model of epistemology that sees the knowing enterprise as something hampered by human subjectivity in search of a sterile ”objective” mode of knowing.

B) In order to appreciate the richness of the human knowing process we must see that every instance of knowing involves 3 perspectives. Meek calls these perspectives ”the rules, the self, and the world.” John Frame refers to them in his Doctrine of the Knowledge God as the ”normative, situational, and existential perspectives.” Each of these serve as a way of viewing the whole of the knowing endeavor.

C) Meek defines knowledge in this way: ‘‘Knowing is the responsible human struggle to rely on clues to focus on a coherent pattern and submit to its reality.” The major sections of her book are organized according to this definition, unpacking it phrase by phrase.

Knowing is the process of integration, by which we focus on a pattern by and through the means of various clues, called subsidiaries, in the world, our body-sense, and in our standards for thinking.

Much of the pattern-making process is inarticulatable, and this more-than-words aspect of epistemic acts cannot be ignored, for it is crucial in our common, everyday process of knowing.

Through the integration process the clues now take on greater significance. No longer are they viewed as seemingly disconnected occurrences, but rather meaningful portions that make up a greater reality (ex: a magic eye puzzle). Yet, in a very real sense the pattern or integration, once achieved, retroactively throws light on the subsidiaries that made it up. The particulars retain their meaningfulness, but one that is enhanced; transformed.

These patterns now shape us, because, ideally, they connect us with a reality independent of ourselves. We come to see the fullness of the pattern when it’s truth is lived in, habited, thus extending ourselves out into the world by means of it.

3) What About Doubt?

A) Doubt can occur by one of two ways. Doubt creeps in when we either:

1) Stop using the clues as clues, which can lead us to believe that the clues are all they are (rather than as pieces of a puzzle), or…

2) We see only the focus and lose sight of how this conclusion or intergration was achieved by the use of subsidiaries, or clues. This can lead one to believe that simply a dogmatic answer is asserted without proper substantiation, thus the answer (i.e. the focus, the conclusion to a series of complex epistemic acts) seems pat.

B) Two things can be done to address doubt, but before we look at what these are we must realize that a huge contributing factor to doubt is the ”modern model” of epistemology which is aimed at infallible certainty. Certainty as purposed in the modern model was an impersonal, flat property sought of propositions that functioned in an all-or-nothing manner.

So, Meek contributes to developing a sound Christian apologetic for handling the existential crisis that haunts many when they realize that they have doubts. She even applies this to the story of John the Baptist when he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the one they were looking for (the Messiah) in Luke 7. She has some very rich pastoral applications.

Conclusion. I would recommend this book to any person interested in delving deeper into the area of epistemology. John Frame, in his review of the book says, “All in all, this is the best book on epistemology (let alone Christian epistemology) to come along in many, many years.  It is a must for any serious student of the discipline and, indeed, for ordinary people who are trying to get clear on how to know God.”

Human Knowledge: Some Reflections

Many Christian thinkers have rightly noted that 2 major pillars are alway to be kept in mind when thinking about human knowledge. Usually, the way these 2 pillars are named is by using the familiar alliteration, finite and fallen. I myself use this way of talking, but I’ve recently thought of my own alliteration which I think gets at the same point, and I’ve added a third point (I’m a student of John Frame, I usually think in 3′s). 

Here’s my triad on human knowledge: Human knowledge is 1) created, 2) corrupt, and 3) constructed.

Human knowledge is created. Our knowledge isn’t the knowledge of the world that God has. He knows things as the Lord of creation, it’s master and Creator. We know things as creatures of God. God’s knowledge is full, complete, and universal. Our knowledge is partial, incomplete, fallible. Our knowledge can be wrong, God’s knowledge cannot. Even apart from sin (which we’ll look at in a second), we can still, and often do, make “honest” mistakes. We have to grow in understanding, knowledge, and wisdom. Bit-by-bit we accumulate facts and learn more. God doesn’t have to do this as Creator. His knowledge dictates what is fact.

Human knowledge is corrupt. Since the Fall (Gen. 3), human knowledge is often employed to subject others in an exercise power. One of the clearest examples of this is how Nazi scientist engaged in terrible experiments, seeking to find out how quickly human bones heal. Some of these scientists, it is said, actually broke the bones of children…then broke them again once they healed! Evil indeed. Closer to home, we use our knowledge to get out from under God’s authority, making excuses for our lack of obedience, our manipulation of others, and our lies to ourselves (Cf. Rom. 1:18-32).

Human knowledge is constructed. Many postmodern theorists have noted that human knowledge is a social construct. That is to say, so much of what we call “knowledge” is really just the process of living at a certain time, in a certain place, in a certain culture, etc., etc. The problem with so many postmodern explanations of the constructed nature of knowledge is that often knowledge is “explained away,’ stripping us of moral and social responsibility, whether before man or God.

Who we are, the particularities of our lives (our opinions, thoughts, hopes, fears, etc.) are largely shaped by the time, place, and culture in which we live. This is a “postmodern” insight that Christians should welcome. God has ordained it that way, designing us to be exactly the people He wanted us to be for His purposes. I believe the things I do because I was raised by my parents, and not others. I like the movies I do because of a number of influences that are unique to my surroundings (family, friends, etc.). Now, this should never be understood to mean that knowledge is reduced to mere group preferences. But, what it does mean is that our access to many aspects of our knowledge,  that we often take for granted (like the chemical makeup of the water molecule), is mediated via the channels of time, culture, etc. While truth is true regardless of whether we know it or not, being at certain places (at certain time, etc, etc.) helps put us (or, as postmoderns would say it, “situates us”) in the best position to learn such truths (again, like the water molecule). 

This is the importance of being steeped in the Scriptures, and rooted in a living and thriving community of faith (i.e. a good church). How we interpret the world, how we filter competing truth claims, knowledge claims, etc., is impacted by our interpretative community. God has designed the church as the safe haven for Christian growth in wisdom, knowledge, and character. God has purposed the church (and the robust fellowship that it implies) to edify us. 

And lest we forget, the word edify means the same as to “build up,” or construct.

For more on this last point, see:

A Natural Knowledge of God

Once, in an online discussion with a non-Christian, the objection was raised to my belief in creation. I was simply stating that, as a Christian, I believe what Scripture teaches. So, what was the problem? Was it because I’ve epistemologically come to know this from the testimony of Scripture (and the teaching of my parents growing up)? Had I not the ability to read or write I’d rely on the testimony of others, a means of learning that God has ordained for the passing on the truth of His word.

We should recall the fact that sociological reasons for our coming to know certain things do not undermine their metaphysical truth. (We’ve pretty much all come to know that the earth was round by the word of teachers, scientists, 2 dimensional photos, etc., but simply because this is how we came to know this doesn’t mean that we should doubt whether or not the earth really is round…or a sphere if you will) Now if my objector was implying that if I didn’t have written Scripture I would instead be religious in a pagan sense (i.e. a nature worshipper), he may have been right in one sense. In Romans chapter 1, verses 21-23 the apostle Paul says:

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

So, you see that I might have been a nature worshipper of some sort, but according to Paul, I’d be one who has committed the morally responsible exchange of the worship of God for the worship of those things that God has made (i.e. idolatry).

A careful reading of this passage makes it pretty clear that the reason God’s “wrath is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness” is because people rebel against God with clear knowledge of His will and requirements. Therefore-and I realize that this is not a popular teaching- there is no such things as the poor tribal leader who, because he has never heard the gospel of Jesus, is in proper standing before God. But once again in order to show that I’m not simply making this up and that what I’m saying it actually consistent with the teachings of Paul, I’ll quote Romans 1: 19-20,

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Note that Paul does not say that pagans merely know about God (those that surely is true), but that they actually know God himself, speaking of some sort of personal relationship.

So, if I were someone living in a community who had never been presented with the gospel of Jesus Christ, yes, I might have been a pagan, but I’d be doing it in an act of rebellion to my creator who had better plans for me.

Thankfully, God has shown mercy…