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“All knowledge is based on the assumption that the product of our senses is real.”
- Xenocrates
What is knowledge? How do we define what it is that we’ve come to know? How do we express what we think we believe? What makes it valid? On what grounds do we make the separation between what is faith and what is proof? The theory of knowledge underscores all of these questions. However, the unfortunate reality is that knowledge as most people understand it, is nothing more than a cultural approximation of information determined by individual perceptions. Most of what you know has very little useful purpose outside of the environment where you learned it. It is a tragic waste of brain cells, and in worst case scenarios, a potential waste of human life where that information is interpreted differently. Humanity’s hunger for knowledge both creates and decimates human existence - although I’m led to believe it’s more of the latter than the former. The following epiphanies examine the flimsy basis on which we define knowledge. As far as I know, these are all my own original thoughts:
“People are nothing more than sophisticated animals living their lives as though they they were anything more than just that.”
- Xenocrates
People are fascinating creatures. Aside from their biological curiosities, there’s really not much more to them. People are nothing more than slightly sophisticated animals. It shows in the way we relate to each other and how we live our lives. Every single human behaviour can be rationalised from a very basic animalistic perspective. Most of our key behavioural traits can be expressed in highly simplistic terms that hold true for the majority of us. What makes us interesting is that much of our very existence parades on the assumption that we’re not. That’s why many of these epiphanies have proven to be such eye openers for many. People who’ve really studied human behaviour however, will not be the least bit surprised. This is the first volume in a synoptical arrangement of epiphanies I’ve had on various aspects of life. This entry tackles people’s existential quirks on a whole new level. All of this I’ve learned in the short space of time that I have lived on this rock. As far as I know, these are all my own original thoughts:
“Anything is justifiable in the name of religion.”
- Xenocrates
Over the last couple of months, my blog entries have focused on the lies most ubiquitously propagated by religion. I’ve sought to explain this phenomenon through analyzing the responses I’ve gotten from many folks - particularly those who’ve responded to me in person. From talking to these people, I’ve established a most discernable pattern: The average person is a linear thinker. They tend to accept most ideas at face value and interpret most problems using the most conspicuous parameters defined by that problem. They assume that the underlying premise is true so long as it appears to make sense - whether or not it actually does. This is why people believe so many of the highly illogical and perhaps even nonsensical things they do - especially as it relates to religion. In this entry, I will discuss some of the core ideas we’ve come to know in religion and how we can use critical thinking to expose the illogical nature of these teachings. You will see that deception is more of a science than an art and you will understand why it is used to snare the minds of the simple minded.
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