"We achieve confidence in our own wisdom only through deception, not knowing that we do not know. But without this confidence, we cannot act, cannot govern wisely."
Question: Does this quote form Gorgias claim that true knowledge is unattainable, and we are merely tricking ourselves into believing that we know things? Is our confidence in knowledge overdetermined, or necessary for survival?
This might be more a play in semantics but I believe that knowledge and wisdom are completely separate from each other. The view expressed in the quote is also a pretty cynical one because it implies that humans cannot be wise or have the necessary attributes to govern and act. I do not believe that this is the case across all of humankind. However, I do believe that there are those who operate under the false confidence which results from a gross negligence of any kind of self-awareness. Confidence can come from this place of ignorance or from a place of certainty. The key for a person to maintain a confidence is to communicate and interact with others so that the inevitable onset of doubt that happens in a state of isolation is avoided.
ReplyDeleteMy answer to this question depends on how one defines "true knowledge" - if true knowledge means "I know which berry bush is poison and which one is good to eat" then yes, it's 100% necessary for survival. If it means "I know god doesn't exist" then no, it's not necessary. I suppose it also comes down to how one defines "survival" - as "being able to keep yourself alive" or as "living a happy, fulfilled life." But I'm also not sure that saying we have to have false confidence is cynical - it's also kind of freeing. Like, I know that I don't know so there's no pressure!
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