UnMooring

[00:00:00]Also, I'm a little off my game. [00:00:01]This a little bit off my game [00:00:02]this morning [00:00:03]because, had a new addition this morning. [00:00:05]my cow “Buttercup” had a calf this morning,

[00:00:09]and, unless I'm mistaken, it's a girl. [00:00:12]It's a heifer. [00:00:13]So this is very happy news. [00:00:15]This means that we get to pick a name. [00:00:17]If it was a boy,

[00:00:18]we already knew the name. [00:00:19]His name would be T-Bone. [00:00:20]But now we get to pick a name and, like, [00:00:22]get to know her and raise her [00:00:24]and all that kind of stuff

[00:00:25]rather than just, you know, [00:00:27]try not to get too close, [00:00:28]you know what I mean? [00:00:29]also means that starting, [00:00:31]probably Friday,

[00:00:32]maybe tomorrow, [00:00:34]I'll be getting up [00:00:35]even earlier in the morning [00:00:36]to milk the cow every morning. [00:00:38]So, yeah,

[00:00:39]you know, [00:00:39]seven classes, two kids, and milking [00:00:42]a cow, making cheese [00:00:44]and yogurt and butter [00:00:45]and all those kind of fun things.

[00:00:47]all right. [00:00:47]Today we are starting [00:00:49]chapter two, [00:00:50]a chapter [00:00:50]that I used to call epistemology.

[00:00:52]But now I'm shifting to call “UnMooring” [00:00:55]anybody do any boating, [00:00:57]anybody know any boating? [00:00:58]Do you know this term? “Moor” “Mooring”? [00:01:00]I'm going to very frequently

[00:01:02]Is this sort of metaphor [00:01:04]sometimes more than a metaphor [00:01:06]of an anchor, like, like on a boat. [00:01:09]But there's a difference [00:01:09]between an anchor

[00:01:10]and a moor [00:01:11]an anchor or something that you lift up. [00:01:13]And usually [00:01:13]you carry it in the boat, you know, [00:01:15]and then you

[00:01:16]you can drop anchor here, [00:01:18]you can drop anchor there. [00:01:19]You can lift the anchor [00:01:20]and go somewhere else for the day [00:01:22]and then drop anchor

[00:01:23]for the night, that kind of thing. [00:01:24]Right? [00:01:24]temporary, but it holds you in place [00:01:26]while you're sleeping [00:01:27]or doing whatever you're doing. Right.

[00:01:29]Mooring is much more permanent. [00:01:31]It's much more long term, right? [00:01:33]Mooring is something you do [00:01:34]like when you go into port. [00:01:36]Are you going to dock

[00:01:37]or are you going to harbor [00:01:38]or something like that? [00:01:38]Then you you moor [00:01:40]the boat's to [00:01:41]something that's pretty

[00:01:42]pretty much there, right? [00:01:44]And then it's like fastened [00:01:45]to the like [00:01:46]bolted into the rocks [00:01:48]at the bottom of the ocean.

[00:01:49]If you have moors [00:01:50]you know, like out at sea or, [00:01:52]you know, actually physically [00:01:53]attached to the harbor [00:01:55]or the dock or whatever.

[00:01:56]So unmooring. [00:01:57]Right. [00:01:58]It's this whole philosophical quest [00:02:00]talked about that term the other day. [00:02:02]Right.

[00:02:02]Quests and questing and questioning [00:02:04]and they’re going to keep coming [00:02:05]Okay. [00:02:05]Let me just clarify [00:02:06]what the other me was trying to say.

[00:02:09]As I explained in chapter one, [00:02:10]this is a philosophical quest. [00:02:12]Now, in order to go on a quest, [00:02:13]you have to “let go” of what's familiar. [00:02:15]You have to call into question

[00:02:16]what you know [00:02:17]in the same way [00:02:18]that a boat [00:02:18]has to “let go” of its moor [00:02:20]in order to go on its journey.

[00:02:22]The moor and the anchor are metaphors [00:02:24]or even symbols, [00:02:25]up, again and again, in future chapters. [00:02:25], [00:02:28]This chapter is about epistemology,

[00:02:30]which is about questioning [00:02:32]what we think we know, what [00:02:33]we think we're certain about. [00:02:35]There are many things that we believe [00:02:37]strongly, and epistemology is the tool

[00:02:39]that helps us to ask ourselves: “Wait, [00:02:41]this thing that I believe. [00:02:42]Is it really true?” [00:02:44]If it's true, [00:02:45]then it'll stand up to questioning

[00:02:46]and we can proceed [00:02:47]being even more certain [00:02:48]and more confident about it. [00:02:50]But if it's not true, then don't [00:02:52]we want to know that as soon as possible

[00:02:54]before we make a big decision based on [00:02:56]bad information? [00:02:58]So we're [00:02:59]just starting this philosophical quest. [00:03:01]So we're kind of unmooring

[00:03:03]finding out, what holds us where we are. [00:03:05]So what anchors our understanding [00:03:07]this word epistemology. [00:03:09]epistemology is [00:03:10]is what I wrote my dissertation on.

[00:03:13]“epistemology” is a fancy word, [00:03:14]and we'll talk about [00:03:15]what it means in a second. [00:03:16]But every topic and philosophy, [00:03:19]There's always sort of a question

[00:03:20]that drives a question behind the topic, [00:03:23]now the topic is epistemology [00:03:25]the question [00:03:25]that's behind epistemology is this [00:03:27]How do we know what we know?

[00:03:29]How do we know what we know? [00:03:30]So questioning our understanding [00:03:33]of what we know or what we think we know. [00:03:35]Why would that be useful? [00:03:37]Why would that be helpful to know what we know?

[00:03:39]in 2022? [00:03:44]in daily life [00:03:47]Have you ever been told something [00:03:49]and then find out later [00:03:50]that it wasn't true?

[00:03:53]Yeah, once or twice. [00:03:55]Yeah. [00:03:55]Sometimes big important things that you, [00:03:58]you know, [00:03:59]knew and then you find out later

[00:04:01]that they weren't true, [00:04:02]Has anybody ever lied to you [00:04:05]intentionally or accidentally? [00:04:08]Once or twice today, [00:04:09]maybe? Epistemology

[00:04:11]gives us a power [00:04:12]so that we aren't fooled [00:04:14]or so that we're not as easily [00:04:15]fooled, Right? [00:04:16]So that we can tell

[00:04:17]if somebody is gaslighting us, [00:04:19]if somebody is like, [00:04:20]deceiving us or trying to manipulate us [00:04:23]or trying to trick us [00:04:24]or trying to, you know,

[00:04:26]something like that. [00:04:27]So I mean, we get lied to every day, [00:04:30]don't me. [00:04:30]I mean, [00:04:30]we see so many advertisements

[00:04:32]and advertisements are pretty [00:04:33]much all lies, right? [00:04:35]Deceiving us, trying to manipulate [00:04:37]us, getting to cultivate a desire [00:04:38]for whatever product

[00:04:39]they're trying to sell. [00:04:40]if we don't want to be gaslighted or [00:04:43]manipulated or deceive [00:04:45]or fooled or any of those kind of things, [00:04:46]then we

[00:04:47]we have to ask that question like, [00:04:48]how do we know what we know? [00:04:50]sometimes we we, [00:04:51]we get told things that that aren't true. [00:04:54]And then so the question is like,

[00:04:55]how do we know? Well, we know. All right. [00:04:57]So how do we know what we know now? [00:04:58]There's lots of different ways [00:05:00]to ask this question and philosophy. [00:05:02]The way that you ask

[00:05:03]the question has a big impact [00:05:05]on how you answer the question. [00:05:07]I mean, not just in philosophy, [00:05:08]but in anything right here. [00:05:10]You know the old saying that, like

[00:05:12]if all you have is a hammer, [00:05:13]then everything looks like a nail, right? [00:05:14]Like, [00:05:15]if this is the tool you got, [00:05:16]I need a hammer, not a spoon

[00:05:19]I actually this happens to me [00:05:20]all the time. Like, all the time. [00:05:21]I live on a farm. [00:05:23]There's always something to fix. [00:05:24]And like, I need a hammer.

[00:05:25]So I go in and get a hammer [00:05:27]and then, like, walking across the yard [00:05:28]and I see something else [00:05:29]that needs to be fixed. [00:05:30]And I'm like,

[00:05:31]Maybe I did it with a hammer. [00:05:32]And usually it makes it worse. [00:05:34]You're not going to need a hammer. [00:05:36]Need a shovel. [00:05:36]the way you ask

[00:05:37]the question [00:05:38]has a big impact [00:05:39]on how you answer the question [00:05:41]So this thing about some different ways [00:05:43]to ask this question,

[00:05:45]let's use this question. [00:05:46]How do we know what we know? [00:05:50]And let's use [00:05:50]that to like anchor our discussion, [00:05:53]anchor our discourse.

[00:05:54]Let's put that question [00:05:55]at the middle of the circle. [00:05:57]We’ll talk about phenomenology [00:05:59]in the next chapter. [00:06:00]But let's put that

[00:06:00]at the center of the circle. [00:06:01]Let's think about some different ways [00:06:03]that we can ask the question. [00:06:05]Try and come at this question. [00:06:07]Let's try and rephrase the question

[00:06:08]in a number of different ways. [00:06:09]The first one is [00:06:10]like this word epistemology. [00:06:13]Where did this word come from? [00:06:14]This is the way that philosophers,

[00:06:16]at least in the West [00:06:17]you know, it comes from the Greek. [00:06:18]So from the Greek Western tradition, [00:06:21]they've kind of summarized [00:06:22]this question in terms of this word.

[00:06:24]So let's kind of think about what [00:06:25]that word means, [00:06:26]I pulled out my old Greek, [00:06:27]English lexicon, [00:06:29]and looked up the word epistemology

[00:06:33]or “episteme” [00:06:34]the word “episteme” [in Greek], [00:06:36]a little bit of a flex, [00:06:37]but also a point to this epi [00:06:39]meaning “on” and “steme” meaning “standing.”

[00:06:43]all philosophers are searching [00:06:45]for something real. [00:06:47]And of course, there's [00:06:47]always going to be some exceptions, [00:06:49]but for the most part

[00:06:50]this is true [00:06:51]that all philosophers, east, west, [00:06:54]uptown, all over the place, [00:06:55]they're searching for something real, [00:07:01]these other words,

[00:07:02]they they [00:07:03]not only use exactly this word, [00:07:04]but they use other words [00:07:05]that mean the same thing. [00:07:07]The word real in philosophy

[00:07:08]means that [00:07:09]which is unchanging, [00:07:10]That which is permanent, [00:07:11]that which is reliable. [00:07:13]Why do you want something real?

[00:07:14]Because you want something [00:07:15]that you can always count on, right? [00:07:17]Something is always going to be the same [00:07:19]no matter what. [00:07:19]If you find one thing that's always

[00:07:22]reliable is always unchanging. [00:07:23]That's constant. That's permanent. [00:07:25]That's right. Unchanging. [00:07:27]Then you can build your whole system [00:07:28]of philosophy on top of that, right?

[00:07:30]You can anchor all of your knowledge. [00:07:32]Everything that you know [00:07:34]on that real thing makes sense, [00:07:36]Just start with what we know. [00:07:38]Take it from there.

[00:07:38]the idea behind this word epistemology [00:07:41]is what does our knowledge stand on? [00:07:43]And what [00:07:43]what do philosophers want to find [00:07:46]that their knowledge

[00:07:46]can stand on? Something that's unchanging. [00:07:48]So when that's permanent, right, [00:07:50]something that's rock solid, that [00:07:52]never changes. [00:07:52]So this is the question of epistemology.

[00:07:54]Where is our knowledge to stand on? [00:07:56]Right? [00:07:57]So I'm [00:07:57]using the example [00:07:58]that I gave of the Bible

[00:07:59]when I was a kid, right? [00:08:01]So then people say all kinds of stuff. [00:08:03]People change, teachings change. [00:08:06]You know, [00:08:06]we grow and we mature

[00:08:07]and we understand ourselves [00:08:09]and the world around us differently. [00:08:10]But the text doesn't change, right? [00:08:12]The Bible is there, [00:08:13]the Bible doesn't change.

[00:08:14]So then you could say, Well, [00:08:15]the Bible is more reliable [00:08:17]than the people who talk about it, right? [00:08:18]So then the Bible is more permanent, [00:08:20]more unchanging,

[00:08:21]more real [00:08:22]than all the people [00:08:24]who say all sorts of things about it. [00:08:25]Right. [00:08:25]So then that can be

[00:08:26]a more permanent anchor [00:08:28]and then we can say, [00:08:28]all right, well, I want to anchor [00:08:30]my understanding in that. Right? [00:08:32]Or in the text of Plato

[00:08:33]or in the writings of Shakespeare [00:08:35]or in Whatever thing [00:08:36]that's a little bit less temporary. [00:08:38]We did talk about that [00:08:39]the other day,

[00:08:40]about how we make decisions. [00:08:42]Right. [00:08:42]And emotions [00:08:43]and things are on the outside. [00:08:44]Emotions and states of mind

[00:08:46]are on the outside of that circle. [00:08:47]Why are they on the [00:08:48]outside of that circle? [00:08:50]Because they're more temporary [00:08:52]than the things inside. Right?

[00:08:53]So if we want to make [00:08:55]consistent, reliable, good decisions, [00:08:57]which is the goal of philosophy, [00:08:58]Whatever we put at the center, [00:09:00]we want to be not like subject

[00:09:02]to the whim of our emotions, [00:09:03]our states of mind, [00:09:05]or how we're feeling that day [00:09:07]or what the weather is like or whatever. [00:09:09]Right?

[00:09:09]But we want to put it in [00:09:10]something much more permanent. [00:09:12]So we want something [00:09:13]at the center [00:09:14]of our systematic philosophy

[00:09:16]that's much more firm, [00:09:18]You’re starting already [00:09:18]to see why I use the term [00:09:20]use this anchor right in unmooring. [00:09:22]We're talking about those kind of things,

[00:09:23]So philosophers [00:09:24]when they ask this question [00:09:25]about epistemology, [00:09:26]how do we know what we know? [00:09:28]They're searching for

[00:09:29]What does our knowledge stand on? [00:09:31]So that's one way to say it. [00:09:33]What does our knowledge stand on? [00:09:37]And that phrase stand [00:09:39]on, That's

[00:09:39]literally what the word [00:09:40]epistemology means standing on [00:09:43]what does it stand on? [00:09:44]But part of why I give you the Greek [00:09:45]is because there's

[00:09:46]a couple of other words [00:09:48]that, like, [00:09:48]if you look it up in the lexicon, [00:09:50]Greek, English lexicon, [00:09:51]you'll see this other word

[00:09:52]right beside it. [00:09:54]Epi-Stasis [00:09:56]Remember [00:09:56]way back on the first day of class, [00:09:59]the first lecture said

[00:10:00]There's a number of reasons [00:10:01]why we study philosophy, [00:10:03]My answer to that question again [00:10:05]in the last class. [00:10:06]So why do we study philosophy?

[00:10:07]What's what's the [00:10:08]point of studying philosophy? [00:10:09]What's the goal? [00:10:10]Why would [00:10:11]why would any of us

[00:10:11]want to study philosophy? [00:10:12]Yeah, it's [00:10:13]always going to be a great answer, right? [00:10:14]To make better decisions. [00:10:15]So one of the ways we make better

[00:10:17]decisions is by having [00:10:18]firmer understanding. [00:10:19]And if we have a firmer understanding, [00:10:21]then that makes us that. [00:10:23]What was another reason that I gave on

[00:10:24]that first day in class, [00:10:26]philosophy [00:10:26]isn't going to cure our anxiety, [00:10:28]but it can help us [00:10:29]deal with anxiety, right?

[00:10:30]It's not going to help us. [00:10:32]we can't deal with anxiety [00:10:33]over the long term without philosophy. [00:10:35]in fact, [00:10:36]this word “epistasis”

[00:10:37]that's right beside the word epistemic, [00:10:40]which have the same prefix epi and stasis [00:10:44]like “stasis” [00:10:45]“Stasis” [00:10:46]also kind of means like “standing,” Right?

[00:10:49]Etymologically, [00:10:50]they almost mean exactly the same thing. [00:10:53]This we might take to mean around [00:10:56]“Epi” and also mean “around” [00:10:58]But this word “epistasis”

[00:11:00]doesn't mean the study of knowledge [00:11:02]and what we know the study of [00:11:03]this “epistasis” means “anxiety.” [00:11:08]Huh? [00:11:08]Interesting.

[00:11:09]What were those two words? [00:11:11]That etymologically [00:11:12]are almost identical, [00:11:14]have such very different meanings? [00:11:17]This is the kind of things that Socrates

[00:11:18]and other philosophers [00:11:19]think about a lot, [00:11:20]Right? Our language [00:11:21]kind of tells us something [00:11:22]about the human psyche

[00:11:23]and how humans [00:11:24]sort of thought about, things [00:11:26]from the beginning [00:11:27]discovering the human mind [00:11:28]and that kind of stuff.

[00:11:29]if you feel like somebody [00:11:30]is trying to gaslight you, [00:11:32]does that make you feel anxious? [00:11:34]Why? [00:11:36]Yeah.

[00:11:37]Which then makes you question [00:11:39]what's true and what's not true. Right? [00:11:42]And I thought this was true. [00:11:43]And now this person [00:11:43]saying that this is not true or whatever.

[00:11:46]What if that have you ever been [00:11:47]in a situation where you just like, [00:11:48]we're really, really nervous [00:11:50]and uncomfortable [00:11:51]and like you didn't know

[00:11:51]the people around you [00:11:53]and you weren't sure, you know, like, [00:11:55]maybe it's [00:11:56]maybe it's late at night and it's dark [00:11:58]“We shouldn't be out here in the dark.”

[00:12:00]and you're in a club [00:12:01]or something like that and like, [00:12:02]you don't know [00:12:02]any of the people around you [00:12:04]and you don't know, like, I don't know.

[00:12:06]You've been in a situation [00:12:08]where you're uncomfortable? [00:12:09]I still feel very uncomfortable [00:12:11]in closets. [00:12:11]right? And how does that make you feel?

[00:12:14]Anxiety. Right? [00:12:15]So what does that anxiety [00:12:16]what describe that anxiety? [00:12:18]What is it [00:12:19]where does that anxiety coming from?

[00:12:20]I mean, obviously it's [00:12:21]coming from that situation. [00:12:22]But what about that situation [00:12:24]causes anxiety? [00:12:25]Yeah, right.

[00:12:27]You don't know [00:12:27]you don't know what the people around [00:12:29]you are going to do or think you're [00:12:31]What do they think of me? [00:12:32]What do they think of?

[00:12:33]yeah, so many things could happen [00:12:35]and you really have no idea [00:12:36]what any of them are. [00:12:37]Just super unknown, super unpredictable. [00:12:40]And that can give us anxiety.

[00:12:43]before there was language, [00:12:44]there were a lot of lions [00:12:46]and tigers and things that would eat you. [00:12:48]Right. [00:12:48]And so if you're in a

[00:12:49]state of anxiety, it's usually [00:12:51]because you're surrounded [00:12:52]by danger, Right. [00:12:53]And you don't know what's going to happen [00:12:55]or something like that.

[00:12:56]when I was a kid, I was like 11 or 12. [00:12:58]my mom was in the kitchen [00:12:59]and I was like, in the living room [00:13:01]and I was just bored or something, [00:13:03]and I thought I'd play a trick on her.

[00:13:04]she didn't know I was in there. [00:13:05]So when she was coming around the corner, [00:13:07]I had jump out and, like, scare her. [00:13:09]So I had jumped right in front of her [00:13:11]and they're like, Yeah, yeah.

[00:13:12]And, you know, she did [00:13:15]immediately punch me hard and [00:13:17]in that right in the heart. Right? [00:13:19]and I was like, [00:13:19]ooh, you know, like gasping,

[00:13:22]like bending over. [00:13:23]And of course [00:13:24]then she realized the situation. Right. [00:13:26]Well I'm like sitting there [00:13:27]gasping and trying to recover.

[00:13:29]And once she figured out [00:13:30]like what was going on, you know, she did? [00:13:35]punched me again [00:13:36]harder, right, harder the second time. [00:13:38]Like, right.

[00:13:40]So [00:13:41]but that's in a state [00:13:42]of hypervigilance, right? [00:13:43]That fight or flight. [00:13:44]So we know what my mom will do

[00:13:46]in a state of fight or flight. [00:13:47]She's going to fight and she did not run. [00:13:51]That's not my mom. [00:13:52]what's the point? [00:13:53]I can have multiple points,

[00:13:54]but one point is how do we know? [00:13:55]We know if we're more confident [00:13:57]in what we know, [00:13:58]if we're more certain about what we know [00:14:00]therefore more certain about what we know

[00:14:03]and confident in what we know, [00:14:04]then we're less what. [00:14:06]Less anxious, right? [00:14:07]Less anxiety [00:14:08]because we know what to expect, right?

[00:14:10]We know what's what. [00:14:12]Right. there's another word in here. [00:14:14]this is one of the things [00:14:15]that Socrates points out [00:14:16]and a number of other philosophers

[00:14:17]point out. [00:14:18]And so that right there in the word [00:14:19]epistemology or “episteme,” [00:14:21]is this word “pistos” [in Greek] [00:14:22]“Pistos.” “Pistos” means “faith,”

[00:14:25]But if you look at the word [00:14:26]“episteme,” again, [00:14:28]even if you don't know Greek, [00:14:30]you can see a lot of similarity [00:14:32]between the word “ePISTeme” and the

[00:14:34]the word “PISTos.” So, “pistos” [00:14:37]“pistos” is “faith,” [00:14:42]right? [00:14:42]So what gives us faith in what we know? [00:14:44]What does our

[00:14:45]where does our faith come from? Right. [00:14:47]So how do we have faith in what we know? [00:14:49]How can we be sure or certain [00:14:51]about what we know? [00:14:52]And part of that has to do with faith.

[00:14:54]In fact, [00:14:54]the reason that these two words [00:14:56]are closely aligned, as many philosophers [00:14:58]before me have pointed out, [00:15:00]is because in a large part

[00:15:01]our faith in what we know comes from [00:15:05]the people that we place our trust in. [00:15:07]And most of the time [00:15:09]those people [00:15:10]are going to be our parents, right?

[00:15:11]So the we have [00:15:12]we have to have faith in our caregivers, [00:15:14]the people that raise us. [00:15:16]And so that faith [00:15:18]translates

[00:15:19]into a certain kind of certainty [00:15:20]so we can be certain [00:15:22]in what our parents tell us [00:15:23]because we have faith in our parents. [00:15:25]Therefore, how do we know what we know?

[00:15:27]Well, part of that [00:15:27]is because we have faith in our parents [00:15:29]and we trust what they say, Right. [00:15:31]What they what they've learned from us. [00:15:33]But,

[00:15:34]you know, sometimes our parents [00:15:37]don't always have, [00:15:39]you know, so [00:15:40]our parents can make mistakes [00:15:41]just like anyone else.

[00:15:42]So how do we know that we should take [00:15:45]what our parents say on faith? [00:15:47]Or can we investigate? [00:15:49]What does this knowledge stand on? [00:15:51]What's the basis of our knowing?

[00:15:54]How can we know what we know? [00:15:55]another way of saying it, it's like, [00:15:56]what do we put our faith in? [00:15:58]What do we put our trust in? [00:16:00]What do we put our confidence in, Right?

[00:16:01]Faith or trust or confidence, [00:16:06]So how do we know what we know or where [00:16:09]do we put our faith or our trust [00:16:11]in or that sort of thing? [00:16:13]Now, one more Greek words,

[00:16:14]and I promise I'll stop with the Greek. [00:16:16]“hupo-stasis” [00:16:18]hypo. [00:16:19]stasis [00:16:20]“hupo-stasis” “upo-stasis” [in Greek]

[00:16:22]“hupo-statis” [00:16:22]“hypo-stasis” [00:16:24]“hypo” like “under” - “HYPER-tension” [00:16:26]Your blood pressure is “high”, “hypo-tension” [00:16:28]your blood pressure is low.

[00:16:30]you know, like hypo thermal [00:16:32]low temperature. [00:16:33]Hyper thermal is a high temperature. [00:16:35]Kind of the other side of this. [00:16:38]Like “epi-stasis” - “standing around”

[00:16:41]or “standing on top of” versus [00:16:43]“Hupo-stasis” - “standing under,” Right? [00:16:47]“hupo” means “under” and “stasis” [00:16:49]means “standing” [00:16:52]the word understanding

[00:16:53]in English is a direct translation [00:16:55]of that word understanding, [00:16:57]if we're in a situation [00:16:58]where we don't know what to expect, [00:17:00]then I feel anxiety.

[00:17:01]But if I understand the situation, [00:17:03]if I understand everything [00:17:04]around me right, [00:17:05]then I feel more chill, more at ease [00:17:08]and that sort of thing.

[00:17:09]and we'll talk more about that [00:17:11]when we get to divided line [00:17:12]and those sort of things. [00:17:14]Cool questions. [00:17:16]So I know all of this

[00:17:17]seems a little confusing right [00:17:18]now, Right? [00:17:19]What does the Greek have [00:17:20]to do with anything? [00:17:21]Why does it matter that the words

[00:17:22]epistemology and anxiety [00:17:24]and understanding [00:17:26]are connected in this way [00:17:27]in the Greek? Right? [00:17:29]What am I trying to do here?

[00:17:30]Part of what's going on [00:17:31]is that all the pieces in this video [00:17:34]book are connected. [00:17:35]So I'm trying to connect the dots for you [00:17:38]between the things

[00:17:38]that I'm teaching you now [00:17:39]and some of the things [00:17:40]that I'm going to be teaching later. [00:17:41]So I'm trying to connect the dots [00:17:42]between the things I'm teaching

[00:17:44]now and things [00:17:44]I'm going to be teaching later [00:17:45]in this chapter, [00:17:46]but also things I'm going to be [00:17:47]teaching in later chapters

[00:17:49]such as in chapter five, [00:17:50]for example, on Chapter five. [00:17:51]we'll begin [00:17:52]discussing the relationship [00:17:53]between truth and knowledge.

[00:17:55]And a key point [00:17:57]there is that understanding [00:17:59]stands under truth. [00:18:02]Understanding stands under truth, [00:18:04]right

[00:18:04]or another way of [00:18:05]saying that [00:18:06]is that truth is beyond understanding. [00:18:09]So again, [00:18:10]what I'm doing right now

[00:18:10]is trying to teach you the basic tools. [00:18:12]You've got to learn the alphabet [00:18:13]before you can learn to read. [00:18:14]You've got to learn the tools before [00:18:16]you can learn how to use the tools.

[00:18:17]But right now I'm [00:18:18]just kind of giving you the basic tools [00:18:20]and hoping that these will begin [00:18:21]to stick in your memory [00:18:22]so that when we get to those later,

[00:18:24]those later teachings, [00:18:25]you'll be able to say, okay, now [00:18:26]I can recall the relationship between, [00:18:28]epistemology and knowledge, [00:18:30]anxiety and understanding,

[00:18:32]and then be able to understand [00:18:33]those more transcendental ideas [00:18:36]such as truth, [00:18:36]which are always going to be [00:18:38]beyond our understanding.

[00:18:40]That's the point. [00:18:46]That's the point. [00:18:47]Time for a break. [00:18:49]Are you sick and tired of philosophy [00:18:51]professors telling you

[00:18:52]that knowledge [00:18:53]lacks epistemic grounding in reality? [00:18:57]Are you fed up with teenagers [00:18:58]who keep trying to walk on the sky [00:19:00]instead of staying in their damn place?

[00:19:02]If so, epi boots are for you. [00:19:05]Strap in and strap on some leather [00:19:08]that will firmly anchor your ideology [00:19:10]in the same place. [00:19:11]It's always been anchored: In the past.

[00:19:14]Our boots are made [00:19:15]the way boots have always been made [00:19:17]by impoverished Bangladeshi children. [00:19:20]Our boots are guaranteed to leave [00:19:22]two pairs of footprints in the sand.

[00:19:26]Epi-Boots, [00:19:29]boots that [00:19:30]keep you grounded. [00:19:35]So let's [00:19:35]think about another way,

[00:19:37]totally different way [00:19:38]to ask this question. [00:19:39]So one way to ask [00:19:40]this question is [00:19:42]what does our knowledge stand on? Right?

[00:19:44]And what's the basis for our knowledge? [00:19:46]Where do we put our faith or trust in? [00:19:48]But another way to ask this question [00:19:51]is what anchors our knowledge, [00:19:54]A little bit more temporary?

[00:19:56]What anchors [00:19:57]our knowledge show an hour [00:19:59]on comparative relation, [00:20:00]and we're going to ask the same question [00:20:02]How do we know what we know

[00:20:03]but ask it in this other way? [00:20:05]What anchors our knowledge? [00:20:06]Right. [00:20:06]there's this [00:20:07]this kid

[00:20:07]that I want you to know his name. [00:20:09]His name is Nicholas of Cusa. [00:20:13]Nicholas of Cusa [00:20:14]Nicholas, because that's what [00:20:15]his parents named him,

[00:20:16]and Cusa / “of Cusa,”, because [00:20:17]that's where he's from. [00:20:18]Or he's from Cues or Cues, Cues, Germany. [00:20:22]1401 to 1464 he's a really cool guy. [00:20:27]up there

[00:20:28]in my book [00:20:28]is one of the greatest philosophers ever. [00:20:31]that's why [00:20:31]I wrote my dissertation about him [00:20:33]he wrote this book called

[00:20:34]De docta ignorantia [00:20:36]So in Latin now: De docta ignorantia [00:20:40]which in English translates as “On Learned [00:20:45]Ignorance.” [00:20:46]We’ll talk a lot

[00:20:47]this semester about that [00:20:48]where ignorance or ignoring. “On learned [00:20:51]Ignorance.” [00:20:52]What do you think that means? Before [00:20:53]I even tell you what it means?

[00:20:55]What does it mean? [00:20:56]It's a weird phrase, right? [00:20:57]“On learned ignorance.” [00:20:59]What do you think it means? Yeah. [00:21:01]gave it a shot Yeah.

[00:21:02]So discovering things [00:21:03]that we thought were true [00:21:05]that then we realize are not true, Right? [00:21:07]So learning things that we didn't know. [00:21:09]Good.

[00:21:10]What else does it mean? [00:21:11]what is ignorance? [00:21:13]What do we think the word ignorance means? [00:21:16]that's a good I like the way you say [00:21:17]it, right.

[00:21:18]maybe that maybe they're choosing [00:21:19]or maybe they're not choosing, [00:21:20]but they are ignoring, right? [00:21:22]So ignoring something that's not there. [00:21:24]Right?

[00:21:24]So they're focused on this thing, [00:21:27]but they're ignoring something [00:21:28]else, right? So Ignore them. [00:21:31]that's exactly right. [00:21:32]So “On learning our Ignorance”

[00:21:35]then, for Cusa, means [00:21:37]learning, discovering, [00:21:39]realizing these things [00:21:40]that we've been ignoring, [00:21:41]Stop ignoring me. right?

[00:21:44]There's things that are [00:21:44]just right there around us [00:21:46]that we've been ignoring and start [00:21:48]paying attention to them, Right? [00:21:50]So then we can be more confident

[00:21:52]in what we know, right? [00:21:54]So how do we know? [00:21:54]What we know is another way of saying [00:21:56]what are we ignoring? [00:21:58]What have we overlooked?

[00:21:59]Right? What are we leaving out? [00:22:00]What are we what are we ignoring? [00:22:02]So let's pay attention [00:22:03]to what we're ignoring. [00:22:05]The point is,

[00:22:06]Have we overlooked something? [00:22:08]he wrote this book [00:22:09]while he was on a boat. [00:22:11]I'm on about. [00:22:12]It's on a boat.

[00:22:13]And one of the things that he realized, [00:22:15]like he's on this boat [00:22:17]sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, [00:22:20]He had just come back from Constantinople. [00:22:23]became Istanbul.

[00:22:24]There’s that song. Right? [00:22:25]I do know Istanbul is Constantinople. [00:22:28]it was Constantinople at the time [00:22:30]and he was just coming back from there [00:22:32]on this boat

[00:22:33]with, like the, [00:22:34]the leader of the Orthodox Church [00:22:37]from the Eastern [00:22:38]Orthodox Church and coming back to Rome. [00:22:41]and they were on a boat

[00:22:42]and he was looking over at the shore. [00:22:43]Right. [00:22:44]And he could see the shore [00:22:45]in the far distance. [00:22:47]but it looked like the shore was moving.

[00:22:48]And he felt perfectly still [00:22:50]because, you know, he's on a sailboat. [00:22:51]So they're moving with the wind. [00:22:53]So they don't feel any wind, [00:22:55]even though

[00:22:55]they're moving with the wind, because. [00:22:56]That's right. [00:22:57]They're moving at the same speed [00:22:58]as the winds. You don't feel the wind. [00:23:00]The wind is what's moving you.

[00:23:02]But everything [00:23:03]everything seems still right. [00:23:05]Usually when you're moving, [00:23:06]you feel the wind. [00:23:07]But if you're on a sailboat,

[00:23:09]then you don't. Right. [00:23:09]So when the wind is blowing [00:23:10]hard, the boat's going fast, [00:23:12]but you don't feel any wind, [00:23:14]which is kind of weird. Right?

[00:23:15]And then you can see [00:23:16]the world around you, [00:23:17]but it feels like you're standing still [00:23:20]and everything around you. [00:23:21]I mean, depends on

[00:23:22]how big the boat is, right? [00:23:23]It's the small boat. [00:23:24]You know, you're moving, right? [00:23:25]But if it's a big boat [00:23:26]like the one he was on,

[00:23:27]like the boat's real stable [00:23:29]and that kind of stuff. [00:23:30]and the water is still and everything. [00:23:32]And he could see the shore [00:23:33]moving in the distance.

[00:23:34]So it looked like [00:23:35]he felt like he was standing still. [00:23:38]But The shore was moving. [00:23:40]So this is when he was on the boat [00:23:44]noticing these things.

[00:23:45]He wrote about them in the boat, [00:23:46]and that's why [00:23:47]he came up with this important [00:23:49]phrase and important philosophy. [00:23:53]Humans learn through

[00:23:55]comparative relation. [00:23:57]We learn through comparative relation. [00:23:59]what's one thing [00:23:59]you notice about any kid [00:24:00]that's like three, four, five?

[00:24:03]constantly, like asking questions, Right? [00:24:05]Just so many questions. [00:24:06]What is this? [00:24:07]What is this? What is that? What is this? [00:24:08]Why? Why? Why? Right.

[00:24:09]kids around that age are just constantly [00:24:12]asking questions. Right. [00:24:14]And so you encounter something. [00:24:16]Let's think back to [00:24:17]when you're that age

[00:24:18]like two, three, four, [00:24:20]five very, very early years, right? [00:24:22]When you're just learning the world [00:24:24]and just learning yourself. [00:24:25]Right.

[00:24:25]You encounter something and you're like, [00:24:27]what is that? [00:24:29]What s that? [00:24:31]And you ask [00:24:32]you want to know

[00:24:33]what is the thing [00:24:34]that I've never seen before? [00:24:35]I've never seen that thing before. [00:24:37]And you ask, What is it? Who do you ask? [00:24:41]parents, right?

[00:24:41]Yes. [00:24:42]You ask your parents, [00:24:43]you ask the parents around you, right? [00:24:45]What is that? [00:24:47]I mean, what's that?

[00:24:49]This thing. What is this thing? [00:24:51]And then your parents tell you people? [00:24:54]Older than you. Older siblings? Yeah. [00:24:56]Teachers, mentors, [00:24:58]grandparents, family members,

[00:25:00]People around you, Right. [00:25:01]People around you. [00:25:02]You don't go ask Google. [00:25:04]You ask people around you. [00:25:05]this is how we learn.

[00:25:06]This is how we learn [00:25:07]the very first things that we learn. [00:25:09]We learn this way right? [00:25:11]And then when we encounter [00:25:13]something different,

[00:25:15]something, [00:25:16]something that [00:25:16]we haven't seen before, right? [00:25:18]We've seen, seen this thing. [00:25:19]We know what it is.

[00:25:20]But then let's see. [00:25:21]Let's say we see something [00:25:22]that, like, is kind of similar, right? [00:25:25]But different [00:25:26]maybe it's like

[00:25:27]looks the same, [00:25:28]but it's a different color, right? [00:25:31]It's not the same thing. [00:25:32]It is the same thing. [00:25:33]the same, but not the same.

[00:25:36]Right, Same, but different. [00:25:38]Same. Not the same thing. [00:25:40]let's say, [00:25:41]you're a little kid [00:25:41]and you see like a golden retriever,

[00:25:44]And you ask, what is that? [00:25:45]Dad. What is that? [00:25:46]And your parents say, That's a dog, [00:25:47]you're like, Okay, dog. [00:25:48]And then you see, like later

[00:25:50]you see like a tiny little Chihuahua, [00:25:52]Maybe you could ask the parent, [00:25:53]what is that like? [00:25:55]Well, that's also a dog. [00:25:56]And it's like, really?

[00:25:57]It's like so different than another dog. [00:25:59]Right? It's not the same thing. [00:26:00]It is the same thing. [00:26:02]But okay, [00:26:02]I can kind of see like there's

[00:26:04]this dog and that dog [00:26:05]and this dog [00:26:06]and they're all pretty different, [00:26:07]but they're also pretty similar, right? [00:26:09]And then you see a wolf

[00:26:11]and you're like, There's a dog. [00:26:12]And the parents like, No, actually, [00:26:13]that's a wolf. Right? [00:26:14]And so wait, wait, what's the difference [00:26:16]between a wolf and a dog? Right?

[00:26:17]And it gets a little confusing or So you, [00:26:19]we through comparative relation [00:26:21]by identifying one thing that's similar [00:26:25]but different [00:26:25]and then so over time, right,

[00:26:28]we encounter [00:26:28]more and more things [00:26:30]that are similar and different. [00:26:32]And when you see the first one, you know, [00:26:35]you ask the people around you,

[00:26:36]what is that? [00:26:37]And then the second one, [00:26:38]maybe you ask the people around you, [00:26:39]what is that? [00:26:40]And then as you

[00:26:41]encounter more and more, [00:26:43]things start to look more similar, [00:26:45]Even though they're all [00:26:46]still quite different, [00:26:48]your mind is like,

[00:26:49]all right, [00:26:49]I know what that thing is, That's [00:26:51]why kids that are like two, three, four, [00:26:54]five, six, [00:26:55]I mean, they're asking

[00:26:56]questions constantly. [00:26:57]And then as they get older, [00:26:58]we kind of like beat that out of them. [00:27:00]Right. [00:27:00]And they like, stop asking questions.

[00:27:02]Right? Is this deep? [00:27:06]not really, is it? [00:27:07]It's not really profound. [00:27:08]It's not really deep. [00:27:10]it doesn't seem like a significant

[00:27:11]philosophical realization, or anything like that. [00:27:14]Not even really worth mentioning [00:27:16]or that kind of stuff. [00:27:17]these first things, “arche” [00:27:19]the word “arche” means “first.”

[00:27:22]And so these are the first [00:27:24]types of things, So when we see something [00:27:27]for the first time [00:27:28]or the first dog [00:27:29]that we see, the first cat

[00:27:31]that we see or whatever [00:27:33]first time we see one of those things, [00:27:34]we call that the archetype [00:27:36]and we learn [00:27:37]about the archetype

[00:27:39]primarily from parents, [00:27:40]siblings, teachers, [00:27:41]mentors, the people [00:27:42]in our immediate surroundings, right, [00:27:44]as we already said.

[00:27:45]you know, our background, [00:27:46]that sort of stuff. [00:27:47]So the first things, [00:27:49]those first things have a big impact [00:27:51]on how we understand

[00:27:52]everything else, right? [00:27:53]Because we understand [00:27:54]everything else through [00:27:55]comparative relation, right? [00:27:56]We all said this doesn't seem

[00:27:58]particularly deep or profound. [00:28:00]Does it seem true? [00:28:01]Is this consistent [00:28:02]with your own experience? [00:28:03]well, let's see if is.

[00:28:04]Is it a little bit more profound? [00:28:06]What if I were to ask, [00:28:08]is this epistemology? Right? [00:28:10]So what anchors our knowledge [00:28:12]and we understand now

[00:28:13]what anchors our knowledge? [00:28:14]What's the answer to that question? [00:28:16]Those archetypes, right? [00:28:17]Those archetypes that we learn [00:28:19]when two, three, four, five, six.

[00:28:22]Right. [00:28:22]From our parents, teachers, [00:28:24]siblings, mentors [00:28:25]and those around us [00:28:25]in our immediate surroundings.

[00:28:27]Those are what anchors our knowledge, [00:28:30]those are what anchors, what we know. [00:28:32]So what? [00:28:33]How do we know what we know? [00:28:34]Because of what we were taught

[00:28:36]when we were at these ages, Right? [00:28:38]So by those people around us [00:28:40]that give us an understanding [00:28:42]of those archetypes, [00:28:43]and then

[00:28:44]as we see and experience the world, [00:28:46]we kind of put everything in comparative [00:28:47]relation to those first archetypes [00:28:50]that we saw. Right? [00:28:51]So then what if I were to ask,

[00:28:52]does this everything that I just [00:28:54]explained, is this sufficient to explain [00:28:58]racism? [00:29:02]Does this explain racism? [00:29:09]what you think?

[00:29:10]what if [00:29:10]your very first encounter [00:29:11]with a dog was a dog that bit you? [00:29:16]I mean, this is a thing that happens, [00:29:18]right?

[00:29:18]There's a lot of folks and you're like, [00:29:19]I'm scared of dogs. [00:29:20]And like, you know, [00:29:21]maybe it's [00:29:22]because the first dog bit you, right?

[00:29:24]Or because your parents told you [00:29:26]the dog was scary or something like that. [00:29:27]Right? [00:29:28]So, yeah, [00:29:29]those first experiences

[00:29:30]have a big impact on [00:29:32]how we understand the world. [00:29:33]What about sexism? [00:29:36]So have anything to do with sexism? [00:29:41]What about any ISM essentialism?

[00:29:43]You know what [00:29:44]that word essentialism means? [00:29:45]It's a serious question. [00:29:46]Do you know the word essentialism? [00:29:47]How many people have ever

[00:29:48]heard that word before? [00:29:50]That's [00:29:50]the word essentialism, [00:29:52]basically, racism is [00:29:54]is a kind of essentialism.

[00:29:55]Sexism is a kind of essentialism. Right? [00:29:57]all sorts of essentialism. [00:29:59]when we kind of REDUCE a person, [00:30:01]Or a thing [00:30:03]or any new thing that we encounter.

[00:30:05]Right. [00:30:06]This new, unique complex, let's call [00:30:10]maybe a person. [00:30:11]So we can think about this person [00:30:13]being a new, unique,

[00:30:14]complex person, right. [00:30:16]With personality [00:30:18]and history [00:30:19]and background and uniqueness. [00:30:21]but if I look at them and I'm like:

[00:30:22]I've seen people like him before, right? [00:30:24]I don't even know about him. [00:30:25]I put him in this box, right. [00:30:27]Comparing him to all these people. [00:30:28]That's essentialism, right?

[00:30:29]Reducing, [00:30:30]REDUCING a person [00:30:31]to some sort of “essential” characteristic, [00:30:35]which is basically [00:30:36]what this whole

[00:30:37]chain of comparative relation is showing. [00:30:39]Right. [00:30:40]how we understand these first experiences [00:30:44]with any archetype. [00:30:45]It doesn't matter whether we're talking

[00:30:46]about a person of a different color [00:30:48]or person of a different gender [00:30:49]or person of a different [00:30:51]religious tradition [00:30:51]or a person of a different ethnicity,

[00:30:53]a person of a different [00:30:55]whatever. [00:30:56]Right. [00:30:57]we experience those, right [00:30:59]for the first time

[00:31:00]at some point [00:31:01]and we learn about those at some point. [00:31:04]And those are our archetypes, right? [00:31:05]And sometimes we experience archetypes [00:31:07]when you're older in life

[00:31:08]for sure, right? All the time. [00:31:10]Get the point. Right? [00:31:12]So what anchors our knowledge? [00:31:15]Those archetypes. [00:31:17]And where do we learn

[00:31:17]most of those archetypes? [00:31:19]when we're kids, That have to do with [00:31:23]our particular background [00:31:25]Our particular “where we're coming from.” [00:31:27]Right?

[00:31:27]So we're going to talk about this [00:31:28]a lot more in the next chapter [00:31:30]on phenomenology. [00:31:31]When we talk about perspectival [00:31:33]starting points,

[00:31:34]like where are we coming from, [00:31:35]how it shapes [00:31:36]our perspective as human person, right? [00:31:39]So then I know a little bit about _[name]_ [00:31:41]just because we met and talked, right?

[00:31:43]So I know that [name]'s background [00:31:44]is very different than my background. [00:31:46]Right. [00:31:47]And so then we have different experiences [00:31:50]and that kind of stuff,

[00:31:51]which can help us [00:31:52]actually to have more confidence [00:31:55]in how we know what we know. [00:31:57]How can you help us to encounter people [00:31:59]that have different backgrounds

[00:32:00]or different perspectives [00:32:01]or different experiences? [00:32:03]How can that help us to be more certain [00:32:05]in what we know? Yeah, Mm hmm. Good. [00:32:09]Good.

[00:32:09]Very good. [00:32:10]Talking to people who come from [00:32:11]very different backgrounds, [00:32:13]does that help us to [00:32:14]to learn the limitations

[00:32:15]of our own knowledge? right, [00:32:16]or to learn our own ignorance? [00:32:18]So then we can say, [00:32:20]all right, [00:32:20]I'm coming at things

[00:32:21]from this perspective, [00:32:23]I've understood these things in this way. [00:32:25]But, you know, [00:32:26]when we're talking about this person [00:32:28]or this thing or whatever, Right.

[00:32:30]Wouldn't it [00:32:30]be helpful to know, like, [00:32:31]how [name] experiences this thing [00:32:34]or how [name] experiences this thing? [00:32:36]And to see these things

[00:32:37]from multiple perspectives [00:32:39]helps us [00:32:39]get an understanding of this new, [00:32:41]unique, complex person brought our way. [00:32:45]How?

[00:32:45]By understanding [00:32:46]what anchors our knowledge [00:32:48]and what anchors [00:32:48]another person's knowledge. Right. [00:32:50]And get a sense

[00:32:50]learning our own ignorance [00:32:52]or finding out what we don't know. [00:32:55]Right. [00:32:55]The limitations of our knowledge. Word? [00:32:59]Cool?

[00:33:00]Word. All right. [00:33:01]Let's move on [00:33:02]When you look at this, just visually, [00:33:04]does it remind you of anything [00:33:06]I mean,

[00:33:06]you've seen it in like March Madness, [00:33:08]I guess, right? [00:33:09]That was there on your head? [00:33:10]Yeah, I mean, it reminds you of it, [00:33:12]So it is the right answer.

[00:33:13]Okay. Family tree. Right. [00:33:15]So then you can say, [00:33:16]like the family trees, [00:33:18]you have some sort of patriarch [00:33:20]or matriarch.

[00:33:21]Those people that that then got married [00:33:23]and have these kids [00:33:24]and these kids and these kids. Right. [00:33:26]And so you can trace your family [00:33:27]tree back to that. Yeah.

[00:33:30]Yeah, right. [00:33:31]Do you know what the word [00:33:32]evolution means? I mean, no. [00:33:34]Anyway, study [00:33:35]biology, You know, the etymology,

[00:33:38]The etymology or the origin of the words. [00:33:40]Evolution was the word evolution [00:33:42]mean let's think about some similar [00:33:44]related words. [00:33:45]so we've got evolved and then involved

[00:33:50]what all these have to do with involve [00:33:53]and evolve and envelope and everything. [00:33:55]The word evolve literally [00:33:57]means, literally means on folding. [00:34:01]unfolding, right?

[00:34:02]So one thing [00:34:03]unfolding, if we've got a piece of paper, [00:34:07]all right, [00:34:07]so if we've got one thing that is simple [00:34:11]so unfolding from simple to complex,

[00:34:16]the word plex means folds, right? [00:34:19]So “com” + “fold” = “with the fold” [00:34:21]“With folds” So, you've got a simple thing, [00:34:25]unfolding, Like a family tree [00:34:28]or like evolution of species.

[00:34:30]one simple thing, right, that's [00:34:33]unfolding so it's not, [00:34:35]we're not ripping it apart. [00:34:36]It's not becoming many different things, [00:34:39]but it's just one thing

[00:34:41]that's more complex, right? [00:34:43]One thing with folds in it. [00:34:44]So we can understand [00:34:46]evolution in that sense, right? [00:34:47]That like

[00:34:48]there's this one thing [00:34:50]that's then Un-Folding [00:34:51]into many different kinds [00:34:53]of things, right? [00:34:54]So the word evolution means

[00:34:57]unfolding, [00:34:58]All right, let's talk about, sex. [00:35:01]I always like talking about sex. [00:35:02]so sex, sex looks like this. [00:35:06]Vaguely.

[00:35:08]so when a man and woman love [00:35:09]each other [00:35:10]very much [00:35:11]and the Catholic priest [00:35:12]says, Go for it, then then you've got

[00:35:15]Danny DNA then splits in half. [00:35:18]It's like a ladder made up of GTAC. [00:35:22]And then half of this ladder [00:35:24]joins with half of this ladder right? [00:35:26]You get starts

[00:35:27]with the bottle of Chianti. [00:35:29]And then after [00:35:32]after some candles [00:35:33]and a bottle of chianti, then there's like [00:35:38]unzip

[00:35:41]and then rezip [00:35:42]Right. [00:35:43]And then so these two unzip [00:35:45]and then rezip [00:35:47]so then you got something new.

[00:35:49]Which is not the same [00:35:52]as what came before. [00:35:54]Right. [00:35:54]But also not totally different [00:35:55]than what came before. Right.

[00:35:57]So it has some comparative [00:35:59]relation to what came before. [00:36:01]Right. [00:36:02]But it's also something [00:36:03]new, something innovative,

[00:36:04]something unique, something [00:36:05]Something new. [00:36:06]An innovation, a new creation. [00:36:08]Right. So procreation. [00:36:10]So a creation

[00:36:11]that's creating forward, right? [00:36:13]Where these two things, [00:36:15]you get it right, unzip and then [00:36:16]and then zip [00:36:18]there's something really cool,

[00:36:20]I think, about this. [00:36:22]I mean, maybe a few things [00:36:23]really cool about this, [00:36:24]but one thing really cool about this [00:36:26]is that you're literally

[00:36:28]passing material, [00:36:30]right matter, [00:36:31]material seed and the material egg, [00:36:34]you know, material [00:36:35]RNA and DNA that's passed from one person

[00:36:39]right - a seed goes into an egg. [00:36:42]And then you've got that new. [00:36:44]That's where the you know, [00:36:45]it happens after the unzip. [00:36:46]And then that leads to the zip, right?

[00:36:49]But material coming together [00:36:50]to form something new. [00:36:52]But what also is cool about it [00:36:53]is it's not just material [00:36:56]but it's also information, So what's

[00:37:01]what DNA is. [00:37:03]It's like a blueprint. [00:37:05]It's like the instruction manual, right? [00:37:07]It's the it's biology's [00:37:09]way of saying,

[00:37:10]hey, put this is how to build a human [00:37:13]right. [00:37:13]So we're taking [00:37:14]some information from mom [00:37:17]and some information from dad

[00:37:19]and putting it together [00:37:20]and making a new instruction manual. [00:37:22]All right. [00:37:23]new blueprints, which is information. [00:37:25]It's information

[00:37:26]that's in the material form, [00:37:28]but it's also [00:37:29]passing information from one to the next, [00:37:32]isn't it? [00:37:32]ideally, you want humans

[00:37:35]that are reproducing to be like, [00:37:37]not so much related to each other, right? [00:37:41]Ideally, Right. [00:37:42]I'm from, [00:37:43]I'm from South Carolina,

[00:37:44]so it's a little different down there. [00:37:46]But ideally you want you know, you want [00:37:49]you want mom and dad to not be, [00:37:51]you know, oh, when I was [00:37:54]was in high school I dated this.. dated

[00:37:57]this girl. [00:37:59]Yeah. [00:37:59][name] [00:38:03]sorry. [00:38:04]And [name]

[00:38:06]was amazing. [00:38:07]She was on the flag like I was band [00:38:09]captain, she was on the flag line [00:38:11]man. [00:38:13]And she was really was

[00:38:15]it was like one of the best [00:38:17]two weeks of my it was really great. [00:38:18]Two weeks [00:38:19]then I went off to college and one summer [00:38:22]I came home from college

[00:38:23]and we ran into each other [00:38:25]and she was like, [00:38:25]you know, let's have lunch. [00:38:26]And we went out for lunch [00:38:27]and it was like catching up

[00:38:28]and that kind of stuff. [00:38:29]you know, like asking her [00:38:30]if she's dating anybody [00:38:32]or anything like that. [00:38:32]And she said, Yeah, yeah,

[00:38:33]I've been dating this guy, [00:38:35]been dating this guy [00:38:35]for like a month now. [00:38:36]And I was like, How did you meet? [00:38:39]she's like, Well, (you know where this is going, right?)

[00:38:42]we met at the family reunion. [00:38:46]And I was like, [00:38:48]What? [00:38:50]And she's like, “Yeah, we met [00:38:51]at the family reunion.”

[00:38:53]And I was like, Uh, what? [00:38:56]And it's like, she's like, Yeah, he's [00:38:59]“he's my cousin's brother.” [00:39:03]And I was like, You're your cousin's [00:39:05]step brother? No.

[00:39:09]Your cousin's half brother? [00:39:12]“No, my cousin's brother,” [00:39:16]all right. [00:39:16]So then I realized [00:39:18]why it didn't work out for us, right?

[00:39:20]It didn't work out for us [00:39:21]because I didn't have her blood or [00:39:23]I didn't have her genetic material. [00:39:25]I didn't have what she was looking for, [00:39:27]which was

[00:39:28]close familial relations or something. [00:39:31]Right. [00:39:31]ideally we want to be with somebody. [00:39:34]We want to procreate with somebody [00:39:36]who's not genetically related to us.

[00:39:38]Right? [00:39:38]The more distant, the better, right? [00:39:41]So the more the more genetic diversity, [00:39:44]the better. Right? [00:39:45]We don't want genetic inbreeding,

[00:39:47]So we want a flux of new information, [00:39:50]right? [00:39:51]New genetic information. [00:39:54]Right. [00:39:54]New genetic information, diverse

[00:39:57]genetic information. Feel me? [00:39:59]See where this is going? [00:40:01]What does that have to do with: [00:40:02]“how do we know what we know?” [00:40:04]has to do with knowledge

[00:40:06]or how do we know [00:40:07]if what we know is true or not? [00:40:09]maybe if our archetypes come from [00:40:12]those people that are closest [00:40:14]to us, those people

[00:40:15]in our immediate surroundings [00:40:17]in our milieu. [00:40:19]All right? [00:40:19]in our family [00:40:20]in our, our culture and our society,

[00:40:22]our neighborhood. [00:40:23]the people that live around [00:40:24]us, the people that think [00:40:25]the way that we do, the people [00:40:27]I mean,

[00:40:27]they think the way we do [00:40:28]because they raised us. Right? [00:40:31]or we think the way they do [00:40:32]because this is how we were raised. [00:40:34]Right.

[00:40:35]But then that means that [00:40:36]everything in that line [00:40:38]is kind of understood [00:40:39]in a similar comparative relation. Right. [00:40:41]And that whole point of like

[00:40:42]we all think the same way or whatever. [00:40:45]But then couldn't it [00:40:47]be that the same mistakes [00:40:48]or the same misunderstandings [00:40:50]are just being passed along?

[00:40:52]if you got standing water, [00:40:53]what happens to standing water? [00:40:55]They, it stands [00:40:56]there and gets stagnant for a long time. [00:40:59]you get mosquitoes and you get mold

[00:41:02]and and you get all this kind of stuff. [00:41:04]You don't want to drink that water, [00:41:06]right, Snot? [00:41:07]I mean, it's good for [00:41:08]I guess, for the microorganisms

[00:41:09]and stuff that are growing there. [00:41:11]But if you get like fresh water [00:41:14]flowing in, right, [00:41:15]fresh water [00:41:16]from all sorts of different sources

[00:41:17]that are flowing into that stream, right, [00:41:20]then it can bring a freshness [00:41:22]and a newness [00:41:22]and get rid of that stagnation. [00:41:24]And. Right.

[00:41:25]So maybe we see the similar kind of thing [00:41:27]the same way that we want [00:41:28]our intercourse to be with people [00:41:30]who are genetically diverse. [00:41:32]Right.

[00:41:33]Maybe we also want [00:41:34]discourse to be with people [00:41:35]who have different backgrounds [00:41:38]and who understand the world [00:41:40]through comparative relation.

[00:41:42]But have a differing understanding [00:41:44]even of those same archetypes [00:41:46]that we have, [00:41:47]but see them from a new perspective [00:41:49]so that we can begin to learn our own

[00:41:53]ignorance and understand [00:41:54]what we don't know, [00:41:56]so that we understand the world [00:41:57]with more certainty [00:41:59]and more confidence

[00:42:00]and have less anxiety. [00:42:03]See what I did there? I wrapped up [00:42:05]the whole lesson [00:42:05]in like a couple of sentences. [00:42:07]Okay, I just want to clarify a couple of points

[00:42:09]and, you know, pull [00:42:10]all of us together again. [00:42:12]This chapter is on epistemology. [00:42:14]Epistemology is a branch of philosophy [00:42:15]that asks,

[00:42:16]How do we know what we know now? [00:42:18]Epistemology is near [00:42:19]the center of our systematic [00:42:21]philosophy schematic, [00:42:22]which means that it changes

[00:42:24]far less often than things [00:42:26]like emotions and states of mind, [00:42:28]which, you know, change all the time. [00:42:31]My mind. [00:42:31]In the previous section,

[00:42:32]we learned from Nicholas of Cusa [00:42:34]that humans learn through [00:42:36]comparative relation, [00:42:37]which means that we learn archetypes [00:42:38]when we are young children,

[00:42:40]and we learn those primarily [00:42:41]from our parents and caregivers, [00:42:43]when we are first learning language [00:42:46]and the world around us, [00:42:47]usually when we're ages

[00:42:49]like 2 to 6 years old. [00:42:51]Now those archetypes don't change. [00:42:53]They're like anchors. [00:42:55]When we experience something new, [00:42:57]we experience that new information

[00:42:59]in comparative relation [00:43:01]to those archetypes [00:43:02]that we learned as kids. [00:43:03]in this section, [00:43:04]I pointed out that our knowledge unfolds

[00:43:07]or evolves from those archetypes. [00:43:09]I then draw a direct comparison [00:43:10]between this evolution of knowledge [00:43:13]and genetic reproduction. [00:43:15]Now we all know that incest is bad.

[00:43:18]If we don't know, we should know [00:43:20]incest is bad. [00:43:21]Genetic inbreeding is [00:43:22]like stagnant water. [00:43:24]It purifies in a very similar way.

[00:43:28]Intellectual incest is bad. [00:43:30]If we only have discourse [00:43:32]with people [00:43:33]with similar backgrounds [00:43:34]and life experiences as us,

[00:43:36]then our understanding [00:43:37]of the world becomes stagnant. [00:43:40]It purifies [00:43:42]as we'll see later in this course. [00:43:43]Socrates repeatedly draws

[00:43:45]the same comparison [00:43:46]between intercourse and discourse. [00:43:50]Intellectual incest [00:43:51]is bad [00:43:52]for the same reasons

[00:43:53]and in the same ways [00:43:54]that genetic incest is bad. [00:43:57]if we want to be more certain [00:43:58]about what we believe to be true, [00:44:00]then we need to have discourse

[00:44:02]with people [00:44:02]who are very different from us, [00:44:04]meaning people [00:44:05]who have learned those archetypes [00:44:08]in a very different environment.

[00:44:09]Then we have people [00:44:10]who have different parents [00:44:12]and different caregivers [00:44:13]and different backgrounds than us. [00:44:16]Help clear things up