Epistemology

Epistemology: the study of knowledge.

Can we really truly know something? That's the question that's been rattling around my head the past couple days. And it might be because of my Basic Philosophy class. I hated taking Philosophy in my undergrad, but I am taking it here because I wanted to give it another go around.

What I have discovered is that I don't like philosophy because I can't really understand it; I can't truly really know philosophy, and that kind of frustrates me. I'm used to being able to comprehend things well and quickly, so when something comes along my path that causes a little hiccup, I get a little upset.  That may be just pure pride, or whatever, but it's a defense mechanism.

I want to know everything. I want to be good at everything. And I'm not that good at philosophy. I'm not that good at putting crazy, original ideas onto paper. Socrates was a baller. Descartes was a baller. Sterns was, and is, just trying to figure this all out.

I'm going to be a philosopher, which is a lover of wisdom, until I die, or at least attempt to be one. I love studying it. Whether or not I'll be able to add to the conversation is another story, or another blog post. I still am not that good at it, and I'm still seeing that in this class.

But theology is a lot like philosophy in that any good theology is deeply rooted in philosophical ideas. Augustine was a Neoplatonist. Aquinas was an Aristotelean. I don't know what I am. I'm just gleaning as much as I can from other people. I'm not adding anything to this world, really. Anything I'm saying now has already been said, maybe more articulately, but that's not going to stop me from striking while the iron is hot.

I can't really know anything. Maybe I'm a Socratesean in that "true wisdom is in knowing [I] know nothing." I guess I can be okay with that. I can study that knowledge all day.