Divine Illumination and Revelation
Section Two
THE CREATION OF KNOWLEDGE
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| The Western Intellectual Tradition has, over the centuries, preferred the material reality, and devalued the ideal. The introspective observation of ideas suggests a lack of order which is almost chaotic. Ideas appear to be very transitory entities. They exist in the human consciousness for a short time and are gone. They are insubstantial, totally lacking in a physical nature, and leave no trace behind them when they disappear. They are never in short supply and at times seem to flow like a torrent through the conscious intellect. The cost of an idea, or of a multitude of ideas, is nothing. They are, on any material scale of values, of little worth. In a picture like this the mistake is to treat the conscious expression of the idea as the idea itself. All ideas, in the form of understandings, are resident deep in the subconscious part of the intellect and their expressions, only, pass through the consciousness. An analogy may be to compare the understanding to a video recording, where the transient picture that appears on the television screen when the recording is played is its expression. The library of video recordings has a permanent existence and value. In the same way the set of understandings is permanent and useful. The set of understandings possessed by an individual are valuable as the lifetime's achievement of his intellect. While one intellect may be better than another nobody can function in the world without an intellect. The intellect grows in power by solving problems. Each new solution is integrated into the intellectual structure in a manner which preserves its correspondence to the structure of reality as it is found in experience. True solutions to the problems of experience are knowledge and an intellect which is formed according to the rules for knowledge deals with reality effectively and efficiently. Part One THE ORIGIN OF NEW IDEAS The application of the problem-solving method to a real problem results in a solution to that problem. This solution appears in the intellect of the problem solver at some time subsequent to the attempt to solve the problem. It occurs as an event of experience, which is to say, it is not a conscious construction of the intellect but simply appears as a complete solution at a point in time. The solution is a new idea to the intellect in which it occurs. This part considers how new ideas, in the forms of solutions or answers, are formed. The problem being examined is where exactly that solution came from. How is knowledge created? Problems are defined, and their solutions are requisitioned in terms of general purpose languages. A valid methodology for knowledge must always give the same solution to a particular problem regardless of the problem solver's working language. An understanding of language is necessary to show that general purpose languages are transparent to the problem solving procedure. In pursuing the aim of knowledge, the intellect requisitions new understanding from the psychological processes. These requisitions take the form of language and the language used is, ultimately, meaning. The intellect and the psychological processes therefore conduct a dialogue about reality based on this primitive language. Meaning as a language analyses and models the reality of experience and communicates the facts of this reality. Meaning, as a given language, is the language of reality itself. The psychological processes, using this language, communicate those characteristics of reality required by purposes, to the intellect. The Origin of New Ideas Chapter One THE PROBLEM OF INNOVATION Experience in the form of problems of understanding is the foundational matter for the production of understanding and knowledge. Experience, either in its sensible form or in its intelligible form, does not amount to understanding of reality. The problems of experience are transformed into understanding and knowledge through a psychological process. The nature of this process that translates the solution specification into the solution is a problem that requires clarification. The whole of the corpus of knowledge has originated at various times past as new understandings in individual intellects in the form of problem solutions or answers to questions. This problem is not, however, confined to understanding and theory formation but also concerns all writing and speech. In Karl Popper's view the creation of all understanding, scientific, humanistic, and artistic, has a single explanation. This explanation involves not only the intellect but also the psychological processes by which the intellect grows in understanding. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ The Creation of New Knowledge A theory is a formal expression of understanding and as such is produced from subjective resources. Theories are related to problems and to the understanding of problems reached through research of the facts. The formula for the production of new solutions from the problem understanding is PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING...> SOLUTION SPECIFICATION...> SOLUTION. To
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◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ The Origin of New Ideas Chapter Two LANGUAGE AND MEANING Language capability is not necessary for problem solving. Animals solve problems to achieve understandings of their environments. The requirement for true solutions, which are knowledge, demands the analytical facilities of language. Problems are analysed and defined, and their solutions are requisitioned in terms of general or special purpose languages. A valid methodology for knowledge must always give the same solution to a particular problem regardless of whether the problem solver's working language is English, French, or Chinese. An understanding of language is necessary to show that general purpose languages are transparent to the problem solving procedure. In effect, language is a tool which is superimposed on the common problem solving process. ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ The Logical Structure of the Understanding The development of the intellect commences before birth with the unborn child's observation of events surrounding itself. Typically, the child notes the rhythms of the mother's body and constructs models or patterns. These patterns may be subsumed into one general model. This model is not explanatory but simply reflects the order of experience, and aids prediction. The mother's heartbeat is one type of experience which gives rise to a pattern. The general model that results consists of distinctions of the type: NOW/NOT NOW; PRESENT/NOT PRESENT; EXPECTED/NOT EXPECTED The new-born intellect has therefore at least one understanding or program and that has the capability of analysing experience in time according to simple logical rules. The logical analysis program or understanding is applied to all experience following birth. To
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The Origin of New Ideas Chapter Three THE STRUCTURE OF MEANING Analysis and Integration of Meaning In the discussion concerning the integration of the intellect it was shown that understandings may be analysed into a set of more basic understandings. In principle, sets of understandings may also be integrated to create higher level understandings. Since the terms "understanding" and "meaning" are, for most purposes, interchangeable this may be rephrased to assert that coherent sets of meanings may be integrated to form more complex meanings and complex meanings may be analysed into more elementary meanings. Complex meanings may be explained. These explanations consist of general purpose language sentences. The words of a general purpose language are the most basic level of meaning available to the intellect. Words may represent simple or complex meanings. Words of explanation which are, themselves, complex meanings may be further explained by other, simple or less complex, words. The word "ball" is a simple meaning. The word "philosophy" is a complex meaning. The distinction rests on the procedure for defining the meaning of the word. If one can point to an object or action in the physical environment and name it the meaning is basic and simple. In this context, to define a meaning as simple or experiential is to say the same thing. Words that must be defined by reference to other words or meanings are complex. There are degrees of complexity. To describe something as "concrete" is to say that its constituents are a set of simple objects, and it is made by a simple process. On the other hand, the definition of a subatomic particle relies on several theories and other understandings. Although a particle is the most basic physical entity its meaning is extremely complex and refers to a complex set of experiences. To
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