Re: knowledge and belief

[Rob Zook <rzook@INFORMIX.COM>]

At 07:56 AM 1/22/98 -0300, Jorge J. Llamb=EDas wrote:
>la markl cusku di'e
> >> >  I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.
>>> >    - attributed to Socrates
>>>
>>> Presupposition: "the fact of my ignorance".
>>
>>But the impact of Socratic irony depends on the falsity
>>of this presupposition; Socrates was acknowledged by all
>>(including himself) as the wisest & most knowledgeable
>>man in Athens.
>
>That's fine. Irony is allowed. You can ironically presuppose
>something, of course, just as you can ironically claim
>something. The odd thing would be to say: "I am not ignorant,
>but I know that I am."

An Aside: Do we know for sure Socrates meant to sound ironic?
Perhaps he simply referred to the fact that size of one's ignorance=20
always surpasses the size of one's knowledge. That which we have
left to try and know seems infinite, while the amount of one's knowledge=20
definitely seems like a finite quantity.


Rob Z.
--------------------------------------------------------
Were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection=20
to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only=20
asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to=20
correct some faults in the first.=20
-- Ben Franklin