Introduction

How can we answer the question, what is the value of knowledge? Well we need to think about how knowledge has a value and to do that we need to have some idea of what knowledge is. But for this course, we will not be looking for a philosophical analysis of knowledge. In epistemology courses, one looks at definitions or analyses of knowledge – such as that knowledge is justified true belief, or, alternatively, that it is true belief arrived at by a reliable process – and tests them against situations. But here we need to keep a more general hold on what we mean by knowledge, it’s full range, and think about its value.

The diggers lament tells us something about how we might value something.

• • I dig the ditch,

  • To get the money,

  • To buy the bread,

  • To get the strength,

  • To dig the ditch...

What is wrong with this is first that it is circular (the reason why he does what he does goes round in a circle) but then secondly it provides no unconditional reason to dig the ditch. Only if he has reason to get money should he. But his reason for wanting money in the end depends on wanting to dig the ditch which he only wants to get money. The motivation could never get started. For the conditional reason or means-end reason to work, something has to be valued in itself, as an end in itself rather than a means to another end.

So we might value knowledge as an end in itself or as a means to something else. Either of these are options but if we pick the latter we need to think how knowledge is a means and to what end.

We should also remind ourselves that there are various sources of knowledge, although philosophers like to narrow them down (eg to perception, reasoning – inductive and deductive – and testimony). We should also be careful of the way philosophers stress the importance of what is available to an individual by contrast with a group. Contrast Descartes’ approach to validating his knowledge (he sits down by himself) with how a science lab finds things out. And note that testimony seems irreducible to individual knowledge (we will come back to this).

And we may want to think about whether know-how is a form of knowledge (and if so what’s its relation to knowledge that is). We will come back to this also.

So what we are considering the value of is broad, is thought about in different ways by scientists, citizens and philosophers and might serve a number of functions.

Today's slides are here.