Reason Not The Only Source of Knowledge

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Ayn Rand claims that "[t]he virtue of Rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one's only source of knowledge [...]." This is wrong, mainly because reason can only be used as a method of choosing between knowledge/ideas, not as a source of knowledge.

#1650 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP revised 2 days ago · context · 4th of 4 versions

What do you think is the source of knowledge if not reason?

#1618 · · Dennis Hackethal, 5 days ago

The source of knowledge is myths. Reason criticizes them and we get myths that are testable (if knowledge about the physical world), hard to vary and make some assertion about reality. Popper highlighted the myth and testable nature of scientific knowledge, and Deutsch highlights hard to vary and explanation/assertion nature of knowledge.

#1633 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP, 4 days ago · Criticized1 criticim(s)

Criticism is a form of knowledge. How does reason have access to criticism if reason is not the source of knowledge?

#1646 · · Dennis Hackethal, 3 days ago · Criticism of #1633

Fire purifies gold, but it isn't gold itself. Reason doesn't need to be the source of knowledge to criticize other sources. The main source of knowledge is myth and things that don't make sense. All of our scientific theories are testable, hard to vary myths. As Popper states in Conjecture and Refutations (171), "[w]e shall understand that, in a certain sense, science is myth-making just as religion is."

#1653 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP, 1 day ago
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