The Limits of Human Knowledge: What We Know and Don’t

When we claim to know something, it’s important to understand both the extent of our knowledge and the areas where our understanding is limited. This article explores these boundaries and the ever-evolving nature of human understanding.

Recognizing the Scope of Our Knowledge

Most of us are acutely aware that we lack deep expertise in many fields, such as medicine, engineering, or music composition. While we may not understand the intricacies of Sigmund Freud’s and Carl Jung’s relationship, we can still grasp the general idea that psychological disorders can be influenced by early life experiences, as is often popularly cited. However, whether someone is just out of a terrible high school or has a deep, specialized knowledge, their perspective can be valuable, provided they are not overly arrogant or dismissive of others’ viewpoints.

Visualizing Knowledge Gaps

We can think of our knowledge as a puzzle with many pieces that help us form a general idea of a shape, but not every detail. While we might have a good picture of the outline of the missing part, the finer details remain obscure. Similarly, while we can make broad generalizations about the world, the full picture remains elusive due to the limited number of pieces we have assembled.

Scientists and Religious Extremists

Scientists typically recognize the vast gaps in their knowledge, driven by their pursuit of understanding and the constant pursuit of new discoveries. In contrast, religious extremists often believe that their knowledge is complete, which can lead to a dogmatic and closed-minded approach to other ideas.

The Unknowable

Many individuals may feel that they have all the knowledge they need, but the majority of us are constantly confronted by the inadequacies of our current understanding. Data and knowledge are in a state of perpetual growth and change, and the edges of our knowledge expand continually. Therefore, while we may be able to quantify what we know, quantifying what we don’t know is a much harder task.

The Unknown Universe

Our understanding of the Earth itself is still limited, as there is much we do not know. When we consider that there may be millions of planets similar to Earth, each with their own unique characteristics and mysteries, the amount of unknown becomes even more overwhelming. This perspective is reminiscent of William Shakespeare’s assertion that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.

It is crucial to maintain a curious and open-minded attitude towards the unknown. There is always more to learn, and the act of exploring new knowledge is what drives human progress and innovation.