| | pauper: Is it true, my lord, that you have to have started out with a pre-existing theory in order to gain or have any knowledge.
Popper: Why, yes it is.
pauper: Is it also true that you cannot ever verify the truth of a theory?
Popper: Why, yes, that is also true.
pauper: So, let me get this straight. You need a theory to have any knowledge in the world, but you cannot ever verify if your adopted theory is correct -- so does that not mean that you cannot ever verify if your knowledge is correct? If knowledge is that which get filtered through theory, but theory is something that can only ever change if there is first a change in knowledge, then are you not stuck in complete skepticism?
Popper: Yes, you can never verify whether "knowledge" is true or not, because knowledge depends on theory and theory is something that can only ever be altered via the acquisition of "new" knowledge -- which is impossible without new theory (placing the cart before the horse, so to speak).
pauper: [kicks Popper in the shin]
Popper: Ouch! You just kicked me!
pauper: But how can you be so sure about that? How can you be sure enough to punish me, if you cannot even be sure that your knowledge is correct -- because of the underlying uncertainty that you might have adopted the wrong theory (which cannot ever be corrected by the right theory, because knowledge will always be filtered through the wrong one first)?
Popper: You're right. I cannot be sure you kicked me (and that you are, therefore, deserving of punishment).
pauper: [kicks him again]
...
:-)
|
|
