Reason Not The Only Source of Knowledge

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Ayn Rand claims that "The 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.

#1647 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP revised 3 days ago · context · 3rd of 4 versions · CriticismCriticized2 criticim(s)

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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That quote is better but still not quite right. You’d want to end it not in a dangling comma, but in an ellipsis to indicate that you’re cutting the sentence short. Try changing it to:

"The virtue of Rationality means the recognition and acceptance of reason as one's only source of knowledge […]." This is wrong etc.

Then, in the section “Do the comments still apply?”, be sure to deselect the criticisms that your edit addresses.

#1635 · · Dennis Hackethal, 4 days ago · Criticism of #1647

So the [...] or ellipsis indicates that the sentence is quoted half way.

#1649 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP, 3 days ago

I thought ellipsis was including the []. But it isn't.

#1652 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP, 2 days ago
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Superseded by #1650. This comment was generated automatically.

#1651 · · Zelalem MekonnenOP, 2 days ago · Criticism of #1647
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