
Rethinking Knowledge in the Internet Age - Dowwie
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/rethinking-knowledge-internet-age/
======
EGreg
I think the old definition of knowledge as "justified belief" is too
simplistic and not useful.

Knowledge is essentially another word for bias. We can never really _know_
something for sure. We only have our beliefs and common language. The best we
can do is communicate our beliefs in the common language and agree to work on
removing the double standards. That is to say, if I have one standard for
believing X to degree Y, then I shouldn't have a completely different standard
elsewhere.

Thus, I can never really disprove anything totally (unless that concept is
logically impossible), I can only show you that your believing it constitutes
a huge double standard relative to other things you don't believe.

~~~
brudgers
Knowledge as justified true belief has been questioned since before Knuth
began TAoCP.

[http://www.iep.utm.edu/gettier/](http://www.iep.utm.edu/gettier/)

------
unabst
There is knowledge as in what someone knows, then there is knowledge as in
what is known to be true. The internet has an abundance of both. And there is
a clear intellectual divide between those that can and cannot distinguish
these two.

For the most part, what we know says more about us, and the truth value
requires proper validation. What is known, on the other hand, is what has
already been properly validated. It's the objective evidence and insights that
have scientific integrity. Studying the subjective knowledge of masses leads
not to any advancement of facts, but to anthropology.

Today, if I say something racist it just paints me a racist. Yet there are
those who still take the words of random people, detach them from the speaker,
and attempt to validate them themselves with gut and instinct. Or worse yet,
take common sentiment and intent as validation. To them, it's about kinship
and common sense, about right and wrong, though for the most part they don't
know what the hell they're talking about because they are incapable of proper
validation.

These two forms of intellect are incompatible. Ultimately, all it boils down
to is knowing that your gut cannot recognize the truth.

------
mpbm
Knowledge is, and always has been, direct experience. The complication is that
people don't acknowledge the limitations on what they're actually
experiencing.

