Things I Think Know, Things I Think I Don't Think I Know, And Other Stuff

As we've already discussed in class, knowledge, and consequently, knowing things, is one finicky concept that has been playing mind games with us since we were tiny little nerdlings. I don't resent knowledge for that. If I could trick people into thinking I existed (I probably do), or make them think they knew everything about me, I probably would. To prove there aren't any hard feelings over my being fooled and deceived as a child, here's an anecdote.

When I was just about knee-high to a grasshopper (in other words, around fourth grade), I was convinced, due to a number of factors, that a house about a block from me was genuinely haunted. I'll admit, I was a pretty gullible little kid, but I was wholeheartedly positive that a family of normal ghosts lived in that house. A family of normal, Girl Scout cookie-buying ghosts. Yes, it sounds silly now, but I thought I had proof. I had, afterall, sold cookies to a young couple and their child while they were sitting outside of the house, enjoying the day. And I had indeed returned, cookies in hand, only to be informed by a neighbor that no one had lived in the house for years. From my perspective, those two key facts and a few other, smaller clues were all it took to serve as evidence of an otherworldly, pastry-purchasing presence in that house. When I informed my mother of my discovery, however, my fragile illusion of knowing was shattered. She called the number which the couple had provided, and later told me that the couple had been hoping to rent the house, but had been unable to afford the rent. Like that, my secret knowledge and paranormal visitors were reduced to a pile of lies and two lower-middle class folks with an infant. I was pretty shocked.

At the moment, I'm pretty confident about the likely easily shattered piece of 'knowledge' which I'm clinging to. I simply believe that I know what I believe. To some minimal extent, at least. I don't plan on masquerading behind some likely false evidence, nor do I plan on saying that I'm certain. But I think I believe that statement is true, and it's the truest knowledge which I can think of at this moment. I figure it must be true, because logic would seem to indicate that I, of all people, would at least know my own beliefs and thoughts best. But who knows, maybe not. I won't say I'm sure, though I feel like maybe, I might believe that I think that I believe that. But no, I won't say I'm certain. It'd just give Knowledge too much satisfaction to prove me wrong, and that'd be a bit of a downer.