Can Knowledge Be Bought?

Café-Salon Philosophique #10

March 21, 1998

No. of Participants: 10

Topic for the evening's discussion: "Why do some people give knowledge freely and others charge for it? Can knowledge be bought? Must knowledge be free?

Samuel began the evening by once again briefly describing to newcomers the meaning of Cafe Philosophique and how we share in exploring meaningful and interesting subjects.

Jean began with a story about doing artwork for a company and how when it came time for her to be paid for the services, the client couldn't believe he should pay her for both the creative effort (the thinking) and the computer time (the doing)! He assumed he should pay her for the computer time only.

Marta stated that knowledge is not just information but what one understands. One must learn to process and use information effectively.

Brad consulted the American Heritage Dictionary and read to the group the definition of knowledge - "The state or fact of knowing, direct familiarity under experience or study, information that is discovered or inferred, gathering of specific information."

Brad also thought that "knowledge is information gathered through education and experience." Samuel added that applied knowledge is wisdom.

The next question was, Can one give knowledge? Participants stated that, "knowledge cannot be given, it must be acquired or learned." Participants stated that the first step towards acquiring knowledge is through gathering information. The group brought up various ways to gather information through such sources as schooling, the arts, music, theatre, and experientially.

Jean related that there is a process involved in acquiring knowledge. One must learn to sift through vast amounts of information in order to condense it into useable, applicable knowledge. Applicable knowledge is understanding a subject well and being able to use it constructively in the world. Samuel offered the metaphor of making an omelet. First, you learn each step for cooking an omelet and then with experience, you become an excellent omelet maker.

The group then shared experiences about formal education followed by a discussion on art. Brad shared his experience of how he was trained as an engineer to think analytically, whereby, Jean shared how when she studied art, she was trained to think creatively in order to do art projects. She shared how she had to use her imagination in order to bring images into form.

Samuel quoted Einstein as saying, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" because imagination provokes knowledge. He also shared an anecdote about Einstein. When he was 16 years old, he had a dream of traveling on a beam of light. This, of course, led him to solve the mathematical equation for this. He also was inspired and motivated in his childhood when his father gave him a compass.

Samuel then shared a story by Nasurudin. This story illustrates how we have all the knowledge in the world we need to evolve, but don't, because we don't use what we have. This irrational disease is called "laziness." Here is the story:

Why Don't You?
Nasurudin went to a shop of a man
who stocked all kinds of bits and
pieces. "Have you got nails?" He
asked. "Yes." "And leather?" "Yes."
"And twine?" "Yes." "And dye?"
"Yes." "Then why, for heaven's
sake don't you make a pair of boots?

We are unknowingly and unconsciously lazy. This causes us to escape the essence of our being. We become distracted by unnecessary concerns, by using useless words and empty analogies. We forget how to think creatively when viewing our current situations, and fail to act upon the knowledge that we have within us to do so.

The group finished the discussion on art by sharing familiar works of great painters, sculptors, art centers visited and ways in which they had studied art over the years.

Samuel bounced the group back to discussing knowledge by posing the question, How does one know when one has knowledge? We stopped to consider, and then someone said, "You just know." "One doesn't need to prove anything to anybody." "One just goes and does it." "Something clicks."

Another shared that, "one must be open to learning and using knowledge appropriately when the time comes." "One must learn to live consciously by remembering what has been forgotten."

He then asked, Should knowledge be free? David answered the question by using the metaphor of picking apples. He stated that, "Apples are free. We pay to learn how to pick apples." So in other words, one pays for the services to learn in order to obtain necessary tools or skills in performing various tasks.

The last question was, Is a teacher really necessary? Samuel reminded us that a teacher, for him, is a reporter. A teacher is one that basically knows that everyone knows everything, but has simply forgotten. The teacher is there to help us remember what we already know.

In summary, the key points of discussion on knowledge were:

Knowledge is not just information but what one understands. Understanding comes with age and maturity. Knowledge is applying what one knows. Imagination is a necessary component for bringing knowledge into form. And, a teacher can help us remember that which we have forgotten....

The next meeting for Cafe-Salon Philosophique will be Saturday, April 4, 1998. This probably will be our last gathering at Bubb's. We will probably be in our new location April 18th. This will be announced at the next meeting.

The evening's topic will be: "Is belief in God a subtle and unconscious concealed escape from individual responsibility and the laziness to think for one's self? Or is this a route that may lead to enlightenment? And anyway, just what is God and what does the word "God" mean?

Ponder and reflect the following thoughts:

"I who know, and do not know that I know: let me become one, whole, let me be awakened.

I who have known, but do not know: let me see once more the beginning of all.

I who do not wish to know, and yet say that I need to know: let me be guided to safety and to light.

I who do not know, and know that I do not know: set me free from the confusion of that ignorance.

He who knows, and knows that he is; he is wise. Let him be followed. By his presence alone man may be transformed." (From The Way of the Sufi by Idris Shah)

Reported by Alessandra