Ways of Knowing

I had an interesting discussion with one of you right after class and want to share some of it here. There seems to be a question about what is meant by "ways of knowing" and how to discuss them in different areas. Here is an example:

If I want to know about your height, I use my eyes and perhaps a measuring stick with some lines on it. I use this same way of knowing to determine the height of a trash can. If I want to know how fast you can run, I ask you to run from point A to point B while timing you with a stopwatch. I use this same way of knowing to determine the speed of a horse or a car.

Now, if you say there is something more to humans than there is to trash cans, horses, or cars, then we may need to use different ways to know about it. If you say humans have a rich emotional life, how am I to know what your emotions are? Surely I do not look at you and use a measuring stick. I will probably watch your face and think, "Whenever I wrench my face into such an appearance, it means I have just tasted something sour. I suppose, then, that my friend has just tasted something sour, too." I have brought experience and empathy into the mix as new ways of knowing. These ways, of course, would be useless when trying to know something about a trash can.