The Power and Limitations of Knowledge I. Introduction A. Many say that we presently live in the Age of Information 1. Information is a collection of knowledge 2. Knowledge seems to abound these days! B. Collection of knowledge is accelerating at an unimaginable pace 1. Buckminster Fuller came up with the idea of the "knowledge doubling curve," suggesting that the sum of human knowledge doubled approximately every century over the past few hundred years 2. There was a time when there were "Renaissance men," people like Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Jefferson, who were conversant in up-to-date understanding of almost every subject 3. In the past century knowledge has been doubling every 25 years; in some fields, the sum of knowledge doubles every few years 4. These days the "Renaissance man" has gone the way of the Renaissance; it is almost impossible for any person to keep up with all the up-to-date knowledge and understanding in one given field, let alone many! 5. As humans continue to specialize, this challenge becomes even more pronounced! C. Meanwhile, great confidence remains in human knowledge, understanding, and capacity for knowledge and understanding 1. Such is the "gift" of the Enlightenment to modern man 2. These days not a few humans have the greatest confidence in their own ability to understand, know, and in the proper exercise of that understanding and knowledge 3. The pursuit of ever greater knowledge has in many ways become a god to many: they fashion their entire lives around it! D. When investigating the world and its benefits and problems, those who have such an exalted view of knowledge see everything in terms of knowledge, all due to the Enlightenment paradigm! E. We do well to explore knowledge, its power, and its limitations 1. What is this Enlightenment paradigm, and why is it so pervasive? 2. How is knowledge beneficial and powerful, and ignorance a challenge? 3. But what are the limitations of knowledge? 4. In all of this, can the Bible provide a way forward despite being over 2000 years old? II. Knowledge and the Enlightenment Paradigm A. Modern society exists as the child of the Enlightenment and its paradigm B. The Enlightenment 1. As with all philosophical movements, the Enlightenment is hard to broadly characterize; it involves many individuals with different outlooks over a 100 year period 2. Enlightenment as a philosophy begun in 18th century France, leading to an early 19th century movement in Scotland and other places, involving men like Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Hume 3. Generally recognized as challenging "religion" and "superstition" and all things that did not submit to the strictures of "reason" 4. Yet one overarching theme of the Enlightenment involved supreme confidence in that which was rational and reasonable, that is, that which is consistent with true knowledge 5. According to the Enlightenment paradigm, knowledge is the ultimate power: if one knows, one can gain mastery over that which one knows, and then can manipulate it to his or her advantage 6. Thus, knowledge is the good, and ignorance is the bad/the enemy of the good 7. In such a view, wherever knowledge can overwhelm ignorance, the good will be accomplished; wherever ignorance remains will have difficulties and problems 8. According to the Enlightenment paradigm, the human quest should first and foremost involve the pursuit of truth according to reason, vanquishing ignorance with true knowledge, leading to the betterment of society 9. Everything should be put to the test of truth according to reason, new ideas, old traditions, everything; whatever is not consistent with such truth according to reason should be rejected, in this view C. This Enlightenment Paradigm has become the fully accepted and rather unquestioned way through which most people view their world D. How can this be? E. The astounding thing has been the success of the Enlightenment mission 1. The differences between early 21st century Western civilization and 18th century Western civilization could hardly be more stark 2. Through the quest for knowledge our technological, medical, historical, etc. knowledge has increased exponentially 3. As a result, average life expectancy has never been better, and quality of life has materially improved throughout society 4. Our everyday lives are quite different from our ancestors because of the harnessing of this technology, which is only possible when knowledge is gained, mastered, and manipulated toward our benefit F. Because of the success of the Enlightenment mission in the realm of academics and sciences, it has become the prism through which most people view themselves and their lives 1. Since we have been told that so much of the drudgery and misery of the lives of our ancestors has been relieved by our better understanding and mastery, it is easy to start seeing all of our lives in terms of the quest for knowledge and the elimination of ignorance 2. Implicit in such a view is that we have the ability and power to overcome the difficulties in life through knowledge 3. Consider these circumstances in life: a. A family member or friend begins to go down the path of bad relationships, drug use, etc. Our response? "They know better." b. We are in a discussion about politics, religion, or some other matter, and there is strong disagreement. Why does the other person not agree with us? "They do not get it," or, "they need to study/research more," or, "they have been brainwashed." c. There is a societal danger or problem. Solution? Spend more money on educating the public about it. d. Natural phenomena claim many lives and loss of property. Our goal? To not only understand but master and manipulate such forces to alleviate loss. e. We feel as if we have some shortcomings about ourselves, our character, our physical condition, etc. Solution to the problem? Consult self-help books or people. f. In the church we see a systemic weakness. How is the problem phrased? "It has not been taught on enough/properly." The solution? "Preach/teach more on it." 4. In all of those circumstances, and more, the underlying assumption is that the problem is a lack of true knowledge, and if the true knowledge were held, the people would act the way they should and all would be better 5. Such is comforting: we have the problem, yes, but in us we also have the solution 6. If the solution is not favorable, then the blame remains in our ignorance or in our lack of willpower 7. Our ability to know and to overcome through knowledge remains unquestioned F. What shall we say to these things? III. Knowledge and Ignorance A. The successes of the Enlightenment mission demonstrates that there is certainly a place for knowledge! 1. This much is true: many problems exist for mankind on account of ignorance in both its intentional and unintentional forms 2. There is power in knowledge, and we do have the ability to gain mastery over many aspects of this creation through our knowledge and thus able to manipulate things to our own ends B. The Bible certainly commends knowledge! 1. Many know John 8:32: you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free 2. Jesus said that He was "the truth" in John 14:6, and Christianity has ever since sought after an understanding of all that is true; there is a reason why the Enlightenment took place in the Western world, the inheritors of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and not elsewhere! 3. 2 Peter 3:18: Christians are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ 4. Hebrews 5:14: maturity can only be reached by having discernment, or knowledge regarding, what is good versus what is evil 5. 1 Timothy 2:4: God's goal is for all to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved C. The Bible also warns against ignorance! 1. Hosea 4:6: God laments how His people are destroyed by a lack of knowledge 2. Romans 1:13, 11:25, 1 Corinthians 10:1, 12:1, 2 Corinthians 1:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13: Paul will often explain things to Christians in terms of not wanting them to be "ignorant" of some fact regarding the Gospel 3. Romans 10:3: Israel stands condemned for being ignorant of God's righteousness and attempting to establish their own righteousness 4. 2 Peter 2:12, 3:16: false teachers prove ignorant regarding the truth of God and distort the message of the Scriptures D. Therefore, there most certainly is power in knowledge and danger in ignorance! 1. As creatures made in the image of God, we can come to an understanding of information, have true knowledge, and act appropriately (cf. Genesis 1:26-27) 2. There is an expectation that by having true knowledge, one will act appropriately ("as they should") based on that knowledge 3. People have all sorts of ideas and do all sorts of behaviors on account of ignorance of true knowledge, leading to all sorts of problems, and will suffer the consequences unless they come to true knowledge and change (e.g. Acts 3:17, 1 Corinthians 2:8) E. So while knowledge is important and necessary, is it everything? In logical terminology, while knowledge is necessary, is it sufficient to explain all of our problems? IV. The Limitations of Knowledge A. While the Enlightenment paradigm seems strong, it does not take long to see some flaws in it 1. There are lots of people who participate in destructive behaviors who "know better," recognize the danger and destructiveness of their behaviors, and yet continue to participate in it 2. There are people who have been taught a certain way but ultimately reject that teaching by their words and/or deeds 3. While we have learned much over the past few hundred years, what we learn exposes our ignorance about so much more B. Scientific Illustration: Microbes and Man 1. In the 20th century, science and medicine made great advancements in understanding the role of bacteria and virii in infection and illness 2. Through the use of vaccines and antibiotics many illnesses which devastated populations for centuries were severely curtailed or entirely eliminated, like smallpox, polio, and measles 3. Conventional wisdom, therefore, defined bacteria and virii as generally bad and requiring elimination 4. Yet now we are discovering that the average human plays host to thousands of types of bacteria, and it seems that all sorts of difficulties, from depression to obesity, involve the particular composition of bacteria in a person's body 5. Antibiotics may end infections but also wreak havoc on the bacterial composition of a person and may lead to more problems than it solves in some circumstances! C. Quantum physics, continued exploration of the human body, etc., continues to demonstrate that things are more complicated than they originally seemed! D. In many of these realms the Enlightenment paradigm is not terribly bothered: sure, there is more to learn about the way the human body works, but it can be learned, and assuming the continued development of technology, will be better understood in the future than now E. But is this true of all things? Can all things be learned? F. A complete impossibility! G. The biggest flaw in the Enlightenment paradigm is that it cannot be fully sustained since human knowledge and ability are limited and not infinite! 1. The human mind, as great as it is, still cannot comprehend infinity 2. Human perception will never be as sharp as an eagle's or fine-tuned as a cat or a bat, let alone able to perceive anything beyond the confines of this universe and what is perceptible by the senses 3. Some are dismissive of anything existing beyond what can be perceived, yet most recognize the arrogance of the claim and maintain a deep-seated skepticism of the belief that the only things that exist can be perceived by the five senses H. Furthermore, the Enlightenment paradigm assumes knowledge is always for the good! 1. Knowledge, on its own, is value-neutral: a given statement is true or false, certain things are possible on the basis of understanding a given thing 2. A philosophy, ethic, religion, or some sort of metaphysical construct must exist in order to ascertain what is "beneficial" or "detrimental" about knowledge! 3. After all, it is the same knowledge of nuclear physics that can lead to the building of a power plant to provide electricity or of a bomb to kill millions 4. Humans have proven just as willing to wield technological developments to harm one another as they have been to help one another! I. The idea that greater knowledge would always lead to betterment of society was put to death in Europe in World Wars I and II, never to return, having given modernist/rationalist philosophy and its optimistic view of human understanding its death blow J. It is little wonder that postmodernism has come in the shadow of the atrocities of the past century, questioning and doubting every claim to betterment through knowledge or even the capacity for knowledge! M. Meanwhile, the message of the Gospel as revealed in the Scriptures has always recognized the limitations of knowledge and human ability! N. Knowledge is not the greatest virtue in Scripture; trust in God and His understanding is always the greatest virtue 1. So Job 28:28, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7: the fear of YHWH as the beginning of knowledge and wisdom 2. Proverbs 2:5: through fear of YHWH one can begin to find true knowledge and wisdom 3. Proverbs 3:5-8: trust not in one's own understanding but on YHWH and His ways 4. John 6:68-69: Peter as having discovered the source of true knowledge in Christ O. The Bible is also clear that knowledge is not always a good thing 1. Genesis 2:9, 16-17, 3:1-23: Man was warned against eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, did anyway, and their eyes were enlightened, and it led to condemnation and death 2. Habakkuk 2:4: a soul may be puffed up, but the righteous live by faith 3. 1 Corinthians 8:1: knowledge puffs up, but love builds up 4. 1 Corinthians 8:10-11: knowledge as causing another to stumble 5. Colossians 2:6-10: many led astray by worldly philosophy, not rooted in Jesus the true knowledge and philosophy 6. 1 Timothy 6:20-21: warning against "knowledge falsely so called," Gnosticism and the entire premise that there is "secret information" for a "certain elect" that allows them to come to a "higher understanding" not available to other Christians and that leads to salvation P. Whereas the Enlightenment paradigm has no answer for why people persist in bad thinking/behavior despite knowledge of truth, the Bible does: man's corruption on account of sin 1. Romans 1:18-32: having made divinities out of the creation, humans has acting in more depraved ways 2. Romans 3:23: all have sinned 3. Romans 5:12-18, 8:18-23: sin and death in the world; all as subject to sin and death; corruption and decay of the creation 4. Romans 5:19-20, 7:7-12: knowledge of sin as leading to participation in sin, the suggestion that sometimes insisting on something may lead to the opposite of the intended result! 5. Romans 7:13-24: the internal struggle describing how it can be that someone who "knows better" still chooses the evil and does not do the good 6. There is no room for any of this according to the Enlightenment paradigm, in which humans are as angels in potential and ability, neglecting the very real dimension of man's depravity and as demonic in behavior! Q. Therefore we can see the limitations of knowledge 1. As finite creatures, humans will never be able to understand, by their own power alone, that which is beyond their perception; for that they must rely on what has been revealed by the Eternal, Infinite One (Deuteronomy 29:29, Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 1:18-20) 2. No matter how much humans may learn, they will continue to be subject to the forces of sin, evil, and death, and experience corruption and decay (Romans 3:23, 5:12-18, 8:18-23) 3. While human knowledge has reduced and eliminated many plagues, plagues of evil, bad behavior, and difficult answers about who we are and our place in the universe will never be able to be solved through the rational pursuit of knowledge and its exercise; we cannot, by our own strength, overcome our sin problem (Ecclesiastes 8:14-17, Romans 7:24-25) 4. Humans can know the good but choose the evil because of their inclination toward rebellion (Romans 1:18-32, 8:1-8); therefore, the Enlightenment paradigm cannot fully answer for the human condition R. Knowledge, therefore, can never be just an end unto itself! 1. Knowledge is not god, cannot save, and proves insufficient to solve the most vexing problems of humanity 2. This does not mean that ignorance is the answer, for ignorance remains quite the problem, and ought to be eliminated whenever possible 3. But we must always recognize what the ancients knew quite well: there is a lot more to know than we know; we think we know but we really do not know; humans are most dangerous when they are convinced they know even though they really do not know; the magnitude of what we do not and cannot know ought to lead to humility and placing confidence in the God who does know and who has revealed what we can know to us, the One True Creator, YHWH, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, John 14:6, etc.) 4. Knowledge, therefore, is not the answer: knowledge should be a means to the answer, but the answer remains recognizing what can be known about the nature of the God who created us and all things and trusting in Him, His way, His strength, and conquering sin and death through saving faith in Jesus of Nazareth who lived, died, and was raised again in power (Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 2:1-15, 15:3-7, Ephesians 3:14-21, Philippians 4:13) 5. Yes, absolutely, faith must be informed by true knowledge, and should not be an excuse for ignorance, but we cannot imagine that we will overcome just by possessing knowledge and attempting to master that which we think we know, for the challenges besetting us are beyond our ability alone: Ephesians 6:10-18! V. Conclusion A. We have seen the power and limitations of knowledge B. Knowledge is necessary, but proves insufficient, as a governing philosophy and a way forward through the joys and tribulations of life C. Putting confidence in human knowledge and ability will ultimately fail; our confidence instead should be in the One True God who is infinite, uncreated, eternal, and all-powerful, and to follow after His ways and seek understanding of His revelation to us D. Even then, salvation is not obtained through knowledge and mastery of what is known, but through trust in and submission to the God whom we come to know through Jesus His Son, relying on Him, His understanding, His strength, and not our own E. Let us trust in God in Christ, not in human knowledge or ability, and be saved! F. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: "and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Humans can learn things and come to true knowledge. Let us learn of God in Christ and follow Him! 2: Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifieth (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge can puff up and lead to arrogance; love builds up and seeks the best interest of others (Philippians 2:1-4). Let us come to know true love and practice it! 3: What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, "Thou shalt not covet" (Romans 7:7). Sadly, knowledge is not always for the good; sin multiplies when there is knowledge of sin and rebellion in performing it. Let us turn away from sin and follow the Lord Jesus! 4: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7). Knowledge cannot be an end unto itself; it is no god. Instead, knowledge is to lead to faith and trust in God who has all understanding and power. Let us learn to trust, and not imagine that we can master all things through knowledge!