Modern Epistemology

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It has been a common topic among philosophers for thousands of years. While there has never been a conclusive proof that any specific theory is correct modern epistemology has a new layer which was not foreseen by pre 20th century philosophers.

Epistemology is the underlying issue in science, philosophy and life. Earlier epistemologists concentrated on the search for what is REAL. Each of them had ideas about the “real world,” but no one could prove if any of them were correct. Plato, Locke, Kant and Descartes offered different explanations of human understanding but most eventually came to the conclusion that our knowledge of “reality” is limited to what we can perceive. Those beliefs were born out in later years as scientific knowledge grew and things which were previously undetectable came within man’s scope.

At the time they lived they had no knowledge of radio waves, electromagnetic radiation, or the relative nature of space/time. These things all existed prior to our ability to detect them but our lack of perception prevented us from knowing them. As science advanced and we became able to detect things which were previously unseen our understanding of reality grew thus proving that our understanding of reality was determined by our perception and not vice versa.

Once it was generally agreed upon that we cannot know what is “real,” and that we can only know what we perceive, the debate centered around how we can prove our perceptions are accurate. They sought to understand how our preconceptions of the world affect our perceptions of it, and in some cases, vice versa.

All good philosophical debate is based on sound premises. In order for an argument to be sound the premises it’s based upon must also be sound. The problem was and is that any premise can be disputed unless we can prove how we know that premise to be true. The goal of philosophers was to establish how we know what we know so that we can have premises which can be agreed upon as the basis of our rational arguments and our philosophical thoughts.

At that time virtually all of what people knew came through direct experience. Experience which was not obtained personally and directly almost always came from people who they personally knew and could judge the veracity thereof. The world was a small place and people knew where information was coming from and the reputations of the people responsible for it.

In today’s tele world much of our experience is coming from sources which are not in our direct experience. We read things which are composed by other people who we have never met and in many cases we have no personal knowledge of their intent or their integrity. Social media users can post things anonymously without repercussion and without any concern for “truth” or “fair play.”

Of even greater concern is the mass media which has turned its back on the concept of truth in pursuit of self-centered goals. They distort the truth, omit the truth, or just spew blatant lies. One of the most important keys to a functioning democracy is TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY.

The third estate used to exist in this country as a functional counterbalance and watchdog of our government and corporate powers. Honorable journalists sought the facts, presented the facts, and allowed their viewers and readers to form their own conclusions. They tried to hold our political and business leaders accountable in the best interests of all Americans.

In recent years the mainstream media has become the equivalent of the Soviet era TASS. They are nothing more than the propaganda arm of Hollywood liberals and the Democratic party. Anything liberals and democrats do is, by default, acceptable. Anything that anyone that disagrees with them does, is by default, unacceptable.

Our media decided to collude with the Clintons during Bill’s presidency and they have never looked back or turned back since. They have chosen to ignore the most egregious and disgusting acts perpetrated by the Clintons and Obama. They do not hesitate to publish known lies, quoting “anonymous” sources. Their dedication to their misguided ideals is equaled only by their willingness to disregard the rights, beliefs and freedoms of those who disagree with them.

While they relentlessly attack any who have the nerves to dispute their moral superiority, they protect those who espouse liberal philosophy and their Democratic donors regardless of their crimes or their personal foibles. They ignore the hatred and racist rants of their members and seek to cover it up to maintain their illusion of superiority. Women who had their rights violated by sexist liberal business and political leaders are berated and attacked by the very people who should be defending them.

The rights of women and minorities they claim to espouse are secondary to the perpetuation of their power. This is not the exclusive domain of liberals or the Democratic Party. Our political leaders in general have shown utter disregard for their constituency or the laws that the people that elected them are forced to live by. The only “constituency” our elected representatives concern themselves with are: themselves, their political party, political action committees and corporate lobbyists. The only time they even pretend to care about the voter is at election time. The purpose of RaisingDC.net is to restore the government to the people of this great country.

Towards this end we promote open and honest discussion of issues and solutions from well-intentioned people regardless of their political affiliation or social beliefs. Ideas and answers expressed on this site should be considered starting points and not final solutions. All beliefs and ideas should be subject to revision based upon subsequent evidence.