From Paul Ellson, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
“In the eyes of the beholders” is one of the best articles that I have read in Â鶹´«Ã½. And, because it mentions information often, I am moved to write that the Greeks had at least two words for knowledge:
doxa and gnosis. Through doxa, we come to conclusions based upon information. Doxa can be rated (a doxa -rate?) and, through the careful study, evaluation and application of information, a doctorate can be acquired and a scientific career launched (21 March, p 28).
But an important point is made: “Growing evidence suggests we don’t experience the outside world directly, but as a personal and continually updated model, or prediction.” That seems an ideal case for
gnosis. Its fundamental is “Know thyself”. Gnosis is enabled by the ability to transcend the effects of doxa and to experience the ever-changing world that is in formation without the baggage of assumptions. Is that why some scientists experience personal “aha” moments, when they stop thinking about the work in hand?
