As I continue this series of defining key words based on world view, let’s take a look at the word knowledge. There are three main characteristics of knowing in Red Pyramid world:
- First, what people claim they know has more to do with what they want than with what actually is, really. Many people claim they know that all religions are the same, without having studied any of them.
- Second, people often claim to know things when they really just know about them—something they heard or have heard about. If you ask a person to elaborate on what they say they know, they are unable to. People claim that scientists have proven that evolution is a fact and the Bible is false, but if you ask them to tell you about that science, they cannot.
- Third, claims to knowledge are too often aggressive and arrogant. The less certain a person is about what they claim to know, the more insecure and thus, the more violently defensive and intolerant they are to any challenge. People claim that gender identity is a social construct, arbitrary, and something a person has a right to choose (or change). If you challenge that claim, you are likely to get a ferocious response.
There are also three main characteristics of knowledge in Green V world.
- First, knowing has more to do with connectedness than with conclusions. Scientists and theologians alike “know” their subject because they are immersed, wanting to learn about God’s design in order to help others benefit.
- Second, immersion in a subject makes a person modest in what he claims to know and also makes that person eager to collaborate with others, especially with challengers. Such modesty increases even as certainty increases for ideas that are enduring.
- Finally, knowing is the product of broad and enduring study. Each day a person engages the day with gratitude and anticipation for how much there is to learn and in how many ways.
Tyranny makes claims to knowledge in order to force people into bondage. The genuine pursuit of knowledge liberates people to a life united in study, collaboration, and helpfulness.