The Knowledge Argument Summary: Concerning the Key Ideas
The process of the world cognition must be one of the most complicated ones that occur in a human mind. Indeed, the ability to make a coherent logical transition from experiencing a certain feeling to obtaining information, processing it and memorizing for the further use is what makes the human brain such an amazing organ.
However, some of the stages of the cognition process remain quite obscure despite the fact that the world science has developed considerably, having explained a number of peculiar phenomena, the question whether recognizing a certain object or issue and learning about its key properties can be considered the process of cognition or the process of physical perception is yet to be solved.
To be more exact, physical properties represent all the information that one can possibly obtain about a certain object, which is why the five senses are enough for learning all the essential information.
Lewis’s Main Argument: Reading between the Lines
According to Lewis, the five senses of a human being are enough to learn everything that is needed to understand the functions and the properties of a certain object. While Jackson insists that there is more than the tangible image of an object, Lewis still makes it clear that, with the help of the five senses, one can obtain the required information about a certain thing within practically no time.
On the one hand, the argument is solely about the means of cognizing the reality. However, when digging a bit deeper, one will realize that there is more to this argument than meets the eye. Admitting that there are only the tangible parameters of a certain object or thing to recognize, Lewis makes it clear that the process of cognition consists only of obtaining a certain kind of information about the object in question.
On the contrary, Jackson explains that there is more to learning about a certain object than considering its properties; according to Lewis the process of studying an object is a process of cognition and learning, which can be possibly followed by practicing the newly obtained skills.
Against the Knowledge Argument: Joining Lewis’s Ranks
It seems that Lewis’ argument is more valid than the one that Jackson presents. While both scholars offer sufficient pieces of evidence to back their ideas up with, there is still a grain of uncertainty about the arguments which Jackson makes. While the latter makes it clear that the process of cognition is a natural stage of experiencing a certain phenomenon, he still misses the fact that the process of recognizing the object’s properties comes first. Hence, the cognition process can be considered a result of the latter.
Moreover, the peculiarities of short-term memory must be taken into account. It is clear that a human memory cannot retain all the experiences which one has had over the day; therefore, the experience element in the process of cognition might be insignificant (for instance, in identifying an obstacle on the road).
In the above-mentioned example, the role of the five senses is obvious, while the experience and the conclusion which the experience should lead to are unclear. Hence, one can assume that Lewis’ ideas are closer to the truth than the ones of Jackson.
Works Cited
Jackson, Frank. Lewisian Themes: The Philosophy of David K. Lewis. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 2004. Print.
Lewis, David. “Knowing What It’s Like.” Theories of Mind: An Introductory Reader.
Ed. Maureen Eckert. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. 2006. 211-213. Print.