The Island of Knowledge
Searching for meaning and knowledge
We like to learn. To have a natural curiosity for life. Remaining open minded and accepting that we don’t know it all. And yes, there are some among us that don’t care to apply this in their life.
Physicist Marcelo Gleiser in his book The Island of Knowledge talks about this, much more in depth. We tend to know what we know based on consumption, experience, what we see and can tangibly interact with. Gleiser tests the limits of our overall knowledge and outlines that what we actually know is limited. The same is true about what we experience and what we see. It’s vastly limited to what else is out there.
There is plenty we cannot see and as a physicist, even his capabilities and tools have limits. Gleiser explains, “there is so much that is invisible to the eye, even when we augment our sensorial perception with telescopes, microscopes, and other tools of exploration. Like our senses, every instrument has a range. Because much of nature remains hidden from us, our view of the world is based only on the fraction of reality that we can measure and analyze.”
Which leads to the greatest point in his book that impacts us all:
“As the island of knowledge grows, so do the shores of our ignorance.” - Marcelo Gleiser
Meaning as we look for, interact with and acquire more knowledge, we get smarter. We become wise and with the application of what we learn, wiser. However, the more we do learn and interact with we realize we actually don’t know anything at all. So while our island of knowledge grows we see there is an infinite amount of knowledge we still don’t know. Which makes our shores of our ignorance larger. The more we learn, the more we see we don’t know. It’s only those who think they know it all that don’t even try and will never have this experience. After all, if someone says they do know it all, they’re right. They have already shut down their lives to let in more knowledge, so they know everything they ever will.
Thought Provoking Questions : What are you actively pursuing to learn? And why? If what you know is limited to your experience, how can you add to your overall knowledge toda?
Dan Roman is a writer that releases a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
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