epistemology, interpretations, way of life.. oh my....

[Peter Kropotkin]

if we look around, think about it, what am I saying?
that we have no epistemological basis for understanding our
existence... strong words Kropotkin, back them up....

the earth is 93 million miles from the sun... but that isn't actually
true.. because of the rotation of the earth around the sun, we
can be anywhere from 92.5 million miles from the sun to
94 million miles from the sun.. and what do we make of the
''fact'' that the earth is 93 million miles from the sun? that brings
us to the next point, interpretation... we must, must interpret
all facts for them to make any sense... that tree is green...
and you know this how? for the very idea of a tree and the idea of
the color green, are interpretations....a tree can be classified in
a dozen ways as can the color green... we don't have facts,
we have interpretations of facts, no facts by themselves...
we have what we call the "theory of evolution" and a fine theory
indeed... but it isn't a fact, it is a theory which is, and will be,
revised and possibly, one day, rejected.. theories of science
are not facts, but interpretations of facts... and the truth is,
we don't have facts... the human body averages 206 bones..
averages... and that word, average means interpretation....

so how this works is this, we see or hear. something,
that is the color green... and we then interpret that...
for our understanding of the color green is an interpretation...
for example, when looking at a wall color, I might say, its green,
my wife, being female will correct me, that color is teal... and
"teal" is? She says that teal a variation of green...the dictionary
says this: teal is a greenish-blue color...it is a combination of blue and green...
our understanding of the color teal or green, is a matter of interpretation...

But as I always say, now what? the color is teal and what does that
mean to me? how does that impact my life? epistemological,
the fact that a color can be green or teal, doesn't really change
anything...I could live out my entire life without knowing or understanding
that teal is a shade of blue and green...

facts by themselves, mean absolutely nothing... what matters is
my interpretation of those facts... I can live out my entire life without
knowing or caring about the color teal or green...now in response,
one might say, what facts matter are a matter of their value or usefulness
to us...which is a long way of saying, facts are a matter of interpretations...

so, we can live out our entire life and not care about teal or the earth is
93 million miles from the sun... so we are kinda left without
place to stand given that facts have no bearing on us unless
we can interpret them in some fashion... we have logical statements
that we call Syllogisms... an example: Socrates is a man, all men
are mortal, therefore Socrates is mortal...and as far as we can tell,
this is a true statement... but it is based on a lie.... how do we know that
all men are mortal? the very premise of this syllogism is dubious at best...
that all men are mortal is a guess, nothing more....and let us assume,
an assumption, that this particular syllogism is correct/true...
that all men are mortal.... now what? as to what it means, that
is a question of interpretation...all men are mortal..
what does this actually mean to us? how can we act upon this
syllogism?

in other words, we cannot base our existence based on facts..
facts, epistemological, as knowledge, only have value if they
are interpreted... because we cannot actual assume that facts
are in fact, true... it is an assumption that facts have a basis
in reality or truth.. epistemological, facts are assumptions...
because what "fact" is absolutely true, without any doubt or
hesitation? on what fact can we build this world on? here we
run into Descartes and his "Cognito, ergo sum"...
but to make sense of this "Cognito" is to make assumptions,
to interpret it... all that is left of human knowledge is
interpretations of that knowledge or facts..

a fact has no value unless/until it is interpreted... to mean something,
to make sense of a fact, it must be interpreted...
and all interpretations are personal and subjective...there is no
such thing as an objective interpretation....

if we were to acknowledge that our knowledge and understandings,
all knowledge, are just interpretations, there are no facts, now what?
what does that mean to us? How can we respond?

I have an suggestion, that we no longer heed to facts as facts,
as they are just interpretations anyway, but we engage in life
as a "way of life"... I take a value, perhaps love, and live my life
as a "way of life" in pursuit of love, as an engagement with love...
all facts, given they are interpretations anyway, are not
given the importance that we give them now, but we use facts,
as a "way of life"...... in this pursuit, we can then add other aspects
of existence which is the aesthetic.. the pursuit of beauty... as a
''way of life''... and we have seen artists engage in life exactly this
way... we have seen and have in fact, applauded artists who
have sought to make the pursuit of beauty their primary goal
in life...

On Saturday, my wife and I are going to the SFMOMA museum...
we are going to see art created by artists who have spent their
existence seeking out or pursuing beauty.. as a ''way of life".....

they are not engaged in questions of facts or the interpretation of facts,
they are engaged in finding beauty in the everyday life we have....
and I ask this question as an honest question..
given evolution, what role does ART play in evolution?
How does the creation of ART, help us survive existence?
we have the facts of evolution, but now how does ART, as we know it,
impact our understanding or knowledge of evolution?

ART goes back deep into human existence, 40,000 years into
our past... it predates writing, it predates the cultivation of
animals, it predates agriculture, it predates fixed settlements like cities,
it predates language, (as far as we know)......so what role does ART play
in the survival of the human species?
and that boys and girls, is a matter of interpretation....

we exists.. we know that, but the question becomes, now what?
the ''now what'' is a question of interpretation....

Kropotkin

[Agent Smith]

I value your insights.

It should be remembered.

There are at least 10,000 astronomers. Wild guess!