J. Devin Hintze said:
Regarding Known Knowns
"[T]here are known knowns; there are things we know we know.
We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns the ones we don't know we don't know."
Donald Rumsfeld, 2002
The slice of knowledge above is one of the only known knowns in the world. If you do not know that you do not know very much, then you shall likely never know anything at all.
We mere men tend to conform the known unknowns of the world to our currently held beliefs, to try and make sense of them, but when we do, we must take care not to presume those ideas to become inherent to knowledgewe mustn't presume them to suddenly become known knowns. As we presume to know a thing, that thing becomes an unknown unknown once more, and it's those, the unknown unknowns, that arise and [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] us up.
Men compare new knowledge against the known knowns that each maintains. Since these are known to be known, we compare new information against them. If a new idea contradicts our known knowledge, then the only logical response is to reject that new idea as errant and flawed.
This works perfectly well when we actually know that we know what we know [sic]. However, problems crop-up very suddenly and with great force when we incorporate a faulty belief into our pool of knowledge, that which "we know that we know."
When this happens, men consider this faulty belief a known known, and no matter how seemingly insignificant this untruth might appear, collateral damage will be found in the course of its wake. To presume to know just one existential lie propels men into a slow downward spiral of delusional ideology andeventuallypsychosis.
In time, new and genuine knowledge will be forsaken in order to maintain that faulty belief. To protect the comfort in unwisely presuming to know that he knows a thing, a man will soon require reinforcementfrom himself and others.
These men most often seek others; through whom they may spread their untruths as they falsely presume to learn of the other known knowns, which have been "hidden" from them by those not in this collective delusion of knowledge. From here, we incorporate further faulty beliefs into our spoiled pool of "working knowledge," each belief situated proximally toand in agreement withthe first faultily held belief.
Each of these men and each of these beliefs serve only to reinforce the originally mistaken known known. Soon enough, his pool of knowledge has become a swamp of lies. At this point, faulty beliefs must be rectified. The easiest way to cope is to keep incorporating more lies, piling lie upon lie, which causes the psychosis.
Epistemological psychosis starts with feeling dissociated from the world and the people in it. Feelings of dissociation arise from the fact that so few others maintain not only this initial faulty-belief but also every other that arises subsequently. The world around him will turn, despite a stark contrast to what he now believes.
There are two ways for this to play-out. At best, the man will purge all presumed 'known knowns' from his pool of knowledge every last drop, recognizing that there is not much for us to know that we know with any kind of certainty. At worst, he continues to suggest these faulty beliefs to the other menthose of weaker minds subscribe and become infected. The man does so in order to not only ascribe a sort of credence to his own delusions but to escape his loneliness. The man does start to feel better, but this is temporary since he fails to see the faults in himself; he starts this psychotic spiral in another as he truly believes in his heart that he is enlightening his fellow men.
Dissociation becomes loneliness, which grows frustrated and becomes anger. Anger leads to rage, where uncontrollable and irrational rage is insanity. Egos will construct a false reality most readily. Despite the energy required to spin and maintain an ever-increasingly complex web of falsehood, egos preferand have prepared themselvesto exhaust their energy before admitting flawswhich, to the ego, is akin to death.
In atheism, ego-death and death proper are one in the same, for atheism imparts a rather unique power to the ego. After spinning a webs of lies, deep within, the ego knows that it only truly knows itself. To that end, self-preservation and the pursuit of momentary pleasure now comprise the entirety of reality and enslave life to its very flawed, broken and self-serving agendas.
Although we may know Him, we may not yet know that we know Him. To presume to know that you know God is to conform Him to our preconceptions. Although some are more misguided than others, they're usually falseefforts to conform Him to our will, where it ought to work in the reverse. When we presume to know that we know Him before we actually do, He stays just as He is but now becomes an Unknown Unknown, waiting to arise and [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] us up.
Beknow God as the greatest Known Unknownthat's what faith is for. Faith has no place where He is truly known and known to be known. Form ideas about Him and His willthink upon Him all the time, but do not presume to know that you know God beyond knowing that you do not know His plans for youa known unknown.
Regardless, all that I know is that I know very little.
jdevinhintze.deviantart.com/#/d3lk1ga