How Human Knows Anything

How Humans Know About Everything/Anything.

(I wrote this essay/ideas on 22nd July 2010 and posted it on my blog FIKRism.blogspot.com, but it is in Urdu. So thought it needed to convert into English as vast viewers can view it. Another thing you should know English is not my 1st language, even not 2nd language, so I try my best to convey the correct ideas into correct words, but however you need this tokeep in mind and focus more on ideas instead of words.)

How human gets knowledge of everything? What is all the receptions of humans to gain any knowledge? In old days some thought it’s only the humans senses, human can know anything only by his senses, without senses you cannot know about anything. Some others thought no, senses are not enough, there are some hidden intuitive things which also teaches you somethings which senses can never reach to taste it. And incentivize you to do certain things unconsciously.

I gave a little heed on this matter and came to following conclusion.

What are the total inputs/sources of humans to know anything?
How a human can know anything at all?
This is the main question.

There are total four things through which a human may know anything.
1. Instinct
2. Senses
3. Others
4. Intuition


1. Instinct
This is the thing which every animal and human possess. This is the very basic thing for every being to survive. Without this it is impossible to survive. And if you do not have very basic knowledge how to live in this world then it is logically stupid to be born in first place. And if any living creature does not have instinct then it does not exist actually. (because it didn’t know how to live in this world and it didn’t survive, so we don’t know about it)
Instinct is something which every being know his basics of living automatic. I mean no one tells the lion that you are carnivorous and you have to eat only and only meat. No one tells the lamb that wolf is your enemy, keep away from him. Even no one tells to anyone that eyes are for see, ears are for hear and sex-organ is not only for piss but also to make sex, and sex is not only for enjoy but it is vital to keep you species alive.
Even cat eats grass when his digestive system does not work properly. So how all this knowledge come from. Who tells to beings that how you have to live according to your nature. That’s the instinct and that’s given to every being with his birth.
And that's logical, if Nature bore us to this world then he also gives us the basic knowledge to survive and that knowledge is also according to our nature. If it were not then you would find some lions eating grass, some humans behaving like donkeys, some donkeys more intelligent than Humans, some humans walking on arms, some crawl... because no one would know which organ is for what and we have to do what to live, whether living is good thing or we simply kill ourselves in first place when se came in this world !!??
Knowledge of instinct is very limited, it does not teach you much but only how to survive. It only provides the very basic knowledge to survive which you have not to learn from any sources.

2. Senses
The complete knowledge of Sense is triangular.
Senses – Experience – Brain

Senses are our Input devices which collects the data from surroundings and send it to brain to process. Brain processes on it, on the basis of his ability gives the results.
Its obvious, more and more senses experience, brain gives different results, it could be more strict on his previous hypothesis or it could change the previous hypothesis and gives new.
So different experiences occurs intentionally or un-intentionally.
And surely we know all the material world through our senses.


3. Others/Outsource
Others mean Education or Outsource.
Learning from others or educations whether verbally or through actions.
It is not necessary someone teaches you, you can teach yourself also only by observing others.
This is something which you do not experience yourself but you learn through others experiences (from other stories).
But as senses are our only material inputs. So this Option could not be grabbed without senses. But this is separated form Senses because in senses you yourself is only the source while in this Others are actually the source of input.


(I give you one practicial little story for differentiation of Senses and Outsource, you may skip it.
Suppose I am an an African man of stone age. One day I climbed on a tree to pluck some fruits, but I got imbalanced and fell down, it hurt I injured. By this experience I got the knowledge that if you fall from this tree you become injured. Then after few days I climbed on another tree and again fell down. I injured. And I thought if you fall from this tree you become injured also. Then someways after I fell down from another third tree. Bingo. My bulb of of brain lighted. I knew through these different experiences that it is not this this and this tree, actually if you fall from any tree you may become injured.
After a while I was climbed on a hill to collect some honey. I collected it. But bees followed me, I rushed when climbing down and my foot slipped and I fell down, I injured and honey spoiled but I was thinking something else. Next day I was repairing the roof of my hut, again you can guess what happened, my luck, I fell down. But this time not only bulb of my brain but whole brain lighted I knew ultimately it is not tree or hill or wall or roof or mountain, but it is actually height, if you fall from some height you may hurt yourself. So I knew all of this through a big experiences of my life. And I learned all of this through my sense-experience and brain.
So when my kids became little older I told them in one sentence that kids if you fall from some height you may hurt yourselves so be careful. As my kids believe/know that their father cannot be wrong so they knew all of it in one sentence without indulging themselves in some (bad) experiences. So my kids knew it through Outsource, though education by others.
It is the same thing when Einstein says it is the curve in space which makes the cause of gravitation. Now you cannot be the Einstein yourself to prove whether he is right or wrong nor you may have much time in your life to do this. So Humans learn a lot from others.)



4. Intuition
This is the conscience, this is the something inside you which tells what is wrong what is right, this is something which tells you what you should do in certain situations regardless of the conditions. This is something which tells you what you should say in certain situations. This is something which makes you feel good when you do good and makes you feel bad when unlikely things happen.
And most importantly this is the thing which incentivize you to make your decisions. And decisions are the things which declares the path of you.
Intuition cannot be learned from others, neither you may sense it through senses. Nor you can explain it properly.
Everyman possess his own specific abilities, if correct man is at correct place, his intuition will work automatic, and you’ll find him genius.
But humans any ability is not fully grown in starting, you have to find it, you have to feed it, you have to make it grow older and mature. More you work on it more it work for you maturely.


This is the Hikmat, which Quran refers:
269. He granteth wisdom to whom He pleaseth; and he to whom wisdom is granted receiveth indeed a benefit overflowing; but none will grasp theMessage but men of understanding.(Quran, 2:269)
Translation of Hikmat is found Wisdom in English translations.

11. Those of you who believe and who have been granted (mystic) Knowledge. And Allah is well-acquainted with all ye do.(Quran, 58:11)

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Little More Explanation of all Above

The first thing is built-in and is very limited. Human can know only very basic things of life. (eat, shit, drink, sleep, sex, hunt…)

The Second thing teaches a lot to human but all about material world. It is very vast indeed but gives not the knowledge of out-of-box. Because human sense’s approach is very limited and also do a lot of mistakes in understanding. They see a lot of illusions of things instead of real. In this phase Brain has the priority although, if brain will work properly then you can understand and observe things in their true nature, otherwise no matter how many times you observe a thing.. same as before.

Third thing teaches a lot to human but right, wrong, mixed, fixed all.
Then it becomes the human duty to filter it, to find the truth. Whether human wants to filter it or not that is another problem because sometimes teacher, narrator is so powerful you trust it blindfolded.

There is another difference between 2nd and 3rd, that in 2nd (Senses) you experience first then draw the result, while in 3rd (Outsource) you are given/told result first, then it is upto you whether you want to do experience to prove it or reject it or accept it as it was told. Sometimes doing experiences on pre-told is not easy, sometimes it needs your whole life to reach its result, like the example of Einstein is given above. So you just give up and accept.
The teachings of Prophets are also coming under this part.

4th thing is unique in itself. Whatever human learns through this he cannot teach it or transfer it. These are the hidden abilities. Through this human see the true nature of world. Understand the comparison of things. But you can never bring it forward for other people for proof. Like the good experienced police officer who knows through his investigation who is the actual criminal. But he cannot catch it because he has no physical proofs.. And you cannot give proofs of some hidden things in the shape of physical things.
There is no measure to weigh it but through intuitions itself. (means those who understands, indication is enough for them and those who don’t, even if you spend whole life on them they will not)