Why? Progressing towards Wisdom

As mentioned in my last post, the "why" of any particular thing is not as clear as the "how." But alas, the questioning of existence is what philosophy is built upon.  A "scientist" can find the "how" and get to know the facts, but a philosopher can search for a lifetime and die in his ignorance.

Sometimes, though, scientists can make logical assumptions and come up with the most probable reason for a phenomenon.  It has been assumed that people have taste receptors for "sweetness" for the collection of sugars to get the energy their body needs to operate.  Likewise, it is assumed we have "salty" taste buds to detect the sodium needed for a proper electrolyte balance in our blood.  "Bitter" and "sour" tastes can be assumed to tell our ancient ancestors whether food was ripened or rotten.  These are not things we can "know" with certainty, but they do make sense to most of us.

The old "survival of the fittest" dogma perpetuates the assumptions upon which much of modern science is based.  This can be applied to plants that are usually "bitter" to the taste.  They contain chemicals that are fatal to insects--and often to larger lifeforms.  Any attempt to eat the leaves or fruit is unpleasant to those foraging for food.  If the warning from the taste is ignored, the offender might even die, assuring that other of the species sought for food will not be so assaulted.

Cause and affect often works out in such a way that the reason becomes apparent retrospectively.  This is where "knowledge" leads to wisdom.  The more we know, the better we are able to discern the reason things happen.  Once we discern the correlations, we can avoid mistakes that may alter our lives so as to provide a better quality of life.  Among scientists, experimentation is based on making assumptions and then testing cause and effect to verify them.

We may never know the ultimate reason behind the way things are, but the more we try to find out, the more discerning we can become.  As we become smarter, it is hoped that we can become wiser.  However, there are no guarantees.

So What Do I Know?

I don't know as much as I wish I did.

Probability can only get you close to Reason.

I can never know enough; and I doubt anyone can.