Aristotle's Argument For The Virtue Of Universal Knowledge

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I agree with Aristotle that humans cannot obtain universal knowledge, because we are taught things to achieve knowledge, and without being taught by one who already has universal knowledge, we can never attain universal knowledge. I believe that true knowledge can only be learned through experiences. Despite the fact that we can be taught a specific set of qualifications that would classify something to be exactly what we believe it may be, it cannot be said that these qualifications are ultimately true in a universal sense because they are being taught by another human being that was also taught. The only way to know that the things we are taught are true would be to experience them first hand. In his book on Metaphysics, Aristotle explains …show more content…
For an animal like a dog, who cannot speak human language, they are taught through experience. When we get a puppy, we train it to do the things we want it to do. For example, my dog knows where to relieve himself when we go on walks because he can smell his scent on the spots where he has relieved himself before. Once he saw that we would praise him for not relieving himself in the house, and instead going to the yard or the tree in front of our house, he knew that that was where he was supposed to use the bathroom. The same can be said for humans. The best knowledge is that which has come from personal experience. For example, learning to ride a bike. When I learned how to ride a bike, I was initially very afraid at the idea that I would not have training wheels to help me balance my body weight on the bike. The person who had been trying to teach me how to ride the bike told me not to worry and that he would push the back of the bike as I pedaled. I was still wary of what would happen when he let go, but he told me that I would be okay, and because I was already pedaling it would provide momentum and I wouldn’t notice when he let go. Despite this knowledge, I continued to fall off of the bike and became frustrated. I was doing everything I was told, I pedaled hard, I kept the handlebars straight, I balanced my weight where I sat, and still I continued
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