Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing.

There are four central ways of knowing in which we obtain our information from on a daily basis; Emotion, Perception (senses), Language, and Reason. Each of the four ways is used in different ways depending on the situation, and each is associated with its strengths and weaknesses which makes it most appropriate in a specific situation. Although using reason as a way of obtaining information is frequently used and has many advantages, there are also a variety of disadvantages that make this way of knowing not as reliable as we may think it is.

Logic is defined as synthesizing knowledge from existing knowledge and is a syllogism, consisting of three sections, two premises and a conclusion based on those premises. As reason is most frequently associated with logic, there are two different ways in which we base our logic on. Deductive knowledge is going from the general to the specific while inductive knowledge is going from the specific to the general. The biggest problem with logic is that your conclusion can be valid but not true. For example, your syllogism could be: Socrates is a man- all men are mortal- therefore, Socrates is mortal. The conclusion "Socrates is mortal" is true and valid in this case. However, something like: When Paul plays footbal he is happy- Paul is happy- Paul is always playing football, is invalid as it is a poor conclusion. This is a weakness with reason as logic isn't always reliable. Also, you can never be 100% sure about anything. Even though every extra example that you find that supports your theory makes you more certain that it's correct, you can never hit 100% because you can't try out an infinite number of possibilities that tests your theory.

Another weakness that is associated with reason is that it is often associated with idead and opinions that you have that you base on your environment and what influences you. An example is when you base a reason around something that you feel strongly about, for example: I will not drink alcohol because it's immoral. As different people have different views, this reasoning is based primarily on the person's own views and ideas on what is moral and what isn't.

Although reason as a way of knowing has many disadvantages associated with it, it also has many advantages, which is why it is widely used on a daily basis. One of its strengths is that it is not only based on our senses, which sometimes means that it is more reliable. Due to the fact that we can test our reasoning against literature values and laws, this can sometimes make it more reliable as we can know that we are not the only ones that think that way. For example, we know that Socrates is mortal because we have evidence that he is from other sources, which is our reason for believing that fact, and because that fact is backed up by other sources it makes it more reliable. Reason is also a strong way of knowing as it is in a sense the way that is most based on "common sense".
Another advantage is that it allows for us to build upon previous information and back up our arguments or thoughts on something. It allows for extrapolation, which in some cases is very useful. For example, if someone asks you why you believe in something, you can go back and give reason to back up your belief, almost like tracing your steps. This therefore makes what you believe in more reliable in the other peron's opinion as it is justified based on other facts and knowledge.

In conclusion, reason, just like any other way of knowing has many advantages and disadvantages that are associated with it. Although it is frequently used on a daily basis, it is important for one to note the disadvantages and uncertainty that it comes with.

"The word is half his that speaks, and half his that hears it." -Michael De Montaigne d.1592

This quote by Michael De Montaigne means that a word has no meaning unless there is someone there to interpret its meaning. Language, a key to understanding, is a form of transmitting information and emotions from one person to another. Thus, in order for the information to be understood, the words spoken must also be heard which means that in order for language to be effective, there must be a transmitter and a receiver.
If all are transmitters, then the idea of language is lost as there is no one to transmit the information to, which often ends up resulting in fights and quarrels as everyone is trying to transmit their own ideas and since everyones ideas are different conflicts occur. An example of this is sometimes shown in everyday life as two really hard headed people quarrel. They both speak at the same time which means that they are both transmitters- which means that there are no receivers since none of them are listening. This often results in all the ideas brought up being lost because each person is too busy transmitting to be receiving. In real life, this is often the cause of wars between countries that have strong opinions on certain issues as they both want to transmit their own ideas and end up not listening to the other party. So in order for language to be useful, and for the world to function smoothly, there has to be people who speak, and people who listen. The determinant of which is which, however, varies according to the situation.
This quote also means that each person interprets thing in their own ways. According to each persons past experiences and personal background, there are certain connotations associated with certain words and sentences, some which are positive, and some negative. This triggers a connection in our brain which determines how we view the word or the sentence and how we personally interpret it. This means that what you think you are trying to transmit might not always have the same meaning to the receiver, so when you are trying to get your point across, you should always take that into consideration as what you say may be interpreted in different ways depending on the person you are speaking to. This is also another main cause of quarrels and conflicts as it causes a lot of misunderstanding between people because what one is trying to transmit isn't always interpreted and exactly how they want it to be.

"We see and understand things not as they are but as we are". Discuss this claim in relation to atleast two ways of knowing.

It is difficult to see something and judge it without being biased in some way. You will always apply your own experience and opinion into what you see/taste/smell/hear. As you grow up, you learn things through the 4 ways of knowing; emotion, perception/senses, language, and reason. This makes you see things that make you think in a particular way.

People don't really find things out by being there when something happens, they find things out through their nerves and 5 senses, which is one of the four ways of knowing. But how do you know if they are right? It is impossible to see/feel/taste what other people perceive because each person describes what they see subjectively. How do you know that you and someone else see the same red? Also, just because you can't hear/smell/taste/see something, doesn't mean that its not there because you are not the ruler of the universe. Your perception isn't as good as you think it is as there are things that are there, but that your brain just chooses to ignore, which then makes you think that it isn't there.

Reason is another one of the 4 ways of knowing which is greatly affected by our own opinions/experiences. If you have a certain opinion or view on something you always have a reason as to why you have that opinion and the experiences you encounter in life and how you are raised up help make up that reason. However, in the end, there is no real right or wrong answer in an opinion based argument so each person can think differently and understand something in their own way with their own reasoning behind it.

The reasons stated above are why we see and understand things not as they are but as we are.

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