3. Experience, Art, and the Wisdom of Knowing Causes

Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript

Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

• The Natural Progression of Knowledge: From sensation → memory → experience → art/science, each representing an advance toward wisdom
• Experience Defined: Not a single striking memory, but a collection of many memories of the same sort brought together (requiring an act of reasoning)
• Two Key Differences Between Experience and Art/Science:
  1. Experience knows singulars; art/science knows universals
  2. Experience knows that something is so; art/science knows why it is so (knows the cause)
• The Superiority of Knowing Causes: Wisdom consists in understanding causes, making the man of art/science wiser than the man of experience
• Wisdom vs. Doing: Wisdom resides more in knowing than in doing; contemplation is superior to mere action

Key Arguments #

The Advancement from Experience #

• The man of experience is wiser than the man of one memory because he has brought together many similar memories
• Example: A man who has dated many women is wiser about women than one who has had only one date
• Example: A soldier who has fought in ten wars is wiser than one in his first battle

First Difference: Experience vs. Art/Science in Doing #

• Experience may succeed better than art/science in practical matters because action always concerns singulars
• The doctor cures not ‘man’ (universal) but ’this man’ with his particular conditions
• Example: A doctor prescribes a standard dose of Demerol that harms a patient; the patient’s own experience suggests half the dose works better
• Example: An English-speaking person with no formal grammar knowledge may speak better than someone who learned the rules but lacks experience
• The man of experience is closer to the singular nature of action and may therefore succeed where the man of mere rules fails

Second Difference: Experience vs. Art/Science in Knowing #

• Art/science is superior because it knows causes; wisdom consists in knowing why, not merely that
• Everyone agrees the man who knows why is wiser than the man who knows merely that
• Example: A tea drinker knows from experience that steeping too long makes bad tea; a chemist knows why (different chemicals release at different times)
• This demonstrates that wisdom lies in understanding causes, not in accumulated experience alone

The Chief Artist vs. Subordinate Craftsman #

• The chief artist (ἀρχιτεκτονικός) is wiser than those who carry out instructions because he knows causes and reasons
• Examples: Medical doctor vs. pharmacist; general vs. subordinate officer; master teacher vs. assistant
• The subordinate works by custom (δεύτερα φύσις) and instruction; the chief artist works by understanding causes
• Inanimate things (like fire burning) act by nature but lack knowledge; subordinate craftsmen work by custom similarly
• The superiority of the chief artist indicates that wisdom consists in knowing, not in doing

The Hierarchy of Knowledge #

• If wisdom concerned chiefly knowing singulars (what experience provides), then sensation would be wisdom
• But sensation is not wisdom; therefore wisdom must concern universals and causes
• This is a reductio ad absurdum: if experience and singulars constituted wisdom, newborns with sharper eyesight would be wiser than adults

Important Definitions #

• Experience (ἐμπειρία): A collection of many memories of the same sort brought together through reasoning; knowledge of singular facts and that they are so
• Art/Science (τέχνη/ἐπιστήμη): Used somewhat interchangeably by Aristotle here; knowledge of universals and knowledge of causes/why things are so
• Chief Artist (ἀρχιτεκτονικός): The architectonic or commanding artist who knows causes and directs others; contrasted with subordinate craftsmen
• Custom (ἔθος): A second nature; the mode by which subordinate craftsmen work, following instruction without understanding causes
• The Singular (τὸ καθ’ ἕκαστον): The particular individual; what action and making always concern
• The Universal (τὸ καθόλου): What is common to many; the proper object of art/science and wisdom

Examples & Illustrations #

Medical Examples #

• A nurse gives a standard dose of pain medication that harms a patient; the patient’s experience of herself suggests half the dose works better for her specifically
• A doctor cures Callias or Socrates (individuals), not ‘man’ in general
• A psychologist with universal knowledge of mental illness may be less effective at cheering up a friend than someone who knows that friend individually
• A doctor is wiser than a pharmacist because he knows why a medicine is needed, while the pharmacist merely carries out instructions

Teaching Examples #

• A kindergarten teacher is told to make children write the letter C starting from the top, but doesn’t know why; the reason is that it transitions smoothly to cursive writing
• An academic advisor tells a student to study Greek without explaining why; the student later realizes the value when pursuing philosophy
• An English speaker in Quebec can speak English well from experience but cannot explain the grammatical rules; a French learner knows the rules but cannot speak as well

Practical Examples #

• An experienced cook may be more effective at preparing a meal than someone who only knows recipes
• A political operative who has worked twenty years in Congress knows how to pass legislation better than a political science professor who knows the universal principles of government
• An experienced parent knows how to lift a child’s depression better than a psychologist with universal knowledge of mental illness
• A soldier in his first battle is not as wise as a soldier who has fought in ten wars

Sensory Examples #

• A cat jumps on a hot stove, gets singed, and thereafter avoids the stove; without memory, it would repeat the same mistake
• A tea drinker knows from experience that steeping tea too long produces bad-tasting tea; a chemist knows why different chemicals are released at different times

Notable Quotes #

“The doctor does not cure man, except accidentally, because Callias or Socrates is a man; but it’s really Callias or Socrates that he cures.” - Aristotle

“Art comes to be whenever one universal understanding about light things comes to be from the many things kept in mind by experience.” - Aristotle

“The experience merely know that it is so, but do not know why it is so, but these know why it is so and the cause, which answers the question why it is so.” - Aristotle

“The man sitting becomes wise.” - Stephen Thomas (quoted by Berquist’s professor Sirkish), indicating that wisdom consists in knowing rather than doing

“There is not to question why, there is but to do and die.” - Tennyson, Charge of Light Brigade (illustrating the subordinate’s role)

Questions Addressed #

• Why is the man of experience wiser than the man of one memory? Because he has collected and brought together many memories of the same sort, representing an advance in knowledge toward universals
• In what respect is experience superior to art/science? In practical doing and making, because action always concerns singulars and experience knows singulars
• In what respect is art/science superior to experience? In wisdom and knowing, because it grasps causes and understands why things are so
• What makes someone truly wise? The ability to know and explain causes, not merely to succeed in action
• Does wisdom consist more in knowing or in doing? In knowing; this is a consolation to those not inclined to constant action, and it elevates the contemplative life
• Why does the chief artist seem wiser than the subordinate craftsman? Because the chief artist knows causes and reasons, while the subordinate merely follows custom and instruction

Logical Structure of the Argument #

Berquist presents Aristotle’s reasoning as follows:

1. Premise: Everyone agrees that knowing why is wiser than knowing merely that
2. Observation: Art/science knows causes; experience knows only facts
3. Conclusion: Art/science is wiser than experience
4. Further Conclusion: Wisdom consists more in knowing than in doing
5. Reductio ad Absurdum: If wisdom consisted in knowing singulars (experience’s domain), then sensation would be wisdom and sharper eyesight would equal greater wisdom—which no one believes
6. Therefore: Wisdom must concern universals and causes, not singulars and facts