Strategies for Acquiring Knowledge

Final Exam
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Question #3: How we Acquire Knowledge
Heraclitus is famous for a lot of things. However, he is best known for his doctrines, some of which many people believe are somewhat controversial. On knowledge, Heraclitus believed that a lot of people cannot radiate wisdom. Not most people have the ability to understand. This is because understanding comes rarely and it is only those people with the heart and dedication that are able to digest information and acquire knowledge.
People can acquire knowledge only if they listen to the messages he sends and they are capable of discerning it. One of the statements that Heraclitus was that “Learning many things never teach understanding. Else it would have taught Hesiod and Pythagoras, as well as Xenophanes and Hecataeus.” In the statement, Heraclitus finds the people mentioned wanting because they spend a lot of their time to collect information but they never spend enough time in digesting what is the information contains. It is evident that Heraclitus believes that acquiring knowledge is only possible through digging into the details of what one collects.
Therefore, people can only acquire knowledge by processing the information that they receive. He further notes that “Having heard without comprehension, they are like the deaf; this saying bears witness to them. It is not that Heraclitus doubts the abilities of people to learn. He holds that all people have the ability to think soundly. Human beings cannot simply acquire knowledge through gathering a lot of information but through improving the comprehension of the messages they gather. However, comprehending does not come easy. People must discover the unity in the information they gather and grasp their complexity. Further, he holds that knowledge and sense perception go hand in hand. One must therefore be able to decipher the senses for them to be able to understand the world and their surroundings and this can help them to acquire knowledge.
Therefore, the important strategies for acquiring knowledge include searching our soul, making direct first hand inquiry, organizing and classifying, and not just collecting information but ensuring we understand the information we collect. Heraclitus holds that searching our soul is necessary for us to understand ourselves and develop that memory and sensation that is required to learn. Soul searching is also important in determining the kind of information that one is after so that whatever we learn must be in line with our interests. Heraclitus holds that one of the barriers to learning is too many people not learning the information that they should learn. Therefore, through soul searching, they can decipher information and know what they should learn so that they can direct their learning efforts effectively. Heraclitus argue that lacking the ability to soul search is what makes people to lack an understanding of what happens in life. We need this to have a good understanding of what is going on around us.
Heraclitus also holds that key to acquiring knowledge is making direct first hand inquiry. Heraclitus notes that “Many do not understand such things as they encounter, nor do they learn by their...