Chapter 5 [Case Analysis] <What do you want to learn>

A young man trekked through thousands of mountains and rivers, and came to a small island in the triangular waters of the Bermuda Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, looking for a philosopher who lived in seclusion there, with the purpose of learning some profound knowledge.After seeing the philosopher, the young man explained his purpose.Unexpectedly, the philosopher was a master of sophists, and a few words confused the young man. Philosopher: Do you want to learn knowledge? Youth: Yes. Philosopher: What you already know, is it something you want to learn? YOUTH: No, I don't want to learn what I already know.

Philosopher: So, you want to learn something you don't know? YOUTH: Yes, I want to learn what I don't know. Philosopher: If you don't know about horses, would you ever think of learning about them? Youth: No, it's impossible to learn about horses, because I don't even know there are horses.But, philosopher, I do know that there are horses, and horses do exist in the world. Philosopher: Wait a minute, what do I ask you, what do you answer me, don't go elsewhere.Let me ask you again: If you don't know that there is a mysterious island in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle, would you ever think of learning about it?

Youth: Wouldn't want to learn about an island I don't even know about. Philosopher: There is an alien man-made asteroid launched by aliens on the asteroid in the solar system. Of course you don’t know about this asteroid.Can you think of learning about this asteroid? Youth: No, it is impossible to want to learn about it. Philosopher: So what you don't know isn't what you want to learn? Youth: Yes. Philosopher: You said that what you already know is not what you want to learn; now you say that what you don't know is not what you want to learn; and things are always what you already know things, or things you don't know yet; so, there is nothing you want to learn.

Youth: Is that so? ! Philosopher: If there is nothing you want to learn, then why are you here? After the philosopher's sophistry, the young man seemed to have no idea what he came for. This philosopher is worthy of being a magician who steals concepts.So, what kind of magic did he use to lure a young man who asked him for knowledge into the trap he set and couldn't extricate himself?Let's break it down a bit. As can be seen from the philosopher's opening three questions and the youth's three answers, the question they initially discussed was: Do you want to learn about things you already know exist?This question actually consists of two sub-questions:

(1) You know that something exists, and you have mastered the knowledge about this thing, do you still want to learn? (2) You know that something exists, but you have not mastered the knowledge about this thing, do you want to learn? To the former question, the youth answered in the negative, and to the latter question, the youth answered in the affirmative. In this dialogue, the word things used by the two express the concept of knowledge.Unexpectedly, the philosopher then asked another question in the form of three hypothetical sentences: Do you want to learn about things you don't know exist yet?This replaces the original question discussed.

The youth answered this question in the negative.So the philosopher asked again: So, what you don't know is not what you want to learn?This changed the concept again. Originally, the word "thing" is a concept expressing knowledge, but here, philosophers secretly replaced it with a concept expressing things.The young man didn't see this, he was fooled by the above three consecutive questions, and finally he was fooled and gave an affirmative answer. Then the philosopher stuffed two different concepts of knowledge and things into the same verbal form of things, forcing young people to accept his conclusion that there is nothing you want to learn.

The young man was so bewildered by the philosopher that he didn't understand what was going on.