Philosophy Wire: Knowing that you don’t know… Woof!

Researchers have shown that dogs possess some 'metacognitive' abilities - specifically, they are aware of when they do not have enough information to solve a problem and will actively seek more information. The researchers created a test in which dogs had to find a reward behind one of two fences. They found that the dogs looked for additional information significantly more often when they had not seen where the reward was hidden. [1] So there you go. Dogs able to know that they do not know, an ability we thought was the culmination of human thinking. Socrates would be really proud for these dogs. And quite disappointed for these humans who think that knowing anything (even the fact that you don’t know) is the culmination of anything per se. Ignorance is not just a state of mind. It is not even a way to sound cool to fellow philosophers. Not knowing is a deliberate goal of the wise man. For every moment you “know” things you literally destroy the cosmos into the pieces you have in your mind. Let go and accept the cosmos. Only then will you not-know anything. And you will understand that the dogs are still just dogs…

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