"Knowing is an activity that all of us are involved in, all of the time," writes Dr. Esther Meek in her book Longing to Know, which turns 20 this year. "Usually knowing happens without our taking great thought to the process. But sometimes we stop and think about what we're doing. When we stop and think, what we were doing without much thought becomes murky indeed."
Think of learning to ride a bike. After a period of assisted practice, something clicks. A person who initially couldn't balance on a bike can suddenly ride off on their own. The external process of learning to ride a bike—guidance from a parent or a friend, training wheels, brief intervals of unassisted pedaling—are all easily identifiable. But the personal transformation—from not knowing how to ride a bike to knowing how—is more mysterious.
Building on the thought of Michael Polanyi, Dr. Meek challenges conceptions of knowing that have reigned since the Enlightenment, which don't reflect the way the biblical authors appear to portray how we acquire knowledge. It turns out that, for instance, doing what YHWH commands "so that you may know" looks a lot like learning to ride a bike.
Esther Lightcap Meek (BA Cedarville College; MA Western Kentucky University; PhD Temple University) is Professor of Philosophy emeritus at Geneva College, in Western Pennsylvania. She is also Senior Scholar with The Seattle School for Theology and Psychology, a Fujimura Institute Scholar, an Associate Fellow with the Kirby Laing Center for Public Theology, and a member of the Polanyi Society.
Show notes:
Show notes by Celina Durgin
Why Does Church Matter? Learning from Jazz (Mark Glanville)
When No One Reads Books Anymore
Will AI Take Over the World (Adam Graber)
Scripture, Sexuality, and Podcasting (Preston Sprinkle)
Why We Need the Global Church (Stephen T. Pardue)
Are Psychedelics Good for Depression, or Anything at All? (Ben ”Doc” Askins) [Full Episode]
Why Is Leviticus so Hard to Read? (Dr. Jay Sklar)
A Bend in the Road for TBM and CHT, and Farewell Celina!
QAnon, Conspiracy Theories, and the Church (Michael W. Austin)
’Fireside’ Chat: Distance between Seminaries and Churches (Matt LaPine)
Is ’Systemic Injustice’ Biblical? (Michael Rhodes)
Technology Isn’t a Neutral Tool (Jason Thacker)
ICYMI: How ’Christianese’ Is Like Corporate Jargon (Valerie Hobbs)
ICYMI: Jesus Shows That God and Humans Are a Good Match (Lucy Peppiatt)
What the Image of God Is and Is Not (Carmen Imes)
Understanding the Slaughter of the Canaanites in the Book of Joshua (Paul Hinlicky)
Is It Time to Quit ’Quiet Time’? Discussing Our View (Dru Johnson & Celina Durgin)
Women in the Early Church (Nijay Gupta)
Trying to Master the Bible? Try Savoring It Instead (Andrew Abernethy)
Jazz, Justice, and the Gospel (William Edgar)
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