"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
Repentance as a Group Activity (David Lambert)
Rethinking 'Quiet Time' with Scripture (Jen Wilkin)
Listen to an Article: Scott Harrower on Coping with Trauma through Scripture
Excavating the Biblical World (Cynthia Shafer-Elliott)
Christmas Special: Esau McCaulley on Reading While Black (OnScript)
What Is Civility and How Do We Practice It? A Panel Discussion
Biblical Artist Series: Sandra Bowden Literally Makes the Bible into Art
How Brazilians Understand the Bible Differently (Caio Peres)
Biblical Artist Series: Why John Hendrix Draws in Church
Wandering in the Wilderness: COVID-19 and the Book of Numbers (Dave Beldman)
Not a "White Man's Religion": Church History and Biblical Thought (Vince Bantu)
Biblical Artist Series: Jon Collins from BibleProject
Biblical Literacy for Flourishing in Faith and Work (Luke Bobo)
Re-Thinking Wisdom Literature in the Bible (Will Kynes)
How Old Testament Laws Can Shape Christians Today (Carmen Imes)
Critiquing the Church's Beliefs about Sex and Gender (Aimee Byrd)
Shaping Habits and Imagination for Reading Scripture (Dr. Heath Thomas)
Is Asian Philosophy (including Israel) "Philosophy"? Dr. Bryan Van Norden
Thinking Exodus: Egyptology and the Bible (James K. Hoffmeier)
Biblical Artist Series: Ned Bustard
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