Category:That Is Not Knowledge
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category vigorously deconstructs modern definitions of education and scientific advancement. Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that accumulating volumes of books on how to eat, sleep, mate, and defend does not constitute actual education, because even animals possess this basic survival instinct. Furthermore, the technological pursuit of manufacturing nuclear weapons or automobiles is merely plundered intelligence, not genuine enlightenment. True knowledge is absolute and free from the experimental guesswork, "perhaps," and "maybe" of imperfect scientists and philosophers. Additionally, the impersonal concepts of the Absolute Truth and the Māyāvādī illusion that the living entity is equal to God are firmly rejected as foolishness. Real knowledge begins with understanding one's spiritual identity and culminates in the complete surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The Illusion of the Bodily Concept: Working exhaustively to provide comfort for the temporary material body is not true enlightenment. True education begins with the inquiry into one's actual spiritual identity.
- The Defects of Scientific Theorizing: Because the conditioned soul possesses imperfect senses, any knowledge based on mental speculation, hypotheses, and constantly changing theories is essentially cheating.
- Technological and Material Advancement: Utilizing human intelligence merely to invent machines for sense gratification or destructive weapons is an illusion and a gross misuse of human capability.
- The Fallacy of Impersonalism: The philosophy that claims God is ultimately formless or that the ordinary living entity is equal to the Supreme Lord is foolishness based on limited understanding.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Theorizing with Imperfect Senses - That Is Not Knowledge.
Pages in category "That Is Not Knowledge"
The following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total.
A
- According to Vedic civilization, anyone who is thinking, "I am this body," and doing accordingly - for the bodily pleasure he is working so hard - so that is not knowledge
- All these theories, big, big theories - politician, scientist, philosopher - they simply say "perhaps," "maybe," "missing link." This is not knowledge. Therefore we are reading Bhagavad-gita: sri-bhagavan uvaca. There is no imperfectness
K
- Knowledge does not mean how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life, and how to defend. That is not knowledge. These things are there in the animals. The animals also know very well how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to defend
- Knowledge does not mean that how you can manufacture nuclear weapon. That is not knowledge. That is illusion
- Knowledge how to eat, how to sleep, how to defend, how to enjoy sex life, and volumes of books on this subject matter, these are not knowledge. They are known even by the cats and dogs
S
T
- The Mayavadi philosopher thinks that there is only one Supreme Truth and that he is also that Supreme Truth. Actually this is not knowledge but foolishness
- The so-called scientists, philosophers, they are theorizing, "It may be," "Perhaps." So what is this knowledge, "Perhaps," "It may be"? That is not knowledge. Say definitely. But nobody can say. They are blind
- To think of Krsna and ordinary person as equal is not knowledge; it is illusion
W
- We do not get proper education. Wrongly directed. They are changing. Changing is not knowledge. That is not knowledge. Just yesterday we were talking some theosophist: he is changing his view. Formerly it was right; now it is wrong
- We may apply our intelligence to manufacture an automobile, radio or television for sense gratification, but we have to understand that this is not knowledge. Rather, this is plundered intelligence
- When one surrenders to Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is to be understood that he has actually attained knowledge. Otherwise it is ignorance. To think of Krsna and ordinary person as equal is not knowledge; it is illusion