1. The Natural Desire to Know and the Road to Wisdom

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Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

• The Etymology and Humility of Philosophy: The term “philosopher” (φιλόσοφος) meaning “lover of wisdom” originates with Pythagoras, who refused the title “wise” (σοφός), asserting that God alone is truly wise. This fundamental humility recurs throughout classical and Christian philosophy.
• The Opening of Aristotle’s Metaphysics: Aristotle begins “All men by nature desire to know” (πάντες ἄνθρωποι τοῦ εἰδέναι ὀρέγονται φύσει), establishing knowledge-seeking as inborn rather than acquired through custom.
• The Natural Road of Knowledge: Human knowledge naturally progresses from the senses (αἴσθησις) through reason (λόγος), reflecting man’s nature as a rational animal (ζῷον λόγον ἔχον).
• The Hierarchy of Knowledge: Four ascending stages are identified: sensation → memory → experience → art/science, with wisdom (σοφία) as the ultimate goal.

Key Arguments #

The Truth of Natural Desire to Know #

• Sensory Evidence: All humans use their senses—particularly sight—for purposes beyond utility, such as appreciating sunsets, mountains, and paintings. This demonstrates a desire to know for its own sake.
• Narrative Evidence: Universal human engagement with stories and mysteries persists even when such knowledge serves no practical purpose. People remain absorbed in narratives despite practical inconvenience (e.g., missing sleep to finish a book or watch a movie).
• Observational Evidence: In sports and recreation, people remain engaged when outcomes are uncertain, despite practical reasons to leave (traffic congestion), showing knowledge-seeking transcends practical concerns.
• Metaphysical Foundation: Natural desire indicates that wisdom is both genuinely good and genuinely attainable, since “nature does nothing superfluous” (natura nihil facit frustra).

The Meaning of Natural Desire to Know #

• “All Men” (πάντες ἄνθρωποι): Refers to humanity universally, not men as opposed to women or boys.
• “By Nature” (φύσει): The Greek word φύσις originally means birth/origin; the desire is inborn (innatus), not acquired through custom (mos) or fashion (moda).
• “To Know” (εἰδέναι): Can mean knowing in the broad sense or, more precisely, understanding/reasoning (νοεῖν). The distinction matters when Aristotle notes that sensing is a type of knowing, whereas understanding is more distinctly rational.

The Progression of Knowledge: Four Stages #

1. Sensation (αἴσθησις): Basic awareness of surroundings. Animals possessing sensation are wiser than inanimate objects or plants.

2. Memory (μνήμη): Retention and recollection of sensations. Not all animals possess memory (e.g., certain sessile marine creatures); those that do are wiser than those without. An animal without memory cannot progress in knowledge.

3. Experience (ἐμπειρία): A gathering together of many memories of the same type. The experienced person (e.g., a wine expert with knowledge of hundreds of wines) is wiser than one with a single memory. Experience approaches universality through comparison and collection of particulars.

4. Art/Science (τέχνη/ἐπιστήμη): Recognition of universal principles from particular experiences. The scientist or artisan knows why things are so, not merely that they are so. This distinguishes the master craftsman (who directs others) from the subordinate worker.

Why Science/Art Surpasses Experience #

• Experience grasps that it is so (τὸ ὅτι)—e.g., wine bottles stored horizontally preserve better.
• Science grasps why it is so (τὸ διότι)—e.g., understanding the mechanism of cork desiccation and air oxidation.
• Knowledge of causes confers authority and wisdom; the chief artist commands subordinates because he understands causes, making him wiser and more honorable.

Important Definitions #

• Sophia (σοφία): Wisdom in the highest sense; knowledge concerned with first causes (αἴτια) and most universal principles (καθόλου); characterized by knowing why rather than merely that.
• Physis (φύσις): Nature; originally means birth/origin; refers to what is inborn and fundamental to a thing; the source of natural desires and capacities.
• Preamium (προοίμιον): A short preamble or prologue preparing the way for what follows; shorter and more focused than an introduction (introductio). Aristotle’s works characteristically begin with preamiums.
• Empeiria (ἐμπειρία): Experience; a gathering together of many memories of the same sort; knowledge of particulars that approaches but does not yet constitute universality.
• Technē/Epistēmē (τέχνη/ἐπιστήμη): Art/Science; knowledge of universal principles and causes derived from experience; knowing why things are so.
• Adenai (ἀδέναι): Greek infinitive meaning “to know” or “to understand”; Aristotle uses it to indicate understanding in the fuller, more rational sense.

Examples & Illustrations #

The Cat and the Hot Stove #

A domestic cat smells food cooking on a stove, jumps up to investigate, burns its paw on a hot burner, and subsequently never attempts the action again. The cat gains wisdom through memory of a painful experience; however, without memory itself, the cat would gain no wisdom and remain as foolish as a newborn animal.

Wine Storage and Knowledge Progression #

• Experience knows: Wine bottles should be stored horizontally.
• Science knows why: Horizontal storage keeps the cork moist and expanded, maintaining a seal that prevents air oxidation; vertical storage dries the cork, allowing air to spoil the wine.

The Wine Expert #

A wine expert (oenophile) has tasted hundreds of wines and retains memories of each. This accumulated experience surpasses the knowledge of someone who has tasted only one wine. The expert’s comparative knowledge approaches the universal understanding characteristic of art/science.

The Ordinary Woman and the Mystery Novel #

A practical woman, focused on daily tasks like gardening, accidentally picks up a Russian spy novel and becomes so engrossed that she cannot put it down, despite losing sleep and neglecting practical duties. This demonstrates that even highly practical people possess an innate desire to know that transcends utilitarian concerns.

Practical Considerations in Sports #

In baseball, people often leave the stadium in the ninth inning if the game is lopsided (outcome determined). However, if the game remains uncertain, far fewer people leave despite the practical advantage of exiting before traffic congestion. This shows that knowledge of the outcome (what will happen) motivates continued engagement more than practical advantage.

Notable Quotes #

“Don’t call me wise. God alone is wise. But what shall we call you then? If you have to call me something, call me a lover of wisdom [φιλόσοφος].” — Pythagoras (legendary origin)

“All men by nature desire to know.” — Aristotle, Metaphysics Proem

“As an ape is to a man, so is man to God.” — Pericletus (cited by Berquist)

“The wisdom of man is nothing compared to the wisdom of God.” — Duane Berquist’s characterization of classical and Christian philosophical tradition

“Wisdom is to speak the truth and to act according to nature.” — Heraclitus (cited by Berquist)

“Nature does nothing superfluous.” — Common principle in natural philosophy from the Greeks through Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein (cited by Berquist)

Questions Addressed #

What does it mean that “all men by nature desire to know”? #

• “All men” refers to humanity universally, not to males versus females or adults versus children.
• “By nature” (φύσει) means the desire is inborn (innatus), not acquired through custom or fashion.
• “To know” can mean knowing broadly (including sensation) or understanding/reasoning more narrowly.

Is the statement that all men desire to know actually true? #

• Yes. Evidence includes: universal human use of eyes for beauty and appreciation; universal enjoyment of stories regardless of practical utility; sustained engagement in uncertain outcomes (sports, mysteries) despite practical inconvenience.
• Even highly practical people periodically abandon practical concerns to satisfy curiosity and desire for knowledge.

Why does Aristotle begin with this statement about natural desire? #

• To establish that wisdom is naturally good and naturally attainable (since nature gives desires only for things that can be obtained and are beneficial).
• To prepare understanding of where the natural road of knowledge leads.
• Wisdom comes at the end of the natural progression, so understanding the beginning and intermediate stages is necessary for grasping wisdom’s nature.

What is the relationship between sensation, memory, experience, and science? #

• Each successive stage builds upon and transcends the previous.
• Sensation is knowing individual things as present.
• Memory is knowing past sensations.
• Experience is a collection of many memories of the same type, approaching universality.
• Science grasps universal principles and why things are so, distinguishing it fundamentally from experience.

Theological Dimension #

Berquist emphasizes that the humility regarding human wisdom relative to divine wisdom is not merely a classical philosophical theme but is deepened in Christian philosophers like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. The natural desire to know, while genuinely good and attainable, must be understood within the context of human nature’s orientation toward God as the supreme source of all wisdom.