Philosophy of the Fern

I like ferns. I think they are pretty, especially fields of them. Thus I have decided that ferns, especially the lacy type, might be my favorite flowers.
I'm not a very good fern though, although I respect ferns a lot. To me, people that lift, inspire and encourage others are great ferns, basically people that make others look better. This is because when people make bouquets of flowers they often put ferns or other leafy green plants in with the flowers. They add a pretty contrast and make the flowers look better.
At church last week I gave a lesson on leadership, I was amazed at how important being a fern is to being a good leader, far more important then being a good flower.
So to all the people that are ferns. Thank you.
Like Sam, Hyrum, Samwise, Hannah, and Mark.

Epistemology

I know that getting a sunburn hurts. I know that the world revolves around the sun. I know the rhyme "Mary had a Little Lamb." I know that I am a child of God.
The thing is I know all of these things differently.
Epistemology is the study of how we know things. In one of my anthropology classes we talked about this quite a lot, and it has changed my perspective, especially in the "science v. religion" debate. According to the Anthropologist James Lett* there are seven ways of knowing things: (1) experiences through the senses, (2) logic, (3) expert opinion, (4) common knowledge, (5) intuition, (6) revelation and (7) faith.
My opening statements each fall into the above categories, and the most powerful thing about this, is that all of them are legitimate ways of knowing. Yes, sometimes experts debunk what common knowledge has taught us for decades, but there is still power in common knowledge. And sometimes our senses are hoodwinked. The point is though, that when I explain that I know something through faith, an expert can't negate that, because it's like comparing apples and oranges (as they say.... why not raisins and turtles?) it's irrelevant. There are different ways  of knowing, but they definitely all have a place.

*Lett, James W. (1987). The Human Enterprise. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press.

Fall Fun