The Enlightenment Gap is one of the four core problems that the Unified Theory of Knowledge (UTOK) addresses. It represents the root issue connecting the Problem of Psychology, Problem of Psychotherapy, and Problem of the Psyche, highlighting the failure to integrate scientific knowledge with subjective and social realities.
Definition and Origin
The Enlightenment Gap refers to a significant philosophical problem that emerged during the 17th and 18th centuries, a period known as the European Enlightenment. This era was marked by a dramatic transformation in thought, emphasizing reason, science, and individualism. However, despite the profound advancements in knowledge and understanding, a critical gap was left unresolved: the proper relationship between matter and mind, and between subjective, social, and scientific knowledge.
Core Issues
Matter and Mind: The Enlightenment period struggled to effectively integrate the physical world (matter) with the experiential and mental world (mind). This dichotomy is famously represented in the mind-body problem, where questions about how mental states such as beliefs and desires relate to physical states of the brain remain unresolved.
Ways of Knowing: The Enlightenment also failed to properly relate and integrate different types of knowledge – subjective (personal, introspective experiences), social (cultural, collective understanding), and scientific (empirical, objective findings). This failure led to fragmented approaches to understanding reality, which persist to this day.
Consequences of the Enlightenment Gap
The downstream effects of the Enlightenment Gap are numerous and pervasive, contributing to various dichotomies and divisions in modern thought:
Mind-Body Problem: This enduring philosophical issue questions how mental states (thoughts, emotions) interact with physical states (brain activity, bodily processes).
Modern-Postmodern Divide: The Enlightenment's emphasis on objective knowledge and reason laid the groundwork for modernist thinking. In contrast, postmodernism emerged as a critique of these foundations, highlighting the limitations and biases in claiming objective truth.
Confusion around the Mental Domain: The gap left a void in understanding the nature of the mind, contributing to the Problem of Psychology, where the discipline struggles to define and study mental processes coherently.
UTOK's Solution
UTOK addresses the Enlightenment Gap by offering a comprehensive framework that integrates matter and mind and unifies subjective, social, and scientific knowledge. Gregg Henriques' approach involves:
Tree of Knowledge (ToK) System: This system organizes scientific knowledge into a coherent naturalistic ontology, providing a structured way to understand the evolution of complexity from matter to mind to culture.
iQuad Coin: This concept frames the subjective experience and the human psyche within a coherent structure, known as the "human identity functional matrix."
UTOK Garden: This represents the intersubjective vector of knowing, providing a narrative for collective wisdom across cultures.
By interrelating these components, UTOK aims to overcome the fragmented pluralism and chaotic state of current knowledge systems, offering a unified approach to understanding reality.
