Experience = Knowledge?

What is Knowledge? By the definition from Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience. In Kantian definition, knowledge is limited within the bounds of possible experience and is not available to metaphysical.


The two definitions of the word knowledge are quite similar. We must ask ourselves, what is knowledge? Does everyone has the same knowledge? Do we all think alike, feel alike? If we don't, then obviously we would not have gone through same experience, and with different experience, we would have gained different knowledge, individual knowledge. 


Let us take this topic step by step. Immanuel Kant talked about our senses are the first basic idea for us to experience anything in this world. We all can feel hot, cold, pain, tickle by using our senses. How do we know a fire is hot? We understand fire generate heat and warmth by reading books, or studying science, but that is just a truth by using our reasoning. In order to actually know how hot a fire actually is to a point that we know it could burn our skin, is by standing next to a fire to feel. Our skin can sense the heat that is generating by a fire but like I said before, we all sense things differently. For some, they may have to stand a bit closer to the fire in order to feel the heat, and for some they can stand a bit farther and still be able to feel the heat. Therefore, our knowledge of the fire's hotness is different, individual.


Another example that I can say about knowledge is death. What is death? Everyone know the universal truth/definition of the word "death", which is being dead. However, can anyone possibly have the knowledge of death without being dead? We can talk about how we feel about death, or what our beliefs on death, such as, some may believe if you are Christian you may either go to hell or heaven after you are dead, but how can anyone be sure if you haven't experienced being dead? Some may answer, I just know it because that's what I learn from bible, church, or my priest and my parents told me so. But that is just a believe system, the truth for you particularly, same as learning the definition of what is hot and death, no one can possibly know about any knowledge until they have actually experienced it first. 


Our knowledge is individual, we can only know what we know but we cannot know what others know. Simply because we have never experienced what they have experienced before, we may share some common experience that is similar but no experience is exact. For instance, we all have experienced what breaking up with someone feeling like, therefore, we sometime feel symptomatic for those who is currently going through a break up because we understand how they feel in that common situation, but we would not know exactly how they feel.