Now that’s a real click bate title! I bet there’s never been one like it. What in the world does it mean? Well, I’m glad you asked. We all have heard of organic food, you know, stuff that’s natural and supposedly better for you than non-organic stuff. It supposedly doesn’t have pesticides or GMOs if it comes out of the ground, or isn’t given hormones or antibiotics if it’s fish, fowl, or mammal. For the latter, they’re supposed to be grass fed or cage free, and live their short lives not part of the big industrial machinery food industry. Most people know that. But what about epistemology? Far fewer have ever heard the word, let lone what it means. That’s a shame because it’s something they encounter every day of their lives whether they know it or not. That’s what it is, what we know, how we know, why we know, and the study thereof. Or think we do. But, what in the world does epistemology have to do with organic food? More than you might think.
I’m late to the organic bandwagon, having poo-pooed it for the decades it’s been “a thing.” I thought it was hype and a waste of money, being overpriced just because the word “Organic” was on the label. Then COVID happened. I won’t go down that rabbit hole, but the way it’s been handled has opened my eyes and completely changed my perspective on the medical-industrial complex, Big Pharma, and Big Food. It got me questioning things I never questioned before, and I starting learning things I never knew. I won’t address the rationale or benefits for organic food. There is plenty online and books galore if anyone is interested, but my main reason for writing this is epistemology.
As I’ve started to think about buying organic, and actually spending more that comes with that label, I’ve realized I have no idea if this food is really organic, or if it’s just a label food companies slap on a package to make more money. I’ve had that lingering doubt in my mind as I’ve surveyed the myriad products that claim to be organic, and I realized that this is a question of epistemology. Do I really know it is organic? I do not. Can I know that it is? It depends what we mean by know. Some people are naturally skeptical, especially with something like this topic. Nothing can alter what they believe about organic food. I was one of those people for a long time. It was a scam, and I knew it was. But did I really know that? Nope.
As you can see, knowing is never a simple question of, well, knowing. I used the word “believe” because our knowing anything is tied to the concept of belief. One definition of belief it to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. What most people, especially in our secular age, don’t know is that they live by faith. We’re indoctrinated to think that faith is purely a religious concept. It most definitely is not! I have to exercise faith anytime I see the label, “Organic.” Do I believe that it is or not, and why would I believe it? That’s a difficult question. As you think about both epistemology and organic food, you soon realize that it all comes down to trust: who and what do I trust, therefore believe, and in some sense know to the be case. Knowing something always comes down to trust, and thus faith.
Faith could be defined as trust based on adequate evidence. Of course, many people exercise faith based on little or no evidence. In fact, most people define faith as exactly that, which is why they associate faith with religion. Atheists go so far as to define religion as belief when there is no evidence. For Christianity there is plenty of evidence, but atheists deny that. But as with organic food, or everything else in life that requires faith, we believe, we trust, based on some kind of evidence, or we wouldn’t believe. Most of the time faith is based on authority. Is that authority credible and trustworthy? If so, we’ll put our faith in whatever they affirm. I don’t have to say that COVID is a mass, worldwide exercise in faith. Those who trust in the authority of medical “experts” or “science” or the media, believe this virus is akin to the plague. Those who don’t, don’t. Either way, it comes down to faith.
As for organic food, from everything I’ve read and listened to over the last year, I’ve decided to believe that it is a real thing and not a scam (although some of it certainly can be and probably is), and that there are benefits for my health to spending more for it. Do I know this? I do not. Do I believe this? For the most part, yes. Do I doubt? Yes. But doubt is an essential feature of faith, and human existence. If we think at all, we’ll realize that faith and doubt are an essential feature of our lives. We’ll realize that we can’t escape living daily with faith and doubt whether we’re religious or not. Christians, though, realize that faith and doubt about ultimate things have eternal significance. While we cannot know anything with absolute certainty, we can know that our God and Savior lives, and and we will live forever with him. Why do we believe this? Trust based on adequate evidence, or faith.
Recent Comments