Aristotle about knowledge

[Kiranga]

But still theory is a good starting point towards full knowledge,its importance,in Science,for example,can not be ignored..

I did not deny that.

At the risk of immodesty, I quote myself.

Theory, strictly speaking, is not about things that are known, but abstract in thoughts, sometimes within a pretty good framework grounded in reason and possibly converging towards knowledge.

But science also knows theory is fallible, that is why there is experimentation and peer review verifications. This shows Aristotle was wrong to think "theoretical knowledge" is the best type of knowledge. If he was right, why do we need experiments to verify theories?

There are thousands of theories which used to be held in very high regard, that are tossed aside because they failed the test of experimentation and peer review.

To be fair and truthful, there is no such thing as "knowledge", as in "unqualified knowledge". Since all knowledge is at the very least qualified by the way it was gathered and the axioms/ assumptions of it's framework.

One can argue that a triangle has 180 degree and parallel lines never meet. One can argue that this is knowledge.

But that "knowledge" must be qualified by the framework, the framework being Euclidean geometry.As a mere axiom of Euclidean geometry. A fiat. Not knowledge.

There are triangles with more or less than 180 degrees, and parallel lines that do meet, in non-Euclidean geometry.

And even in Euclidean geometry, nobody has done experiments to verify that parallel lines do not ever meet.

 

[Kiranga]

Thanks for the assistance, how about the statement that "theoretical knowledge" is the best type?

Far from being the best type "theoretical knowledge" is an oxymoron, since, strictly speaking, theory is not knowledge and knowledge is not theory.

To put what Aristotle wrote in context, he wrote before the modern scientific age, which began in earnest in the 1500s and is epitomized by Galileo as well as characterized by emphasis on experimental verification of theory.

In the framework of the modern scientific era, theory needs experimental verification and peer review. In that regard, even if one were to relax the somewhat pedantic definitions and accept "theoretical knowledge" as knowledge at all, it could hardly be said to be "the best knowledge" because it is untested by experimentation.