Knowledge Versus Gnosis

Books can’t teach you how to play music

Knowledge Without Works Is Dead

A book can teach you everything about the mechanics of an instrument and the rules of music theory. An internet video can even show you the movements to imitate to play your favorite song.

But without practice, you’re just accumulating mental clutter and pride.

The pieces of information will remain distinct and unrelated, and come to memory at different rates. You will say that you understand, and then fail or accomplish it sloppily.

Useful Knowledge Is Gnosis: Knowledge Born of Experience

On the other hand, the useful type of knowledge is Gnosis. That’s the Greek word for knowledge, but it’s come to have a more specific meaning.

Rather than “knowing” a list of facts or skills, one with Gnosis has experience with the living subject, and experience putting the related knowledge into action.

For example, with the music metaphor, playing your favorite song on your instrument 100 times over would give you Gnosis of that song, not just knowledge of it.

You “knew” how to play the song when you memorized the movements for it. But putting that knowledge…