Categories and Beauty

We look at the world through the blurry lens of categorization. When we observe a building we do not examine every window as it is; instead, we give the building the property of having a good number of windows. In literature, words are buildings; they are skyscrapers, in fact. We may see the phrase "everlasting life" in the Epic of Gilgamesh, but we neatly categorize it without looking at the details provided in the text. We must dig deeper, observing every window, the color of the paint, the doors, the material, in order to acquire a deeper knowledge of the building (phrase) "everlasting life" in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

But here a problem arises. For although we have successfully broken down the category of “building,” for instance, now we must deal with the categories of “window,” "red," “door,” “wood,” etc. And once we have freed ourselves of our presuppositions regarding these categories we must once again categorize “glass,” “chemicals,” “color,” etc. When you look up "heaven" in a dictionary, you will not find heaven; rather, you will find other words, which point to even more words. So the categories - the skyscrapers, the words - are lost in an infinite chain of signs pointing to other signs, and never arrive at actual reality and truth.

So how do we know truth?

I will make a suggestion.

The above demonstration of categorization only deals with cognitive knowledge rather than relational knowledge. The above demonstration proves that if we are left to sheer cognitive ability one could never really know what beauty actually is. But does this mean beauty is then lost? Does this mean - in regards to beauty - there is no difference between genocide and justice? After all, genocide and justice are words, which similarly get lost in an infinite system of categorization.

Here is my suggestion: whereas cognitive knowledge alone leaves us doomed to an infinite chain of signs, relational knowledge provides a standard for actual reality and actual truth. As an example, a husband's knowledge of beauty is not lost in the infinite maze of categorization and culture; rather, it is very tangible as he knows his wife and loves her. All knowledge proceeds from relationship. The only standard for sound epistemology then is the Triune relational God of the Christian religion from whom knowledge proceeds.