Can you ever really know another person?

Of course, as in all other circumstances, there is no real possibility of perfect prediction. Not even in the physical sciences, so surely not in the case of people.

My husband hates when i say this but what I've learned in my years on the planet is, "you can never put anything passed someone" meaning that you never know what another person might do, how low they will sink, how desperate they may become or what they may be willing to do, under any given circumstances. I can say that my husband will never cheat on me because I know him intimately and cheating simply doesn't seem to be a part of his character but who knows what may transpire five or ten years from now? Things happen. Those you think you know evolve and change. Someone said it earlier. People can surprise the **** out of you.

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Of course, as in all other circumstances, there is no real possibility of perfect prediction. Not even in the physical sciences, so surely not in the case of people.

This is what I'm saying: Knowing someone can sometimes mean exactly that I know that I can never know what they will do next - or that I know that they will in fact do everything they can to try not to let me know them.

That can be part of my accurate and informed view.

Knowing does not automatically imply 'trust'.

I have to read this again and think about it. If you knew me, you'd know it was time for me to walk my dog.. .. but I also do want to reread this and respond- because I think we're saying somewhat of the same thing - it might just be a matter of degree (in terms of the level of predictability) that is causing us to seem to disagree.

I have to read this again and think about it. If you knew me, you'd know it was time for me to walk my dog.. ..

People are capable of disgusting and hurtful lies. Maybe I'm a bitter and cynical bitch, but people won't ever get to me so easily again. I don't understand how "knowing" a human being is ever possible, as we are ever-changing, ever-deceitful creatures. We change and lie without even knowing it at times. I believe it's naive and dangerous to believe that you can know someone, and it can leave you blinded.

People are capable of disgusting and hurtful lies. Maybe I'm a bitter and cynical bitch, but people won't ever get to me so easily again. I don't understand how "knowing" a human being is ever possible, as we are ever-changing, ever-deceitful creatures. We change and lie without even knowing it at times. I believe it's naive and dangerous to believe that you can know someone, and it can leave you blinded.

How would I know it was time for you to walk the dog if I knew you. I do not have the required information to know that. Of course, I don't mean by predictability the ability to predict without information. Who has that? Only a fortune teller (and even she has a crystal ball). You are committing the straw-man fallacy. That is, ascribing to me a view I do not hold, and criticizing that view rather than the view I do hold. That is cheating. You didn't really think that if I knew you that I could predict you would now walk your dog even if I had no information, now did you? I certainly hope not. But then, why would you ascribe such a silly view to me?

having a close relation ship and the person being psycotic, normal people usually don't reveal their inner selfish thoughts which often are vulgar and such.

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How would I know it was time for you to walk the dog if I knew you. I do not have the required information to know that. Of course, I don't mean by predictability the ability to predict without information. Who has that? Only a fortune teller (and even she has a crystal ball). You are committing the straw-man fallacy. That is, ascribing to me a view I do not hold, and criticizing that view rather than the view I do hold. That is cheating. You didn't really think that if I knew you that I could predict you would now walk your dog even if I had no information, now did you? I certainly hope not. But then, why would you ascribe such a silly view to me?

Kenneth - I was joking. And if you knew me, you'd know that I do that sometimes.

(another joke).

I'm making myself predictable to you now - does that mean you know me?

Because I was thinking about this on my walk. If you say 'knowledge of a person=some yet to be determined level of predictability (which I am not totally disagreeing with) do you believe that the ability to predict accurately about someone necessarily= knowledge of that person?

Because I might be able to tell you who someone will vote for, what they would eat for breakfast, whether or not they will go to church, and how assiduously they study for tests - does that mean I 'KNOW' them- even if I've never met them?

Because I can tell you those things about some of the people on this forum and I don't feel that I know them at all-I've never met them.
On the other hand, there are people I feel I know on a soul to soul level and I can't tell you whether they eat breakfast at all or not- much less what they have. It's never come up - it's not what's important about me KNOWING them.

And to what degree do you have to be able to predict someone's actions to say that you KNOW them? If you say someone is philanthropic, and will give to charity, is that enough or do you have to be able to specify whether they'll give to Aid for Children or Oxfam?

I think the reason predictability is so low on my list of aspects of 'knowing' someone is because I actually enjoy knowing less predictable people. All I have to know is that when the rubber hits the road they'll be there for me - and they know the same - I'll be there for them. Knowing what they'll do next at any given moment is not so important to me.

You are confusing two different senses of "know". There is the sense of "know" which means, "being acquainted". So if I just met you one time, then I would know you in the sense of being acquainted with you. But, as you now see, we were not talking about knowing another person in the sense of simply being acquainted with that person. We were talking about knowing someone in the sense we have now made clear, being able to predict what he will do, feel, or think.

That might be a good reason for not realizing that predictability is the criterion of knowing someone, but it is just an awful reason for rating it low as a criterion of knowing others. It would be like saying that I rate the presence of oxygen as a necessary condition for combustion because I don't like chemical whose names begin with the letter, "O".

Which is a major purpose of philosophizing, since an important part of philosophizing is making the obscure clear. In fact, it is very often true that (as in the present case) when a philosophical problem is clarified, the problem itself is solved (or may, "dissolved" is a better word for what happen, since the problem stems from obscurity, and goes away when the obscurity goes away.

So you don't think that the parents who believe they "know" their honor roll student is not doing drugs are not naive? Or the husband who believes he "knows" his wife is not cheating, even though all of his friends are telling him so isn't blinded just a little? Or me, the person who overestimates a friendship and when it becomes something more believes that my friend would never lie about their feelings, because I know him. He wouldn't do that to me. He's my friend. People are capable of disgusting and hurtful lies. Maybe I'm a bitter and cynical bitch, but people won't ever get to me so easily again. I don't understand how "knowing" a human being is ever possible, as we are ever-changing, ever-deceitful creatures. We change and lie without even knowing it at times. I believe it's naive and dangerous to believe that you can know someone, and it can leave you blinded.