Without evidence, there is no knowledge

Albert Einstein’s theory of knowledge can teach us a lot about how we (should) understand the world

My then 8-yr old daughter, Caley, in 2005 during a trip to Yellowstone National Park. She asked a good question, and wouldn’t accept for an answer anything that wouldn’t have also satisfied Einstein. Photo by the Author.

Many years ago, while driving through Yellowstone National Park with my eight-year-old daughter Caley, I mentioned we would soon need to stop for gas. She turned to me and asked, “How do you know?” I explained that she had just asked one of life’s most essential questions — one worth treasuring and cultivating. When I described the car’s fuel sensor system, she pressed further: “What if the sensor doesn’t work?” Even in this seemingly simple case, the reliability of empirical evidence raised complex questions.

As a scientist, I have always recognized the importance of theory while understanding its limitations without empirical evidence. Einstein himself developed a sophisticated framework for understanding the relationship between theory and evidence. In 1934, Einstein articulated a principle fundamental to both scientific inquiry and general knowledge:

“Experience is the alpha and omega of all our knowledge of reality.” [1]

This strikes me as exactly right, though we’re going to unpack this a bit with the help of a delightful paper published several years ago by Sarah Glenn, in which she explores the relationship between experience and…