Unknowable
Unknowable refers to something that cannot be known, either in an absolute sense or by a particular finite knower. In philosophy and worldview discussion, the term raises questions about the limits of human knowledge.
At a Glance
Unknowable refers to incapable of being known, either absolutely or relative to a given finite knower.
Key Points
- Category: philosophical concept.
- Touches questions of reality, knowledge, morality, or human personhood.
- Useful only when disciplined by Scripture and clear definitions.
Description
Unknowable is a philosophical term for that which cannot be known, either absolutely or relative to a particular kind of knower. It can be used broadly for mysteries beyond human comprehension, or more strongly for claims that reality, God, moral truth, or ultimate causes are in principle inaccessible to knowledge. A conservative Christian worldview should distinguish carefully between what is unknown, what is partly known, and what is utterly unknowable to creatures apart from revelation. Scripture teaches that God is infinite and not exhaustively knowable by finite humans, yet he is truly knowable because he has revealed himself in creation, in Scripture, and supremely in Jesus Christ. Thus Christians may affirm real limits to human knowledge without adopting agnosticism or the claim that God or truth is wholly unknowable.
Theological Significance
Theologically, the term matters because doctrinal claims inevitably interact with underlying assumptions about being, knowledge, causation, personhood, or value. Clear definitions help expose those assumptions rather than leaving them hidden.
Philosophical Explanation
Philosophically, Unknowable concerns incapable of being known, either absolutely or relative to a given finite knower. As a category it can expose assumptions about reality, knowledge, morality, language, or human existence, but Christian use must refuse to let the category define truth apart from Scripture.
Interpretive Cautions
Do not allow abstraction to outrun revelation. Conceptual analysis can sharpen thought, but it can also mislead when terms are left vague, absolutized, or detached from scriptural truth.
Practical Significance
In practice, this term helps readers recognize the assumptions carried by arguments about God, the world, morality, and human life.
Related Entries
- Metaphysics
- theism
- naturalism
- Substance dualism
- Telology