Kinds of Knowledge

Kinds of Knowledge

In this section of the reading there are quite a few jabs at philosophy and philosophers. There is also quite a lot of discussion of the scientific properties of the whale. Does Ishmael (and/or Melville) value scientific or empirical knowledge over philosophical inquiry?

Also, I'm very intrigued by Caitlin's post and think she's on to something. I think a follow-up question to hers or one that needs to be discussed along with hers is, what is Moby Dick? We are cautioned against making the whale represent one thing and one thing only; what are some possibilities for what it represents?

Also building off Caitlin's question a bit, it seems obvious to me that Ahab is unredeemable and going to hell. His destiny already seems before us as we read: his monomania will destroy him. But we also know something about Ishmael's destiny: we know that he lives to tell the tale. How does this influence our reading to know that Ishmael survives this expedition, and does anyone have any leads on what role Ishmael is going to play in this book and/or in Ahab's revenge/doom?