Ambiguity-resolving trick: if phrases can be interpreted as parallel, they probably are.
Recognizing that “knows not how to know” parallels with “knows not also how to unknow,” or more simply “how to know” || “how to unknow”, makes the aphorism much easier to parse.
That was astonishingly difficult to parse. It’s a good sentiment, though.
I also found it hard. For the benefit of the next person, here is a rewritten version:
Or, passing to the contrapositive,
Or,
My first attempt was
Meaning
Now my brain doesn’t recognize “know” as a word …
Ambiguity-resolving trick: if phrases can be interpreted as parallel, they probably are.
Recognizing that “knows not how to know” parallels with “knows not also how to unknow,” or more simply “how to know” || “how to unknow”, makes the aphorism much easier to parse.