I would offer three observations about the limits to human knowledge:
1. There are boundaries, and it’s good to know where they are
2. It can be quite profitable to explore those boundaries
3. It can be risky to cross the boundaries
On the first point, Ecclesiastes speaks of the mysteries: “What has been is remote and exceedingly mysterious. Who can discover it?” (Eccles 7:24). Also, “The secret things belong to God” (Deut 29:29). In line with this, Agur reckoned himself to be “stupid” (Proverbs 30:2). And so did Socrates. It is essential to wisdom to know its limits, to gain some humble appreciation of the immensity of our ignorance. This is a mark of genuine science and genuine theology.
Secondly: The most profitable place for learning and growth is at the boundaries, where we explore the limits of knowledge and understanding. It is in the investigation of paradoxes and anomalies that existing doctrines and hypotheses are subjected to testing, critique and correction. Boundary phenomena inspire paradigm shifts.
Because of this, we are irresistibly drawn to the boundaries, by the lure of wonder and mystery and beauty. It is the driving force of human development, and it is the mental appetite of the soul (nephesh), which draws us to God. It entices us to acquire wisdom, and it is one of the ways in which we should retain childlikeness: an eagerness for discovery, unimpeded by the agendas, the prejudices and the overall jadedness of adulthood. Consider Agur, (Proverbs 30:18-19), Malick’s “To the Wonder”, and Tarkovsky’s “The Stalker”.
And then to the third point: the boundaries are the locations of greatest risk for errors. We should approach and venture to cross these boundaries humbly, with circumspection. Moses wanted to see God’s glory, but limits were set (Exodus 33:18-23).
In summary: It is of great value to know where our boundaries are, to have the courage to explore them, but with prudence and humility.