Kaikkitietävä

Kaikkitietävä is a Finnish adjective meaning all-knowing or omniscient. It describes a being, person, or authority that possesses complete or unlimited knowledge across all domains. The term is formed from kaikki (all) and tietävä (knowing), and is used in both secular and religious contexts.

In theology, kaikkitietävä describes the attribute of omniscience often ascribed to a divine being, implying perfect knowledge of past, present, and future. In literary and narrative contexts, the term can refer to an omniscient narrator—one who can reveal characters’ thoughts and unseen events beyond the perspective of any single character.

In everyday language, kaikkitietävä is commonly used descriptively or jokingly for someone perceived to know almost everything, or as a hyperbolic critique of experts claiming universal expertise. The term can carry a pejorative or satirical tone when used to belittle claims of absolute knowledge.

Variants or related discussions in Finnish include philosophical and theological examinations of omniscience and comparisons with related attributes such as omnipotence and omnipresence. The concept raises questions about the nature and limits of knowledge, epistemic justification, and the possibility of complete certainty.

See also: omniscience, omniscient narrator.