Knowledge
Is it what we think
it is?
What exactly is knowledge? We all
presume that we have a general understanding of the term, but do we really,
thoroughly comprehend the concept and its colossal depth? Dictionary.com
defines the word itself as 'acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles,
as from study or investigation' but is this truly all there is to the
philosophy of knowing?
Shared
Knowledge
To put it more intricately,
shared knowledge is highly structured, is systematic in its nature and the
product of more than one individual. It can be passed on from generation to
generation over hundreds of decades, but how can we be so sure that the knowledge
we hold today is the same as that held by our ancestors? The answer is it's
not. Knowledge is not about passing on a list of facts from person to person,
it is not about memorizing the properties of liquids from a dull textbook.
Knowledge is most certainly not about setting restrictions or capacities
to the world that we live in. To me, knowledge is about exploring,
reaching and exceeding the limits, discovering extraordinary concepts and
sharing them with the world or broadening our personal depths of intelligence
and agility, while shared knowledge is the primary medium allowing us to do so.
Personal
knowledge
Personal knowledge, on the
contrary, depends crucially upon the experiences of a particular individual. It
is gained through action, practice and personal involvement. It is intimately
bound up with the particular local circumstances of the individual such as
interests, values, biography and so on.
Are
Knowledge and Wisdom synonymous?
It is a common
misconception that knowledge equals wisdom but this is surely not the case. The
main difference lies in having information and being aware of something.
Knowledge seems to be more about facts and ideas that we acquire through study
research, investigation, observation and experience. The meaning of wisdom
lies in the ability to discern and judge which aspects of that gained knowledge
are legitimate, true, lasting and applicable to your life. Knowledge is knowing
what to say, but wisdom is knowing when to say it. Knowledge helps you make a
living, but wisdom helps you make a life. Knowledge comes from learning, but
wisdom comes from living, and finally, knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.
Knowledge
Is it what we think
it is?
What exactly is knowledge? We all
presume that we have a general understanding of the term, but do we really,
thoroughly comprehend the concept and its colossal depth? Dictionary.com
defines the word itself as 'acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles,
as from study or investigation' but is this truly all there is to the
philosophy of knowing?
Well, to start off with, there
are theoretically two distinctive types of knowledge, known as personal knowledge
and shared knowledge. An example of personal knowledge could
be my awareness of the two types of knowledge, while a contrasting example of
shared knowledge could be my act of sharing this information with you, the
individual reading my blog. It truthfully is as unambiguous as that.
Shared
Knowledge
To put it more intricately,
shared knowledge is highly structured, is systematic in its nature and the
product of more than one individual. It can be passed on from generation to
generation over hundreds of decades, but how can we be so sure that the knowledge
we hold today is the same as that held by our ancestors? The answer is it's
not. Knowledge is not about passing on a list of facts from person to person,
it is not about memorizing the properties of liquids from a dull textbook.
Knowledge is most certainly not about setting restrictions or capacities
to the world that we live in. To me, knowledge is about exploring,
reaching and exceeding the limits, discovering extraordinary concepts and
sharing them with the world or broadening our personal depths of intelligence
and agility, while shared knowledge is the primary medium allowing us to do so.
Personal
knowledge
Personal knowledge, on the
contrary, depends crucially upon the experiences of a particular individual. It
is gained through action, practice and personal involvement. It is intimately
bound up with the particular local circumstances of the individual such as
interests, values, biography and so on.
We all have our own unique
interpretation of basic knowledge, examples of which could range from awareness
of the fact that we have 5 fingers on each hand to the fact that the
Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Yes, some people do identify the
latter as basic knowledge, proving the previous assumption of different people
having opposing comprehensive perceptions of knowledge to be truthful. We tend
to assume that individuals surrounding us have the same mindset and
understanding of the world as we ourselves do, yet we are prone to forgetting
the fact that everyone is singular in their own way, and the more understanding
someone is of our distinctive nature, the easier it will be for them to break
their boundaries and explore our monumental sphere of knowledge.
Are
Knowledge and Wisdom synonymous?
It is a common
misconception that knowledge equals wisdom but this is surely not the case. The
main difference lies in having information and being aware of something.
Knowledge seems to be more about facts and ideas that we acquire through study
research, investigation, observation and experience. The meaning of wisdom
lies in the ability to discern and judge which aspects of that gained knowledge
are legitimate, true, lasting and applicable to your life. Knowledge is knowing
what to say, but wisdom is knowing when to say it. Knowledge helps you make a
living, but wisdom helps you make a life. Knowledge comes from learning, but
wisdom comes from living, and finally, knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.
A very engaging study/review of knowledge which I have personally found thoroughly interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou have not only explained both shared and personal knowledge but have also given examples as to where these are applicable in every-day life helping me to garner a true understanding of both.
I do have a question however - would you say that knowledge is comprised of these two types or that they are the channels through which we gain knowledge?
Overall, great job - I look forward to reading more blogs from you that are of a similar ilk.
Saffiya xx
Thank you so much for the feedback!I agree that these can be categorized as mediums of gaining knowledge, but they can be stored with respect to this differentiation as well. i think there is a vast difference between personal and shared knowledge, to the point where even the type of information in the form of knowledge is contrasting
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ReplyDeleteI like how you categorized knowledge into two groups and not just explained it but also related it to everyday life. Comparing knowledge to wisdom was definitely good idea because in many parts of the world knowledge is widely mistaken for wisdom, however overall it was very informative and interesting.
DeleteThanks for post and comments!! It is fun to question what we know and how we know. Separating personal v shared knowledge can be interesting especially taking into account the ways of knowing that we will discuss. Think of how reliable those sources are and how much we trust them.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you draw the line between personal and shared knowledge? which one do you consider more essential?
ReplyDeletevery interesting read sona
MUY BIEN
Really appreciate the feedback Sofie! that is a very controversial question that can be looked at from multiple different points of view. i would say that there is no definite line between personal and shared knowledge, it simply depends on how different people interpret it and how the knowledge is gained as well.
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