Knowledge is the pursuit of three ideals: the real, the true and the effective.
Thus there are three sorts of knowledge:
1. Perceptual, or 'knowing as'. For example, knowing a set of sensations as, say, an airplane. The ideal of perceptual k. is reality - to perceive the airplane as it 'really' is. Realism says that our perception is only a representation of the airplane and so does not show us how it really is. Idealism says the airplane has no existence beyond our perception and so our perception actually *is* the airplane.
Perception is not objective - not the same for everyone. If you were, say, an Amazonian Indian and had never before seen an airplane you would not perceive that set of sensations as an airplane - not until you had the concept of 'airplane' with which to identify airplanes when you saw them.
2. Propositional, or 'knowing that'. For example, knowing that 'Airplane' is the title of a movie. The ideal of propositional k. is truth (a proposition is that which has a truth-value, either 'true' or 'false').
What makes the proposition "'Airplane' is the title of a movie" true? One answer is that truth is a relation between a proposition and the way the world is (or was) - a relation called 'correspondence' (think of correspondence as 'mapping' the way the world is). Another answer is that truth is a relation between propositions - a relation called 'coherence' (a coherent set of propositions is free of contradiction). Another answer is that a true proposition is one that 'works' (this means that behavior based on belief in its truth will be successful behavior).
Obviously, 'knowing that' is not objective either. We notoriously disagree about the way the world is. But this is not to say that there is no such thing as truth. We might not agree on the way the world is, but nobody who claims anything at all about the world is denying that there *is* a way the world is, because to make a claim about the world is to presuppose that there is truth - that there is a way the world is.
3. Practical, or 'knowing how'. Practical knowledge is cause-effect knowledge. Although it can be partly expressed as 'knowing that' it does not reduce to 'knowing that', because you could have all the propositional knowledge there is about piloting airplanes and yet not be able to pilot one. A claim to know how to do X can only be proved by doing X.
Importantly, the fact that a claim to 'know how' can be proved shows practical knowledge to be objective knowledge - knowledge which is the same for everyone. No matter what beliefs you might hold, no matter what way you claim the world to be, technology will work for you. Airplanes work just as well for Osama Bin Laden as they do for George W. Bush.
2006-09-05 13:39:21
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answer #1
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answered by brucebirdfield 4
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Psychologists distinguish between declarative knowledge, which is knowing facts about the world, and procedural knowledge, which is knowing how to do things (like ride a bicycle). This distinction can be traced back in philosophy to Gilibert Ryle's famous book "The Concept of Mind", which is written with sufficient clarity to be readable by educated non-philosophers or by philosophy beginners, and which I recommend.
More generally, the branch of philosophy that deals with knowledge is called eipistemology, on which thre are many textbooks. Be warned, however, that much of their contents deal with difficult issues about how, if at all, we can get knowledge about the world.
2006-09-05 04:04:30
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answer #2
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answered by Philosophical Fred 4
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knowl·edge (nÅl'Äj) pronunciation
n.
1. The state or fact of knowing.
2. Familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study.
3. The sum or range of what has been perceived, discovered, or learned.
4. Learning; erudition: teachers of great knowledge.
5. Specific information about something.
6. Carnal knowledge.
2006-09-05 03:45:53
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answer #3
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answered by auggie 2
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Knowledge is knowing I am going to get 2 points for answering this :-) cheers!
2006-09-05 04:38:51
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answer #4
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answered by misssy 1
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Knowledge is the ability of the individual.
2006-09-05 04:23:07
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answer #5
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answered by Brayan 1
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Knowledge is a combination of thoughts, feelings, experiences and genetic pre-dispositions which a person utilizes to manipulate their perception of life to fulfill some deluded vision.
2006-09-05 03:57:49
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answer #6
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answered by elephanthrower 2
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I'm learning this in my philosophy course! LOL! Knowledge is learning more about something, not WHAT it is, but WHY it is what it is. That's my definition of knowledge anyway, and Aristotle's too.
2006-09-05 03:51:42
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Knowledge is a collection of facts that are known.
However, I don't think it can be possessed because I believe that people can't know anything. (Except this?)
2006-09-05 14:44:21
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answer #8
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answered by Michael M 6
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The collection of learned facts and observations that flows within the gray matter and helps us to make decisions, act, and answer questions.
2006-09-05 04:10:27
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answer #9
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answered by Kindred 5
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A web of connections that builds in the brain over time
2006-09-05 03:46:51
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answer #10
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answered by Anonymous
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