Knowledge is a set of abstract representations that are stored through experience, the acquisition of knowledge or through observation. In the broadest sense, it is about the possession of various interrelated data that, when taken by themselves, have a lower qualitative value. It can be said when talking about what knowledge is, that it is the sum of all these data on a general or specific topic and the proper application of them.
What is knowledge
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The definition of knowledge refers to the possession of data on a specific or general topic, or in other words, it is the set of notions that are had on a topic. This implies knowing or knowing specific facts or information on the subject, through various resources: experience, existing data in this regard, theoretical and practical understanding, education, among others.
According to the different sciences, the term "knowledge" has different meanings, and there are even theories about it, such as epistemology or the theory of knowledge.
To say what knowledge is, it must be mentioned that it is typical of the human being, since it is the only being gifted or trained to have a broad understanding; furthermore, its veracity is not subject to any particular circumstance, so science has a presence; and it makes it evident that there is a soul in the human being that reasons and is in search of truth.
Similarly, although their terminology is conceptually similar, knowing and knowing do not mean the same thing. The first refers to having a belief based on a check through the experience and memory of the subject, which will pass into thought as part of the person's wisdom. The second refers to the above, coupled with a fundamental justification, and for this there must be a connection with meaning based on reality.
To understand the importance of this concept, there is a famous phrase in popular culture that says that “knowledge is power”, since it allows those who possess it to have influence on others.
The origin of knowledge
The origin of knowledge comes from man's thought or his experience of such a notion that was experienced, according to which theoretical position defines it. In the process of acquiring knowledge, the connection between thought and experience plays an important role, since the individual's mind is the one that concatenates one process as a consequence of the other, and this refers to reasoning.
There are two great ideological currents about the origin of knowledge, one of which gives more importance to reason, that is, to the psychological factor; while the other, gives greater weight to the experiential or experimental factor. This gave rise to various positions on this issue, among which dogmatism and rationalism can be highlighted.
Dogmatism
It is a current of thought that establishes that reason is the primary basis of the concept of knowledge, since it comes from the thought of man. Human psychology is given predominance and it is believed in the autonomy of thought, or that it can generate knowledge. According to this philosophical current, human intelligence does not need to argue, much less confront reality.
It refers to a way of thinking that is based on concepts that do not vary, without taking into account the scenarios of time and place, nor on the principle of objective truth, and that must be accepted without question.
This current is usually related to religious beliefs, since they establish that knowledge is the acceptance by faith of the dogmas of the church, without taking into account the context and without questioning their veracity.
Dogmatism refers to a number of indisputable foundations, premises, and assumptions; for example, axioms, which are propositions so indubitable that they do not need proof.
In philosophy, dogmatism promotes blind faith in reason as the generator of knowledge.
At present, dogmatism consists of three key elements: naive realism or the exclusive acceptance of the knowledge of the events by themselves and the certainty of said knowledge; doctrinal confidence or full confidence in a system; and the absence of critical reflection, or the unquestionable admission of some principle.
Rationalism
It is the current that establishes that the main source of knowledge is human reason, applying logic and based on universal validity. An example is mathematics, since what is known about it comes from logic and thought, accepted as universal truth.
There are different types: theological, which establishes that the truth is transmitted from God to the spirit of man, or from some cosmic force to the rational part of it; the transcendent, where ideas generate knowledge and involve the soul; the immanent, which says that there are ideas in the human being that are produced by the spirit, innate in the individual, capable of forming concepts without prior experimentation being necessary; and the logical, which indicates that knowledge comes from logic.
The Greek philosopher Plato (427-327 BC) was the first to raise ideas about rationalism, pointing out that what is true needs logic and universal validity, in which it establishes that there are two worlds: the sensible, which is conceived by the senses, and the supersensible, which is conceived by ideas.
By focusing on thought, he objects to the possibility of the senses, as these can be misleading. The philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) highlighted the importance of exact sciences in this current, such as the case of mathematics, mentioned above, and in his work "Discourse on Method", he pointed out the four fundamental rules to develop a philosophical investigation.
The fundamental rules are: evidence, that there is no doubt for the thought of the proposition; analysis, where the complex is schematized for its better understanding, which is synonymous with knowledge; deduction, by which conclusions will be reached from the simplest small parts, to later understand more complex truths; and verification, where it is verified if what is considered true has been the result of the three previous steps.
Types of knowledge
There are different types of knowledge, according to its origin or how it was acquired, its application, its functionality, who it is aimed at and its objectives. Among the main ones, there are the following:
Scientific knowledge
Scientific knowledge is the most accepted of the types of valid knowledge, this being one of the main ones, since it represents the accumulation of knowledge obtained thanks to the analysis, observation and experimentation of phenomena or facts, for which it relies on strict procedures that they yield the information and conclusions full of validity and objectivity. It can therefore be said that this type of knowledge is closely related to the truth itself.
This concept of knowledge is considered as the greatest representative of the truth on the part of man, due to its orderly and logical nature, where assumptions are not allowed. It also distinguishes the human species from animals, as there is the presence of logical reason.
It is the product of methodical and systematic research work carried out by the scientific community, as well as by societies, motivated to search for solutions, answers to questions and try to explain the Universe in a way that is closer to what is known as reality..
Advances in science and technology have made the acquisition of data and information in the process of this knowledge, more objective and detailed, which makes it progressive, continuous and complex. The importance of this knowledge is such that for a proposition to be considered true, it is not only enough that it be logical, but it must also be supported by science.
It can be said that medicine, biology, astronomy or physics are examples of scientific knowledge. The main characteristics of scientific knowledge can be summarized as:
- It is demonstrable, based on reason, has objectivity and is universal.
- Presents the information provided with a logical and organized basis.
- It has its support in the laws, hypotheses and foundations, discarding the conclusions based on deductions alone.
- The processes of observation, experimentation, verification, forecasting, hierarchical classification, progression, among others, are involved.
- It includes memorization, perception, experience (trial and error), logic and deduction, instruction, learning, among others, with which a comprehensive understanding of a premise will be achieved, so that it can be accepted and assumed by the individual who is acquiring it; information that can then be transmitted to others following the same schemes.
- The scientific method is applied to acquire this understanding, through empirical (experimental), historical (antecedents), logical (coherence), statistical (probabilities), analogy (similarity), among others.
- Even when it involves perception, it is not interpretive.
Empirical knowledge
Empirical knowledge is based on the experience or experiences of specific events in the environment of the individual who is acquiring it, and its main origin is the natural sciences.
In this process the individual has a direct relationship or through some tool with the object of knowledge, but his experience will be direct, in which he will collect information obtained by exposing the environment where he operates, as tangible manifestations.
It should be clarified that empirical knowledge is subject to the fact that the human being is not alone, but is governed by a community, and that collective beliefs also influence the way in which the individual perceives and experiences what is new. learning.
In this type, the spirit is not involved in the contribution of obtaining wisdom, but is like a canvas or tabula rasa (uninscribed tablet) in which experience is what draws and prints the concepts that are acquired based on it; that is, the human being is a kind of empty container that is filled with knowledge due to the experimentation of situations.
In this sense, sensory experience can be internal and external, and sensualism is born from the latter, which shows that the only source of knowledge is the experience of external senses. The characteristics of this type are:
- Practice is what leads to understanding, so it admits a posteriori meanings: after having experienced, knowledge comes, all truth being put to the test.
- Obtaining it does not involve any research or study method, rather than observation and description.
- The only source of knowledge of this type is the sensory, which encompasses what man's senses can perceive.
- This type of knowledge excludes the supersensible and spiritual because it cannot be verified, and the logical sense predominates.
- The role of thought is to unify the information acquired through experience.
- The immediate reality is the most important, because it is what can be perceived.
- Examples of empirical knowledge are anthropology and sociology.
Philosophical knowledge
Philosophical knowledge establishes that the source of knowledge is obtained through documentation, orderly and methodical reasoning about the human condition. Knowledge of this type is achieved through reasoning of a philosophical nature, with reflection, critical and deductive methods, typical of philosophy, which studies existential and cognitive approaches.
It seeks to understand the social, political, cultural, environmental, economic contexts, among others, of humanity, with a reflective character, and from there knowledge is acquired. One of the main disciplines that is governed under this type of knowledge is psychology.
To carry out an investigation about knowledge, either in its scientific or philosophical sense, it must go through a philosophical process, at least in principle, which will conclude in an idealistic realistic or subjective interpretation.
There are some characteristics that define philosophical knowledge, such as:
- It is a knowledge that comes from thought in an abstract way, after being reasoned, analyzed, totalized and criticized.
- It does not apply the scientific or theological method, but it does apply certain logical methods and formal reasoning.
- It is not a requirement or indispensable to be tested or tested.
- It is open to new contributions and improvement of the knowledge acquired continuously.
- It is considered as the study of knowledge itself, so its objective is focused on defining the methods that must be applied in science and their content.
Intuitive insight
The type of intuitive knowledge refers to obtaining knowledge through processes that involve reason and consciousness, except for previous analysis, at an unconscious level. In formal knowledge, this knowledge is not valid in many cases, but it does apply to problem solving due to its effectiveness. It is related to the pseudo sciences, since it does not have a methodical explanation.
The intuition is the primary tool in intuitive knowledge, which is the unconscious knowledge of a person. A good example of the intuitive would be empathy, since it is the knowledge of a person's state of mind without an obvious manifestation of it, which will allow to adapt the treatment towards it.
Intuition also allows the survival instinct to sharpen, reacting with agility to any situation, or conversely, stopping before acting viscerally.
In the same way, it allows that before a new activity is carried out, methods of some other process are applied, so it is able to "predict" execution patterns and deduce some actions before knowing how they should be carried out.
This cannot be controlled, as it is handled freely in the human mind, but it can be started from there to form behavioral patterns. Several characteristics of this thinking are:
- These thoughts appear quickly, almost instantaneously, without knowing exactly where they came from.
- The unconscious is imposed on the perceptual.
- They are often drawn from previous experiences in a similar context from which you are emerging.
- They usually arise at times when the individual feels pressured, in danger, or needs to think fast.
- It has a creative, logical and spontaneous character.
- To possess this knowledge, no academic or rational preparation is necessary, so it is a type of popular knowledge.
- Its nature is primitive, so it is present in man and animals.
- There is no connection between the results of what was learned and the process by which these conclusions were reached.
Logical knowledge
Logical knowledge is based on the coherent understanding of ideas, which are joined together to generate a conclusive analysis, and as its name indicates, logic, deduction and comparison are key elements for it.
The logic establishes that if for situation B to be real, it is necessary that condition A be fulfilled; means that if A happens, then B will too. Logical knowledge develops during puberty of the human being, where the individual will begin to acquire faculties for logical thinking and adapt it to his life to solve problems.
It is necessary to draw conclusions from a group of premises that may not be directly observable, studying the relationship between one and the other, and in a linear way arrive at these deductions. The following characteristics can be highlighted:
- Elements such as analysis, abstraction (isolating the concept of something without involving other properties of it), deduction and comparison are involved.
- It is applied for scientific studies and verification is needed.
- It is applicable for the ordering of ideas and thoughts.
- It is precise and exact, leaving no room for the approximate.
- It is rational in nature.
- It allows the solution of everyday problems.
- It is a process of individual character, with elaboration based on hypotheses.
Knowledge elements
For the acquisition of learning, four main actors are involved, known as elements of knowledge, which are: the subject, the object, the cognitive operation and thought.
The subject
He is the bearer of knowledge, who captures the object and its concerns, learning about the latter, generating some type of thought after a cognitive process. He relies on his senses to obtain them and his mind for the processing of all the data collected.
The object
It is the element of knowledge to be understood by the subject, which belongs to reality and which will be the objective of analysis, understanding, conclusion, observation and experimentation on their part, which have a specific purpose. As the information about said object, which can be a person or thing, develops, discoveries about it are emerging and it will become an object of knowledge.
In the learning process, the object remains intact, since the one who undergoes a transformation during knowledge is the subject. However, it may be that if the object is a person and you suspect that it is being observed, modify its behavior.
The cognitive operation
It is the moment in which the subject brings up in his mind the collected data or images related to the object. During this process, the sensory capacity of the subject is highlighted to obtain readings in his thought that improve the analysis of the object.
Psychologically, this essential element for the definition of knowledge brings together the others involved, and depends on it to structure it. This process is characterized by being psychophysiological, because it involves the sensations and the mind, and also its duration is short, but the thought that results remains.
The thought
It is the "trace" that remains in the mind of the subject, a product of knowledge about the object. In other words, they are the mental expressions (intramental element) of the known object (extramental element or outside the mind, although there may be intramental objects, which can be the previous thoughts acquired).
There is idealistic and realistic thinking, the first referring to the fact that the object is essential, while the second includes the reflection of the thoughts already acquired about it, generating new thoughts.
Knowledge acquisition process
It is the scheme under which the human being develops his understanding of reality and acquires experience. In this process of acquiring knowledge, there are theories that expose how knowledge is obtained, so there are different processes.
The most outstanding theories are: genetic psychological, which suggests that the process begins involuntarily in childhood, in which the child will receive simple concepts that he will later rebuild into more complex ones; macrostructure, which involves reading and understanding texts as a whole, which can be adapted to any level; among many others.
In this process of acquiring knowledge, there are five phases that must be carried out:
1. The identification, here the problem is determined and its possible solution if it has it;
2. The conceptualization, where the elements of the same are specified, their relationships and it is broken down;
3. The formalization, here they consider the different reasoning schemes for each need;
4. The implementation, in this part the steps to follow for its resolution are defined;
5. The test, in this phase the most appropriate option is finally selected and its effectiveness is verified.
How to stimulate knowledge
There are various strategies on how to stimulate awareness, which may include:
- Creation of spaces where knowledge about a topic is promoted in an interactive and participatory way.
- Motivation through rewards for demonstrating an acquired notion.
- Awards competitions in which mental dexterity and agility and problem solving are tested.
- In institutions, play games with educational content that have an impact on student learning.
- Complement the implemented system with other resources that capture the attention of the person who will acquire the learning.
- Relying on experimentation and verification of scientific and other data.
- Promote curiosity as everything must be questioned.
- Cause the student or person to do more research on a topic mentioned.
- Use analogies, metaphors and paradoxes that arouse interest.
- Promote knowledge about other cultures and ways of thinking.
Knowledge methodology
This type of method is integrated by a set of elements that allows the interrelation of man with his environment. According to the great American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), there are four general ways of knowing: the method of tenacity, the method of authority, the a priori method or of intuition, the scientific method, and similarities and differences.
- In the method of tenacity, the individual insists on the truth (that is, his truth), although there are facts that refute it. This kind of method is associated with "perception", where the involvement of the researcher is evidenced by holding his own truth, the subjective.
- In the authority method, the individual stops believing in its truth and takes as true the tradition imposed by a group or guild of authority. This method is necessary for the development of human progress.
- In the a priori or intuitive method, the propositions coincide with reasoning and not with experience. This method considers that people reach the truth through communication and free exchange. The dilemma is that there is usually no agreement to determine who is right.
- The scientific method is responsible for dispelling doubts without being based on beliefs but on verifiable facts through different methods. This type of scientific approach has a basic characteristic that no other has and that is self-correction and internal checking. The scientist does not accept the veracity of a claim, if he does not first put it to the test. In this method, ideas are tested against reality, either to validate or reject them.
Ignorance
Ignorance is the lack of information about a thing or understanding of its nature, qualities and relationships. The concept of ignoring is directly opposed to knowledge, which implies having a complete idea about things and people or the ability to penetrate from the intellectual faculties, the origin, characteristics and conditions that things and people present.
Ignorance can also mean ingratitude or ungratefulness in a situation. Similarly, it can refer to the lack of reciprocity or connection. It can also be interpreted as the denial of something in particular or the inability to attend to a matter. However, in the field of knowledge, the unknown leads to new discoveries, causing more questions to be asked.
The ignorance or lack of knowledge about a subject can be due to lack of interest that arises when a person gathers more information and understanding about something, whereas in this case, ignorance in question must be questionable; or failing that, it may be due to the inaccessibility of the knowledge in question.
Another use of the term "ignore" allows to refer to the observation of a notable change that has been appreciated in someone or something. In general, in this sense, ignorance is related to the manifestation of behaviors, actions, that are not typical or characteristics of someone who is already known.
