We explain what knowledge is, what elements make it possible and what types exist. Furthermore, the theory of knowledge.
What is knowledge?
Knowledge is the result obtained from the progressive and gradual process of apprehension of the world . This implies general knowledge that is specified in knowledge of people, objects or ideas, among others.
In general terms, knowledge represents the relationship between a knowing subject (which is capable of understanding) and a knowable object (which can be known) . Epistemology studies the essence of knowledge in scientific terms, while epistemology studies knowledge in general.
According to the means by which it is apprehended, that is, through experience or reason, knowledge is classified into two large groups:
- Empirical knowledge . Empirical knowledge is that which is obtained through experience. It involves the use of the senses as a way of accessing the object that one wants to know.
- Rational knowledge . Rational knowledge is that which is obtained through reason. It involves a cognitive process mediated by mental processes.
- Philosophical knowledge . It is a type of critical, metaphysical, unconditioned, universal and metaphysical knowledge.
- Scientific knowledge . It is a type of verifiable, methodological, objective and selective knowledge.
- Technical knowledge . It is a type of knowledge that uses tools to solve problems.
- See also: Vulgar knowledge
Knowledge as a relationship between subject and object
The knowledge represents a relationship between a subject that seeks to know and an object that one wishes to know . The possibility of knowledge arising from contact between one and another.
However, this relationship is problematic. Some philosophers maintain that there is a determination of the subject by the object . Others, however, think that it is the subject that determines the object. The former are grouped under the label “objectivists” and the latter as “subjectivists.”
- Objectivism . Objectivism maintains that it is the object that determines the subject. In this way, the subject is affected by how the object is shown or presented to him and everything he can say about it arises from the object itself. An example of this is Platonism.
- Subjectivism . Subjectivism maintains that it is the subject who determines the object. In this way, the object is affected by the conditions of possibility of knowledge that the subject brings with itself. An example of this is Kantianism.
There is another way of thinking about the problem, which is related to the ontological character of the object, that is, the nature of being of the object. If you think that objects have an ideal, mental being, you think about the problem from the idealism. On the other hand, if we think that objects are independent of thought, we think of the problem from the realism.
Sources of knowledge acquisition
Knowledge is acquired in various ways. In general terms, we can distinguish between knowledge acquired by experience and knowledge acquired by reason.
- Experience . Experience is the acquisition of knowledge from sensory perception. The information obtained is stored in memory and is enriched with new experiences that expand knowledge.
- Reason . The reason is the acquisition of knowledge as a result of mental processes such as deduction and induction.
Both experience and reason can be thought from intuition. This is the understanding of something directly, without middle steps. The subject captures or perceives a phenomenon as self-evident.
For rationalism, intuition is rational and occurs through direct contact with the idea of an object. For empiricism, intuition is empirical, and occurs through direct contact with the real object.
- See also: Inductive and deductive arguments
Types of knowledge
There are many ways to classify knowledge. In philosophy a distinction is made between knowledge a priori and a posteriori.
- The knowledge a priori . It is analytical knowledge, independent of experience. A priori It means, in Latin, “from the above.” Logical and mathematical statements belong to this type of knowledge, which do not need to be validated by experience.
- The knowledge a posteriori . It is the knowledge that derives from experience. A posteriori It means “of the later.” It is the type of knowledge from which much of scientific knowledge is built and, according to some authors, the only legitimate knowledge that can be obtained from the world.
Taking into account the scope of knowledge, a distinction is made between:
- Theoretical knowledge . It is knowledge that, through concepts, refers to one or several aspects of reality, in order to understand them. Of this type are scientific, philosophical knowledge and even religious beliefs.
- Practical knowledge . It is action-oriented knowledge, often used in order to model behavior. It is usually learned by imitation or theoretically, but it can only be truly incorporated when it is put into practice. This is the case of technical knowledge, ethics and politics.
Scientific knowledge
Scientific knowledge is a particular type of knowledge, based on the systematic and methodical observation of phenomena, which seeks to explain the phenomena in an objective, coherent and precise manner. To do this, it uses the scientific method, a series of procedures through which it seeks to guarantee the rigor of the observations made and ensure the validity of the conclusions reached.
Scientific knowledge includes both laws and theories.
- The laws . They are patterns observed in phenomena. For example, Isaac Newton's laws of motion describe what happens when an object is at rest or in motion (first law), the force necessary to move an object at rest or stop an object in motion (second law), and what It happens when two objects collide (third law).
- The theories . They are systematic explanations of phenomena. Newton's three laws of motion are part of a theory of objects in motion and are the basis of classical mechanics.
- Scientific knowledge
Theory of knowledge
The theory of knowledge, sometimes confused with epistemology, is the branch of philosophy that focuses on the study of human knowledge .
Some of the questions that the theory of knowledge tries to answer are: what is knowledge? What is the origin of knowledge? How is knowledge possible? How do we know if knowledge is true? Does knowledge Does it always involve an intellectual operation or can it be accessed intuitively?
Throughout history, many philosophers addressed the problem of knowledge. However, in the Modern Age it became a central problem of philosophical thought. This problem can be summarized in the terms of a debate between two positions about the origin of knowledge:
- Empiricism . It states that knowledge comes mainly from sensible experience (that is, from the information provided by the senses).
- Rationalism . He maintains that a significant part of knowledge is derived from reason.
Among the attempts made to resolve this debate, that of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) stands out, who maintained that, although knowledge begins with sensible experience, not all knowledge arises from it. It is the intellect, through the application of a series of categories, that organizes the information provided by the senses and, in this way, makes knowledge possible.
- Theory of knowledge
Knowledge society
Is called “sknowledge society” at societies that are characterized by their capacity to produce, transform, disseminate and use information and, thus, generate knowledge for human development. The concept, arising from the impact of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) on contemporary societies, was introduced by the thinker Peter Drucker in the late 1960s.
Knowledge societies They use knowledge as a factor of economic competition . This is manifested in the strong link that exists, both in companies and in State agencies, between research and development (R&D).
In addition, they invest in the education and training of people, in order to have human resources that allow them to apply knowledge to develop innovations.
The concept of a knowledge society is not equivalent to that of an information society. The latter refers only to a society that allows information exchange: a knowledge society, on the other hand, uses information to transform its social, economic and cultural reality in pursuit of a sustainable development model.
References
- “Methods of Knowing”, in Research Methods in Psychology (3rd edition), available from Pressbooks.
- “Knowledge”, in Webdianoia, Glossary of philosophy.
- “Kant: Theory of knowledge” (video), in Educatina.
- “Theory of knowledge”, in Encyclopedia Herder.
