We explain what popular knowledge is, how it is learned, its function and other characteristics. Also, other types of knowledge.
What is popular knowledge?
By popular knowledge or common knowledge we understand that type of knowledge that does not come from formal and academic sources as occurs with institutional knowledge (science, religion, etc.), nor do they have a specific authorship.
They belong to the common society and are acquired directly from the experience of the world. the result of custom, common sense or community life. That is to say, they are learned spontaneously, in a naturalized way.
In a certain way, popular knowledge and vulgar knowledge would become more or less synonymous: both are forms of unofficial knowledge, which It does not require logical or experimental demonstrations or rational arguments. .
However, it is possible that the term “popular” also means ancestral knowledge, of tribal or local origin, transmitted from one generation to another orally. They are marginal knowledge with respect to written, academic and scientific knowledge.
Popular knowledge can operate as a tool for mutual understanding between individuals belonging to different communities . It can also provide common ground for forming a joint identity, especially when it refers to stories, myths and beliefs, in which there are often fragments of a shared historical truth.
Characteristics of popular knowledge
popular knowledge It is transmitted socially and community or from direct experience of the world. Therefore, does not require studies or preparation, nor can it be administered by a group, as is the case with institutional knowledge.
Instead, may have limited validity in cases where the community is changed or geographical region, since it is, at its core, a social construction. However, should not be confused with common sense which is a related logic more or less widespread within society or some group within it.
Examples of popular knowledge
Some examples of popular knowledge are:
- gender roles that is, what is understood within a given community to be the typical tasks of a man and a woman, or of a single, married man and woman, etc.
- The rules of seduction and courtship which in addition to being popular, vary generationally and are not written anywhere.
- The identity stories of a community such as epics, cosmologies and even urban legends.
Differences with scientific knowledge
Unlike popular knowledge and other forms of informal knowledge, Scientific knowledge requires validation, demonstration and specialized dissemination .
In fact, to obtain popular knowledge you only need to belong to a certain community, even temporarily. On the contrary, scientific knowledge It is reserved for those initiated into a formal learning path technical and highly specialized, since it is not understandable by everyone naturally.
For example, any person can know more or less when it rains in a certain region, since custom and experience allow it. On the other hand, a climatology specialist can explain these phenomena and even make climate predictions, given that it is their area of scientific expertise and they have the conceptual tools to do so.
Other types of knowledge
Other forms of knowledge are:
- Scientific knowledge. It is derived from the application of the scientific method. It begins with hypotheses that arise from the observation of reality, in order to demonstrate through experiments what the laws that govern the universe are.
- Empirical knowledge. It is acquired through direct experience, repetition or participation. It does not require an approach to the abstract, but rather arises from the observation of things themselves.
- Philosophical knowledge. It emerges from human thought, in the abstract. It uses various logical or formal reasoning methods, which do not always arise directly from reality, but from the imaginary representation of what is real.
- Intuitive knowledge. It is acquired without formal reasoning. It arises quickly and unconsciously, the result of often inexplicable processes.
- Religious knowledge. It is linked to the mystical and religious experience. They are knowledge that studies the link between the human being and the divine.
References
- “Common Knowledge” in Online Library Learning Center.
- “Common Knowledge” in Wikipedia (English).
