Gustafson 1 THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE ESSAY With Reference to Two Areas of Knowledge Discuss the Way in which Shared Knowledge can Shape Personal Knowledge. Anna Gustafson Candidate Number: 000231-0027 1,396 Words May 2015
Gustafson 2 With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge? Shared knowledge in the natural sciences and indigenous knowledge systems can influence personal knowledge through the ways of knowing. Knowers are likely to believe shared knowledge because it is systematic and culturally accepted. It is proven to knowers using reason, believed due to persuasive language, and understood through sense perception. The natural sciences goal is to define the laws of nature. Laws are by definition applicable to all situations around the world--laws are highly expansive shared knowledge. Sir 1 Francis Bacon said that, inventors confer and extend to the whole human race. Knowledge is extended to other knowers through published texts and experiments. In the natural sciences, shared knowledge is the basis of all personal knowledge. A student who starts out in IB biology will learn from textbooks about the parts of a cell and accept the text as truth, because in the book there are pictures of slides from a microscope showing the parts of the cell. Later on in life that student may make a discovery and form a theory about a new organelle. Their knowledge was based on what was initially learned from the textbook. Without the shared knowledge learned from the textbook, the student would not have made the discovery. So, without shared knowledge, all personal knowledge would have to start from the beginning, without basis. There would be no progress because each knower can only conclude so much in a lifetime, then 1 "Today in Science History." Sir Francis Bacon Quotes. Today in Science, 22 Jan. 1999. Web. 10 Jan. 2015. <http://www.todayinsci.com/b/bacon_francis/baconfrancis-quotati ons.htm>.
Gustafson 3 the next would have to start from the beginning. Shared knowledge is a basis for shaping personal knowledge. A problem with shared knowledge in the natural sciences arises when one examines the human-imposed importance on personal perception of proof. Many knowers stubbornly will not believe or accept a theory until they personally experience it. It is from here that the common adage arises: I ll believe it when I see it. I find this a nearly impossible way to live, because not everyone can go to the moon and experience the pull of gravity as 1.622 m/s². Knowers should accept the shared knowledge based on the sound reasoning proven and organized in scientific texts. A popular argument against shared knowledge influencing personal beliefs in the natural sciences is that it is flawed, then too often revised. This is true. My chemistry teacher, Mrs. Hall, always said, You will never fully prove anything; possibilities are infinite. But, you can disprove a theory by finding just one exception. This has held true in the body of shared knowledge in the scientific community. In 1953, after twenty years of biologists arguing scientists finally recognized DNA as the owners of genetic material, not proteins as 2 they had previously thought. Knowers should be skeptical about what they accept as true--just because something is shared amongst the scientific community does not make it absolute knowledge. 2 "DNA Timeline: DNA Science from Mendel to Today." DNA Timeline: DNA Science from Mendel to Today. Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory, 2003. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.d nai.org/timeline/>.
Gustafson 4 Another area of knowledge where it is easy to recognize shared knowledge influencing personal is within an indigenous knowledge system. Indigenous knowledge is knowledge shared amongst peoples to define and shape their culture. The traditions and beliefs in each culture are unique, and can be recognized by others within the culture, even out of context because the knowers are nurtured with specific ways of living. Indigenous knowledge relies on people imparting their beliefs to the next generation for their descendants to form their own opinions and create personal knowledge. Those who are raised in a single culture get their personal knowledge from the shared knowledge of their isolated group. It is important to note that indigenous knowledge does change with and adapt to the times--people living on the banks of the Mississippi River no longer live in animal hide teepees nor one room cabins, but in modern homes built with electricity and aesthetic design. These cultures changed because personal knowledge (with a basis of shared knowledge) influenced the way the people groups thought. With the power of modern technology, sometimes the shared knowledge of one group can influence personal knowledge across the globe. The shared knowledge of an indigenous group in Southern China was formally recognized by the United Nations in 2013. This 3 knowledge, Rice-fish co-culture, is practiced by hatching fish in the rice fields, so the fish 3 Carpenter, Steven R. "Fish and Rice Flourish Together in Paddies."SciDev.Net. UK Aid, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014.
Gustafson 5 eat the pests and the rice moderates the habitat. This practice has been handed down through many generations in China, and now it will have a more global impact. Some scholars argue that indigenous knowledge can not be personal because it is by definition shared. This is invalid because knowers take shared knowledge and accept it as their personal beliefs. Additionally, shared knowledge is often made up of a multitude of personal beliefs. I have grown up in the Southern culture of the United States. We are known for our Southern hospitality. Surrounded by Southern manners and niceties put me into certain habits, one of which is responding to any adult with Ma am or Sir. When I was in New York, out of habit I said Yes Mam to a woman who was about 30 years old. She snappily retorted that she was not an old lady needing to be called Ma am. I was incredulous that she had taken offense to my indigenous use of language. The shared knowledge of the South dictated my personal knowledge; I did not even realize that I could disrespect someone from another culture with my pronoun of address. My indigenous knowledge dictated my personal response even outside of my group of knowers. The question asked focuses on shared influencing personal knowledge, but personal knowledge can shape shared knowledge through cross checking, contributing, and revising. An example of personal knowledge influencing shared knowledge is the paradigm shift from the geocentric theory to the heliocentric theory. Nasir al-din Tusi laid the mathematical foundation for Copernicus who revolutionized astronomy, a natural science,
Gustafson 6 4 with his discovery that the sun was in the center of the solar system, not the earth. Now the Copernican theory is taught in schools and accepted as general knowledge that serves as the foundations for other theories. Copernicus discovery was fundamental for Newton's discovery of gravitational theory which explains that the planets revolve around the sun because the sun s gravitational force pulls the other planets inward. Since shared knowledge is widely accepted and published, the personal theories that influence it must be verified. When an idea is introduced to the scientific world it goes through a rigorous confirmation process, in which scientists from all over the world test the experiment according to the original experimenter s lab notes. The reason for this method is to preserve intellectual reason. The ideas must flow logically. If the scientific community agrees a theory is true, then a scientific law is created. Eventually it will be printed in textbooks and taught to share the knowledge that began with one personal idea. But, if the theory is disproved, then the creator can revise their original idea. An example of this would be a chemist trying to prove a theory about all of the elements, but it eventually is revised to only apply to the Noble Gasses. A major problem with sharing personal knowledge is that it is not always systematically or simply organized. The problem of using effective language arises. Sometimes an idea is so extraordinary that it can not be expressed verbally, much less translated into another language (the trouble of untranslatable words emerges). The other problem is that 4 Wudka, Jose. "The Copernican Revolution." The Copernican Revolution. N.p., 24 Sept. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. <http://physics.ucr.edu/~wudka/physics7/notes_www/node 41.html>.
Gustafson 7 sometimes a knower is so concerned with receiving honor for an impactful discovery, that he or she will use persuasive language to prove a theory. 5 Late nineteenth century philosopher and educator, Michael Polanyi, believed that personal knowledge was always shrouded with emotion and could rarely shape shared knowledge. He believed that personal knowledge could never achieve pure truth because of confirmation bias. But I believe a personal discovery can break through emotional biases and shape shared knowledge. I conclude not only that shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge, but that personal knowledge influences shared as well. In the natural sciences, the scientific method was created to easily share knowledge to enlighten personal beliefs. Indigenous knowledge systems are the basis for a knower s principles which he can then share to influence global attitudes. With shared knowledge a knower can absorb more perspectives, decide if they are logical, and form their own opinions which can then be shared. The cycle of knowledge is limitless, and knowers must propel it to increase global understanding and acceptance. 5 Polanyi, Michael. Personal Knowledge; towards a Post-critical Philosophy. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1958. Print.
Gustafson 8 Bibliography Carpenter, Steven R. "Fish and Rice Flourish Together in Paddies."SciDev.Net. UK Aid, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2014. "DNA Timeline: DNA Science from Mendel to Today." DNA Timeline: DNA Science from Mendel to Today. Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory, 2003. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <http://www.d nai.org/timeline/>. Polanyi, Michael. Personal Knowledge; towards a Post-critical Philosophy. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1958. Print. "Today in Science History." Sir Francis Bacon Quotes. Today in Science, 22 Jan. 1999. Web. 10 Jan. 2015. <http://www.todayinsci.com/b/bacon_francis/baconfrancis-quotati ons.htm>. Wudka, Jose. "The Copernican Revolution." The Copernican Revolution. N.p., 24 Sept. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. <http://physics.ucr.edu/~wudka/physics7/notes_www/node 41.html>.