Saturday, June 19, 2021

What I Know about Knowledge

What is knowledge, but a collection of our experiences, expectations, and our efforts to link the two. Since these are mutually interlinked, a change in any one of those invariably affecting the other two, it is always on a rise. Over time, while the human race grew in leaps and bounds, our experience would have been bursting in its seams and forcing it to branch into many. Together with our expectations and our perceived abilities, we started to classify those, making it possible for us to register and react to all the eventualities at our convenience.

Over time, that turned classification into a default activity, our first reaction to anything new. Where a basis for classification occurred to us intuitively, we added the results to a kitty, calling it faculties of knowledge. Appreciation and further manipulation of which became the most venerated activity, as far as humans go.

But, the cases where a basis for classification could not be to found easily, posed a challenge. Some of us who liked to reflect at depth could come up with explanations, which looked rather intuitive too. Thus was science born. But, since we were already accustomed to classification as a first step, and this being a rather trivial affair in comparison to all other activities to follow, like analysis or synthesis, we wouldn't let science flourish, unless it is divided to accommodate the very first results. And we started to see such divisions as unmistakable signs of growth, the appreciation of which, taking the lion's share of our time.

Consequently, the meaning of knowledge took a turn to the abstract. What was the major contribution of knowledge, namely, a better appreciation of our experiences, is taking a back seat. The process of adding new and imaginative divisions is taking the center stage. But, we do not find anything amiss, because of two reasons. The efforts towards carving out new groupings and fresh relationships continue to provide us with a sense of fulfillment. Also, such endearing results make every contribution that comes from the mankind look big and imaginative as well as singular, leading us to overlook the inputs coming from elsewhere.

Thus, all the while, human imagination has been having a free run. Whereas, the other attributes of significance, like integrity, or pragmatism, have been loaded heavily towards whatever is in vogue, or aligning with the leanings of those at the helm. Therefore one can say, 'Knowledge is more than a natural result of our curiosity, it is continuously molded by a flurry of constraints'.

In the light of the above, I think we need to take two steps.

One, re-evaluate our wealth of knowledge. See all of it from a different perspective. Take, for example, psychology. It came out of our efforts to collate, group and record all the biases present in our society. The biases that were endearing would have been the ones to be marked normal behavior. Those biased in other ways, as well as the ones who do not have any such prejudices or priorities, get noticed instantly. Isn't there room for a revision?

Two, formulate guidelines for sensing and acquiring fresh knowledge. Just like how we do in the case all activities of life, like walking, running or reading, we need to learn, how to learn, before we start to learn. My hub is an attempt in this direction.


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