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What is Knowledge?
Kinds of Knowledge
if we consider different ways of using the verb “to know”, we can distinguish:
knowledge that … [+ a proposition/statement expressed in a sentence]
= 'propositional knowledge'
including:
knowledge how to … [+ a skill/activity expressed by a verb]
knowledge … [+ an object/place/person represented by a noun]
= 'knowledge by acquaintance'
cf. in French: savoir v. connaitre, or in German: wissen v. kennen
BUT the different kinds of knowledge are not completely separate:
in different areas, such as History, Science, …, even Ethics:
“I know that …”:
“… WW2 ended in 1945”, “… sodium is a metal”,
“I know how to …”:
“… analyse original sources”, “… use atomic numbers to place elements in the periodic table”,
in the course of our education, we move from the former to the latter.
Kinds of Knowers
the knower's perspective:
just as what I perceive depends on where I stand,
the knowledge I can have depends on who I am, my past experiences, etc. – e.g.
distinguish
A Definition
The Eastern Conception of Knowledge