Knowledge is a Pursuit
On Sunday we discussed the ideas surrounding Knowledge, Learning and Information.
As I said in the meeting, I feel that my opinion of what these words mean is changing. Some points were brought up about their meanings and the one that really stuck with me was "What is knowledge?".
Someone Mentioned that knowledge is "perceived", in the sense that what we learn is an opinion which we have created from an experience. I agree with this as everyone's experiences are different and therefore, our individual knowledge on the subject may differ slightly, but generally lean towards a similar conclusion. The flaw here is that this knowledge could become bias due to the nature of "perception". Who is to say what is right and wrong?
A visual example (for the visual learners like myself) I think of, which was made famous by philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, is the "duck-rabbit" image. Do you perceive a duck? Or a rabbit? Wittgenstein's work was based around the idea of conceptual confusions in its many aspects including language, logic and semantics.
Duck or Rabbit? What is your perception?
A more modern example is 'The Dress' of 2015.
Moments later in the discussion, we were discussing how knowledge is fact. This is where I managed to confuse myself.
"Fact:- a thing that is known or proved to be true."
To me, a fact is 100% reliable information with evidence to back it up. Yet if knowledge is perceived, how can it be fact?
This brings me back to questioning, what is knowledge? Is it a collection of experiences that we as an individual create an independent conclusion using our own tastes, morals and ideals? Does this mean that all knowledge is theoretical? History has taught us that knowledge changes through time, like smoking is bad for you as is the use of radium in household products.
Baring this in mind, we then moved on to discuss how knowledge is passed on. What are we passing on exactly? Knowledge? If it's perceived by the receiving mind, are we passing on knowledge? Advice? Bias ideals? This is starting to sound like a cult!
I took a Zoom Ballet class today where the teacher made their 'pre show announcement' about taking care and not going anything too wild as we are in our living rooms, however they also mentioned that class is for the dancer and not the teacher. The teacher is there to advise and guide.
I believe that we can be knowledgeable of theories and methodologies that we have created for ourselves. The deeper I consider the concept of knowledge, it creates further questions rather than a definitive answer. I think that in the pursuit of knowledge, we are discovering more about ourselves and our world. Who knows, our current knowledge could be seen as wildly dangerous in the future. Let's be honest, we don't really know the long term effects of cell phones yet!
Hello Jacob, This is very interesting! I do agree with what you are saying but for me as a teacher I believe I pass on "information to the student and then it is the student that develops it to knowledge . "Knowledge is forever evolving and developing" this was my thoughts on the topic.
ReplyDeleteHow do we develop the information to knowledge? I think we create our own opinion on what information is relevant in order to develop it to knowledge.
DeleteThe information you give to the student, where does it come from? Is the information from your knowledge?
I agree, knowledge is ever evolving. But does that mean it's reliable?
We as "Artist" are constantly developing and processing information and it adds to our knowledge bank.
ReplyDeleteFor example I was thinking about how we relate this to our Professional Practice.
Talking in a Musical Theatre setting:
As a "Resident Choreographer " learning choreography for a set show you learn directly from the choreographer. You then process it and take onboard the "information" directly. Then as resident choreographer it is your job to pass on the knowledge you have learnt from the choreographer to the artists.
( In answer to your question in this setting the knowledge is "Reliable" as it is the source we are learning from)
What do you think about this analogy of knowledge and information in our Professional Practice ?
I like the idea of knowledge being something we learn from. If our current knowledge is proved to be wrong, we can learn from our mistakes. This makes experience the source of knowledge. In passing on our knowledge, we are passing on our experience (This sounds like your resident choreographer example).
DeleteBut I still don't understand how knowledge can be fact if it has the ability to change. Or maybe "fact" is a term to be used to represent the times?
Hi Jacob, I feel that knowledge is passed on as information and then it may or may not become knowledge for that individual depending on if they respond or react to it or choose not to. You're right, it might not be reliable but that's up to the individual to decide. Knowledge is our own personal pool of information that we have responded to and in turn, becomes the learning part of the process.
ReplyDeleteHello Susan,
DeleteIn passing on our knowledge, is it fair that we do not offer alternative thoughts for the learner, for them to decide what is relevant to them in order to come to a knowledgeable conclusion? Our knowledge is bias in the sense that it is OUR knowledgeable conclusion.
When I think of news programs today, I worry that what we are being told isn't the full truth, but bending the truth to form a different conclusion (AKA fake news). Isn't it up to the learner to come to a final conclusion, and who has the right to pass on that conclusion if it is not completely impartial?
Hi Jacob and Susan,
DeleteIn my practise as a teacher I consider that I pass my knowledge on to my students in various ways and that it is the students reaction to the way that I pass on that knowledge as to whether they see it as information that is their learning. If they do not interpret the information, or choose not to respond to that information, then it can, in turn become my learning because I need to look at the way I have delivered that information to see if I can improve my knowledge to help them gain something from my teaching. Of course, it is all subjective and this will be personal to each individual. I am not saying that my knowledge is total in any way as it is only as good as how I have interpreted the information that I have read or learned. Some teachers may not be open to changing the way they deliver information to students and therefore will never be open to embodiment. It is definitely cyclical in my opinion and you never stop learning or gaining knowledge.
Hi Jacob, your observation resonates with my thoughts at the moment. I like your 'OUR knowledgeable conclusion'. I have searched about the definition of knowledge in different study domains, and I have found a progressive/evolving vision of knowledge is more common than an immutable meaning of it. A lot of information going on at the moment, but I can grasp the gist of it.
ReplyDeleteHello Jacob. An 'aside' comment. A question I've had is 'what is an illustration', in academic terms. You have provided one right here. A way of expressing your view or message within a simple picture. I appreciate the effort here, thank you.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your last comment - I often wonder where our theories and teachings of today will land in the hands of our students in 20-30 or more years time. How they will interpret our efforts. How it will sit, and exactly what they will allow themselves to absorb, whether subconsciously or not.
I find this thread very interesting. My thought at the moment is knowledge is constantly changing. There is no end to the possibility of change. We are not the same person we were yesterday and the world is shifting so quickly. As the information comes in we must keep constantly reflecting on the new information for we are biased in our knowledge depending on our experiences, culture, and environment. I have been in the dance field for a long time and the changes happening now in dance with training and warm up have transformed what dancers do and how they work. I am still learning how to wotk with these ideas so that I might one day own this knowledge. It makes me think of a May Angelou quote, " Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." In experiencing this practice of "do better" there is the opportunity to gain fuller knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacob:)
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you brought Wittgenstein in your thoughts cause one part of my research will talk about Wittgensteing"language-game", how we humans perceiving the things and how we understanding each other, how the terms are relative and the only constant thing is change. Therefore according to that we must find the tools or common language so we can communicate clearly. According to Ludwig we understand each other vaguely and somehow on the surface . He argued that the proper everyday claims of knowledge require the possibility of justification. The idea can not be derived from the more observation and description of knowledge claims in ordinary language. He referred to the concept of language-game and repeated the idea that language is separate and corresponding to reality. Word/sentence/an object has meaning only as a result of "rule" of the "game" being played. We actually adapt the meaning of the language to the others, we are making rules how to correspond. That is all a matter of agreement. Speaking of language is part of an activity, or a form of life which gives language its meaning. The central component of language games is used in numerous ways. In one game a word might be used for giving orders or for asking questions. The given word has no meaning apart from its use within language game. In this terms i am applying this knowledge and approach on the movement usually with improvisational tasks with amount of human participants and it is interesting to observe communication within the group who for ex. still does not understand some principles of the movement, the meaning or they do not know each other. It is interesting to observe how they move according to the given knowledge, information, and by time and deeper cognition how they accept the rules, language game, instructions and become more clear, simple and fluid in their movement.