Ways in Which Shared Knowledge Can Shape Personal Knowledge - Essay Example

Ways in Which Shared Knowledge Can Shape Personal Knowledge With Reference To Two Areas of Knowledge Discuss the Way in Which Shared Knowledge Can Shape Personal Knowledge Introduction Scholars have had diverse viewpoints on the concept of knowledge since the times of Socrates. Socrates, for instance, insists that knowledge is best expressed through the priority definition principle. His conception of knowledge provided that humans should continually examine moral properties of concepts before making claims of possessing knowledge. Simply put, knowledge refers to an understanding that an individual possesses, gained through possession or experience, and that makes him or her gain familiarity to a concept. The paper outlines the concept that shared knowledge influences or shapes individual knowledge, based on the example of human sciences and the arts. Shared Knowledge Shared knowledge is structured and systematic in its nature and it is an outcome of more than one individual. Shared knowledge is bound together in more or less distinct sections of knowledge, for instance, familiar groups of subjects studied in undergraduate program. Whereas individuals contribute to the distinct areas, shared knowledge does not depend only upon the contributions of a given individual. There are chances for other individuals to check and implement individual contributions and add to the body of knowledge that already occurs. For, instance, Chemistry is a subject with knowledge that is shared. Many individuals have access to it and can contribute proficiently to it. Teams of people, building on existing knowledge, undertake the great work. Despite the individual contribution to the body of knowledge, their work is subject to group processes such as review and replication of results of experimental results before it becomes the final paper. The building of computer also requires shared knowledge. It is surprising to have individual who has the knowledge of constructing a compute from scratch. That is, not assembling it from pre-constructed components. Though we know how to assemble computers. The product of computer is because of a complex worldwide cooperative effort. Shared knowledge evolves over time due to the continued applications of the methods of inquiry; all processes covered by the framework of knowledge. For instance, applying the methodology that belongs to an area of knowledge changes the existing idea that we know. The changes might be slow or incremental; the areas of knowledge contain certain stability over a given duration. The changes might also be sudden or dramatic; revolutionary swing in knowledge because an area of knowledge responds to new experimental results. Therefore, shared knowledge allows international-mindedness in the exploration of knowledge questions. Personal Knowledge Personal knowledge depends critically on the experiences of a specific individual. It is acquired through practice, experience, and personal involvement. Personal knowledge is bound up with the particular local circumstances of individual such as interests, biography, values among others. Personal knowledge entails skills and procedural knowledge that one gains through habituation and practice. It involves what one has known through experience in life beyond academia. Besides, it is made up of what is learnt through formal education, that is, shared knowledge that has withstood the analysis of methods of validation of varied areas of knowledge. Personal knowledge depicts the results of personal academic research. Personal knowledge includes skills, practical abilities and individual talents. It is often referred to as procedural knowledge; knowledge of how to do something, for instance, how to play football, how to paint a portrait among others. Personal knowledge is hard to communicate to others. It also include a map of our personal experiences of the world. Areas of Knowledge in which Shared Knowledge Shapes Personal knowledge Shared knowledge is significant in shaping the personal knowledge. The various areas of knowledge include mathematics, natural sciences, history, the arts, human sciences, ethics, indigenous knowledge systems, and religious knowledge systems. Human sciences and the arts depict well how shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge (International Baccalaureate, 2015). Human Sciences Human sciences study the social, biological, and cultural aspects of human existence. Human behavior is also a factor in the human science. The human sciences use the scientific method to test the reliability and validity of test hypothesis through combined effort of knowledge from the individual knowledge. Shared knowledge establishes statistical methods to initiate findings and produce knowledge that influences ideas of an individual. The main way in which shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge in the human sciences is through processes of primary and secondary socialization and culturization. Socialization brings individuals together to understand and share their ideas. Shared knowledge enables co-existence of various persons and enhances economic development in the society. An individual cannot develop and implement a beneficial and a rewarding idea without the support from others. For instance, ones knowledge of how to produce a renewable source of energy or venturing into an entrepreneurial activity will not be effected due to lack of mandate and convincing power to overcome resistance from the society and culture. Therefore, the need for shared knowledge emanates. It shapes personal knowledge by combining the individual efforts to achieve a universal social outcome and coexistence among people (International Baccalaureate, 2015). Another instance in which Human sciences have portrayed how shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge is through the social psychological study of Conformity. Conformity entails how people relate in the society in respect to the cultural norms and values. Individual ideas or practices are thwarted because they do not conform to the intelligence or knowledge practiced by the groups in the society. The people who are the majority have power hence their shared knowledge influences the personal knowledge of individual to conform to the ethical conduct of the society and human existence. Psychology of obedience is another aspect in the area of human science that portrays how shared knowledge shapes personal knowledge. Shared knowledge promotes togetherness in idea articulation. Individual’s knowledge is obliged to be obedient and comply with the overall group for effective implementation of knowledge. Therefore, it is evident that social norms or shared knowledge influence personal knowledge and hence individual behavior. The Arts The art encompasses the creative productions of humans and entails the visual arts, the literary arts, and the performing arts. The arts outline the experience and reality of being human and are significant element of culture. The artistic growth is due to shared knowledge as it entails collaborative work of personal knowledge. The arts have extra artistic cognitive functions. Therefore, shared knowledge ensures that individual’s person in the world have social and political implications. For instance, shared knowledge influences the personal knowledge by ensuring that arts have a significant function for social transformation and criticism. The growth and spread of Artistic Movements also help explain how shared knowledge influences personal knowledge. The socio-cultural changes at a particular place and time fed through the changes in the artistic world, for instance the Renaissance period. It then fed through to change the way in which individuals understood their world, that is, shared knowledge hence shaping personal knowledge. Another instance from the arts is the germination and spread of cultural memes such as the internet. The spread of memes demonstrates the influence of shared knowledge system over the individual knowledge system hence an evidence in the shaping (International Baccalaureate, 2015). Conclusion Humans have two kinds of knowledge. Intuitive knowledge is attributable to mastery of science and scientific concepts, but not mere information. Rational knowledge, however, emanates from an individual’s innate reasoning competences. There is a distinction between shared and personal knowledge. Shared knowledge refers to the possession of information that relates to the norms, values, and signifiers that are important from socio-cultural perspectives. Personal knowledge, however, refers to experiences as well as perspectives that are based on an individual’s memories or emotions. It is notable that shared knowledge may have vast influence on individual knowledge as outlined in the essay. References International Baccalaureate. (2015). Theory of Knowledge: Areas of Knowledge. Retrieved June 4, 2015 from https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/exist/rest/app/tsm.xql?doc=d_0_tok_gui_1304_1_e&part=2&chapter=4 Read More