TYPES OF KNOWELEDGE
1. A Priori
A priori literally means “from before” or “from earlier.” This is because a priori knowledge depends upon what a person can derive from the world without needing to experience it. This is better known as reasoning.
For example:
Let’s look at an example. If you were in a closed room with no
windows and someone asked you what the weather was like, you would not
be able to answer them with any degree of truth. If you did, then you
certainly would not be in possession of a priori knowledge. It would simply be impossible to use reasoning to produce a knowledgable answer.
On the other hand, if there were a chalkboard in the room and someone wrote the equation 4 + 6 = ? on
the board, then you could find the answer without physically finding
four objects and adding six more objects to them and then counting them.
You would know the answer is 10 without needing a real world experience
to understand it. In fact, mathematical equations are one of the most
popular examples of a priori knowledge.
2. A Posteriori
Naturally, then, a posteriori literally means “from what
comes later” or “from what comes after.” This is a reference to
experience and using a different kind of reasoning (inductive) to gain
knowledge. This kind of knowledge is gained by first having an
experience (and the important idea in philosophy is that it is acquired
through the five senses) and then using logic and reflection to derive
understanding from it. In philosophy, this term is sometimes used
interchangeably with empirical knowledge, which is knowledge based on
observation.
It is believed that
a priori knowledge is more reliable than
a posteriori knowledge.
This might seem counter-intuitive, since in the former case someone can
just sit inside of a room and base their knowledge on factual evidence
while in the latter case someone is having real experiences in the
world. But the problem lies in this very fact: everyone’s experiences
are subjective and open to interpretation. This is a very complex
subject and you might find it illuminating to read this
post on knowledge issues and how to identify and use them. A mathematical equation, on the other hand, is law.
3. Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge is knowledge that is recorded and communicated
through mediums. It is our libraries and databases. The specifics of
what is contained is less important than how it is contained. Anything
from the sciences to the arts can have elements that can be expressed in
explicit knowledge.
4. Tacit Knowledge
Whereas explicit knowledge is very easy to communicate and transfer from
one individual to another, tacit knowledge is precisely the opposite.
It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to communicate tacit
knowledge through any medium.
The biggest difficult of tacit knowledge is knowing when it is useful and figuring out how
to make it usable. Tacit knowledge can only be communicated through
consistent and extensive relationships or contact (such as taking
lessons from a professional musician). But even in this cases there will
not be a true transfer of knowledge. Usually two forms of knowledge are
born, as each person must fill in certain blanks (such as skill,
short-cuts, rhythms, etc.).
5. Propositional Knowledge (also Descriptive or Declarative Knowledge)
Propositional knowledge is simply knowing something or having knowledge of something.
So if you read and/or memorized the textbook or manual, then you would
know the steps on how to program a computer. You could even repeat these
steps to someone else in the form of declarative sentences or
indicative propositions.
The key attribute is knowing that something is true. Again, mathematical
equations could be an example of propositional knowledge, because it is
knowledge of something, as opposed to knowledge of how to do something.
6. Non-Propositional Knowledge (also Procedural Knowledge)
on-propositional knowledge (which is better known as procedural
knowledge, but I decided to use “non-propositional” because it is a more
obvious antithesis to “propositional”) is knowledge that can be used;
it can be applied to something, such as a problem. Procedural knowledge
differs from propositional knowledge in that it is acquired “by doing”;
propositional knowledge is acquired by more conservative forms of
learning.
7. Digital knowledge
It refers to an individual's ability to find, evaluate, produce and
communicate clear information through writing and other forms of
communication on various digital platforms. Digital literacy showcases
an individual's grammar, computer, writing, and typing skills on
platforms, such as social media and blog sites. Digital Literacy also
includes other devices, such as, smartphones, tablets, laptops and
desktop PCs
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