Knowledge is what we know.
It can be facts. It can be a skill. You learn by using your eyes and ears. You can learn how to ride a bike.
It helps us learn about our world. What do you know?
Knowledge is what we know.
It can be facts. It can be a skill. You can learn by using your senses. This helps you learn about the world.
You can also learn a skill, like riding a bike. Some people think knowledge comes from a god. Many thinkers study how we know things. They ask what it means to know. This study is called epistemology. It is a way to understand our minds.
What does it mean to know something?
Knowledge is more than just a guess. It can be facts or skills. Some people call facts "propositional knowledge." This is knowing that something is true. For example, you know that two plus two is four.
You can also have "knowledge-how." This is a practical skill, like knowing how to ride a bike.
Some people also have knowledge by acquaintance. This means you are familiar with someone or something through direct experience.
Many thinkers study how we gain knowledge. This study is called epistemology. They ask how we can be sure of what we know. One common idea is that knowledge must be a "justified true belief." This means you believe it, it is true, and you have a good reason for it. However, some thinkers disagree. They use special stories to show how a person might be right by luck. People learn in many ways. They use their senses to see the world. They use memory to remember things. They also learn from what others tell them. Many religions believe that a god is the source of knowledge.
What does it mean to truly know something?
Knowledge is more than just having an opinion or making a lucky guess. It is a way of being aware of facts or having a skill. Some thinkers call facts "propositional knowledge." This means you know a specific statement is true, like "kangaroos hop."
You can also have "knowledge-how," which is a practical skill. This might be knowing how to swim or ride a bike.
There is even "knowledge by acquaintance." This is a type of familiarity you get from direct experience with a person or object.
How do we actually get this knowledge?
One main way is through perception. This means using your five senses to learn about the world around you. You can also use introspection to learn about your own mind. Other ways include using your memory or listening to testimony from others. Some people use logic or rational intuition to find answers. Philosophers have different ideas about how these pieces fit together. Foundationalists believe some truths are basic and do not need other beliefs to support them. Coherentists think all your beliefs must fit together like a puzzle. Infinitists believe knowledge requires an endless chain of beliefs.
People have wondered about these ideas for a very long time. The word "knowledge" comes from Old English and Old High German roots. In ancient Greece, thinkers used different words for different kinds of knowing. They used "epistēmē" for theoretical knowledge and "technē" for technical skills. They also used "mētis" for strategic knowledge and "gnōsis" for personal knowledge. Today, the main study of knowledge is called epistemology.
This field looks at what people know and why it matters. It even asks if it is possible to know anything at all.
A famous way to define knowledge is "justified true belief."
This idea says you must believe a thing, it must be true, and you must have a good reason. Being right by accident is not enough to count as knowledge. For example, a lucky guess about a coin flip is not knowledge. In the 20th century, a thinker named Edmund Gettier challenged this idea. He used "Gettier cases" to show how someone could be right just by luck. One story describes a person seeing a fake barn that looks real. They might believe they see a barn, but they only found the real one by accident. This shows that being right is not always the same as knowing.
Knowledge connects to almost every part of our lives.
Scientists use the scientific method to gain knowledge through experiments and measurement. Different cultures study how knowledge is shared through the anthropology of knowledge. Sociologists look at how history and society shape what we know. Even religions play a part in this journey. Many faiths teach that humans should seek knowledge. Some believe that a god or a divine being is the source of all knowledge. Whether it is in a library or in our own minds, knowledge helps us understand our world.
What does it mean to truly know something?
Knowledge is a complex concept involving awareness, familiarity, or practical skill. It can be viewed as a cognitive success or an epistemic contact with reality. Many scholars focus on propositional knowledge, which is the belief in specific facts. For example, one might say, "I know that Dave is at home." However, knowledge is not limited to facts alone. It also includes practical competence, known as knowledge-how, such as knowing how to swim. There is also knowledge by acquaintance, which is a direct familiarity with a person or object through experience.
Knowledge can exist in different forms and scales. It is often seen as a state within an individual person. Yet, it can also be a characteristic of a group, called collective or social knowledge. Some social sciences treat knowledge as a broad phenomenon similar to culture. It can even be stored externally, such as the knowledge housed in a library or an expert system. While knowledge is closely related to intelligence, the two are distinct. Intelligence is the ability to process and apply information. In contrast, knowledge refers to the information and skills a person already possesses.
People acquire knowledge through several different mechanisms. Perception is a primary source, using the senses to learn about the external world. Introspection allows individuals to learn about their own internal mental states. Other sources include memory, rational intuition, inference, and testimony. Philosophers debate how these sources support one another. Foundationalists argue that some beliefs are basic and justify others without needing further support. Coherentists believe that a sufficient degree of coherence among all mental states is necessary. Meanwhile, infinitists suggest that knowledge requires an infinite chain of beliefs.
The study of knowledge is a major branch of philosophy called epistemology. This discipline investigates the nature of knowledge and its justification. Epistemologists ask how knowledge arises and what value it holds. They also explore the limits of what can be known. This includes discussing philosophical skepticism, which questions if knowledge is even possible. The history of the word "knowledge" traces back to the 12th-century Old English word *cnawan*. Ancient Greek thinkers used specific terms to distinguish different types of knowing. They used *epistēmē* for theoretical knowledge and *technē* for technical expertise. They also used *mētis* for strategic knowledge and *gnōsis* for personal intellectual knowledge.
A famous definition of knowledge is "justified true belief." This model requires three essential features: a belief, truth, and justification. Truth is vital because one cannot know something that is false. Being a belief is necessary because one cannot know something they do not believe. Justification is included to separate knowledge from lucky guesses or superstitions. For instance, a lucky guess about a coin flip is not knowledge. However, this definition faced challenges in the 20th century. An epistemologist named Edmund Gettier created thought experiments called Gettier cases. These cases show that a person can have a justified true belief that is still based on luck.
One Gettier example involves a person driving past many fake barn facades. If they stop in front of the only real barn by coincidence, they have a justified true belief. They believe they are in front of a barn, and it is true. However, they could not have told the difference between the real barn and the fakes. This suggests that their belief was a result of epistemic luck rather than true knowledge. Because of this, philosophers have proposed many new definitions. Some focus on reliability or cognitive virtues. Others suggest that knowledge must not depend on any false beliefs. Some even argue that beliefs must be infallible to count as knowledge.
Knowledge connects to many different academic and social fields. The sciences use the scientific method to acquire knowledge through repeatable experimentation and measurement. The anthropology of knowledge examines how different cultures acquire and communicate information. The sociology of knowledge looks at the social and historical circumstances where knowledge arises. Additionally, the history of knowledge tracks how various fields have evolved over time. Many religions also hold that humans should seek knowledge. Some faiths believe that God or the divine is the ultimate source of all knowledge.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (16)
+ 4 more
More to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.