The numerous ways of gaining knowledge as it pertains to human behavior and the social environment.
Scope of analysis
Different sources studied to acquire this information.
The objective of this research was to find out the sources of knowledge and their basis and some of the way they affect human conduct and their social setting.
Methodology
The research consisted of information from primary and secondary data. Observation and informal interviews are the sources of primary data in the research from various people. Books form the basis of the secondary data was.
Introduction
Human beings throughout their entire lives learn from different things and in different ways. It ranges from learning from customs and values from elders, witnessing or experiencing things, knowledge from researches conducted by different people and knowledge which is scientific.
Firstly there is traditional knowledge. This is knowledge passed from generation to generation especially through word of mouth. The knowledge is informal in nature which is change averse. Traditional knowledge encompasses of values, norms and behaviors that are repetitive. This knowledge often becomes crucial when passing morals and values.
Secondly there is experimental knowledge. Here, people acquire knowledge through, life experiences and direct contacts of occurrences. One achieves this knowledge through experience, and they then form perceptions about something. There are many disadvantages associated with the perception formed during experience. An example of these disadvantages is the perception based on tradition which results to positive or negative judgments. Perception can also be based on deduction of a part of the experience of part of the experience instead of the whole experience. Another disadvantage is the perception can be influenced by one‘s personal interest and goals. Lastly perception can link two events as one just because they are similar in some way which might not be necessarily true.
Thirdly common sense is another way of gaining knowledge. It includes knowledge from both tradition and experience. Common sense is informal. There is no defined measure of one’s level of common sense although it is priceless and clear cut.
Fourthly knowledge can be gained through journalism. Journalism relies on research conducted by journalists all over the world. The information acquired s rallied to people through mass media. It is through journalism where people learn about the world’s happenings regardless of the physical location. However, journalism as a source of knowledge is inaccurate because it involves journalist’s assumptions, which could be bias.
Lastly science is also a source of knowledge. Science knowledge is a way of acquiring an understanding of the world through an orderly manner (Duanne, Thomas, & Cornell, 2010). There are different characteristics that differentiate science and other types of knowledge. Science relies on observation and experiments. Science relies on processes that are orderly, detailed and is other scientists recognize it. Science aims at finding what causes things to be how they are in the universe. Unlike traditional knowledge, science can be changed if statistics is incorrect. Science is nonbias. However, the research method and the topic of research influence the level of bias. Science is more reliable than the other sources of knowledge.
Conclusion
In conclusion, knowledge comes from a combination of different sources. These sources relate and complement each other as proved earlier. It is possible for people to gain knowledge from either of these sources or a combination of all the sources in their lifetime. Therefore, acquiring knowledge is a life-long process that can be influenced a lot by one’s environment.
Reference
Duanne, R. M., Thomas, J. S., & Cornell, R. D. (2010). Applied social research: a tool for the human services. New York: Thomson Publishing.