Humanities WEEK 2: What is Knowledge? Learn about citations and importance Information vs.

knowledge Epistemology= the study of knowledge

Definition of Epistemology: a theory of knowledge, especially with reagard to its methods, validity, and scope, and the distinction between justified belief and opinion (OED) oxforn dictionary Epistemology questions: what is knowledge? How do we know what we know what is the difference between knowledge and opinion belief? What role oes sunjectivity play in our certaies with regard to knowledge? Opposing truth claims of knowledge, what happens when two people know two different things, ex. reiligions, or easyer bunny being real What social or cultural structures influence the ways. Knowledge does not = information Google=information o We obtain information by consulting google, but this is not necessarily a balanced source o Data, but not a neutral source Profit motive Information is ranked Top dollar o Search engine optimized o Sponsored results/ads A good reason for consulting the university library search function rather than google! Knowledge is information processed through a thinking human mind o Each one of us is a filter of the info coming into our brains, then we put it out into the world again o Experiences and beliefs in the world Plato defined knowledge as justified true belief Expertise; the theoretical or practical understand of a subject/topic What is known in a particular field or in total; facts and verified information Awareness gained by experience of a fact of situation o Yes we get info from books and lectures etc but we gain knowledge b interacting in the world , who we are

The role of University A social space in which knowledge is created, stored, transmitted, examined, and critiqued

Teachers, scholars, and students o A dynamic relationship Each forms and informs the other Not mutually exclusive categories Ex. teachers are also learners (students), and vice versa I learn something from every class I teach ex we respond back through essays and writings lisen to our questions and thinks about them herself we create new knowledge or new eways of thinking through research analysis, and critique o we contribute to scholarly discourse knowledge is stored in libraries, textbooks, websites, professors heads, journals we engage one another in conversation (literal or imagined via written works), offer critiques and respond to critiques of our work , and subject of all out scholarly output to a process of peer review o not working in isolation but conversation with each other o we engage in this and subject in all of our knowledge in peer review?

Have you ever wondered why Wikipedia is not an acceptable primary source? No structure in place to ensrue rigorous peer review o Encyclopedia can work as starting point for research But never the sole, primarym or main source of information

Engaging knowledge in the university The university as a space for construction of knowledge, but also for deconstruction of knowledge Multiple opportunities to continually re-evaluate theories and trends within our disciplines Looking to dismantle and/or correct forms of knowledge or info that have become antiquated, or which harbor prejudices, inequalities, or oppressive tendencies. o Ex. in ethics in philosophy talking about moral subjectivism, whatever feels right to me is therefore moral that is really problematic: ex concentration camps, Hitler etc

Sinde note: university of torntos mains purpose is to ask deep weird questions and challenge things IN short, humans create knowledge o As such, this creation is part of being human The university is a unique locale/space, but not the only place, in which the creation and development can be created and put out into the world?

Realibility of the human mind: How much should we trust our (thinking) human mind? Article online ex of hot air balloon trip that we never actually took Our thinking human minds are not entirely reliable o what ramifications might this have? o Consider, for example, the idea that key testimony in court cases is often eye-witness testimony If memory is that faulty mechanism, knowledge become an even more complicated concept Knowledge is also memory! Another case for peer review

The role of sharing Sharing= exchanging knowledge with one another, informing one another, helping each other expand out intellectual horizons o The university is the social instittuaion (ideally) created for this very purpose Knowledge as a shared experience is crucial o Greater possibility of accurate transmission and (re-)investigation (nothing is set in stone, always critiqued) Quote about critical thinking by Nussbaum online Avoid generalization in our writings and finding those neuones

Why does critical thinking matter? It helps us become and remain aware of the potential limits of universalized truth claims o Humanities scholars often work to critique, problemitize, reconsider, and question structures, ideals, ideologies, and theories. o What is going on not only in history but right now Consider this in light of the uoft mission statemend o What does it mean to think critically in this kind of educational space, I which we are urged to ask deeply disturbing questions? o What might these deeply disturbing questions be? Ex. I cant understand your accent (?) Ideally, engaging in critical thinking offers us a greater understanding of the world, its different groups of people, their histories, the way they interact o Knowledge as a goal, but knowledge assembled in the spirit of equality and justice Random quote, educating urself oes not mean that u were stupid in the first place; it means that u r intelligent enough to know that there is plenty left to learn. Melanie joy o Like students, we have a lot of knowledge but uni is giving us tools to apply them etc

Training of the imagination The humanities try to provide a systematic and clear account of what is deemed important in the world (no one single answer- highly variable) o Asking questions pertaining to reality and human existence (what is reality?) o Helping people live lives that are satisfying and rich in meaning (what does it mean to live a good life?) o Illuminating aspects of the world that may otherwise remain hidden (in what ways)