Knowledge: An Epistemological Inquiry

"For any way of thought to become dominant, a conceptual apparatus has to be advanced that appeals to our intuitions and instincts, to our values and our desires, as well as to the possibilities inherent in the social world we inhabit."

--- Harvey, A Brief History of Neoliberalism

Knowledge is a very important issue in the current days of rise of concepts such as 'Knowledge Economy', 'Information Economy' and 'Intellectual Economy'. The increasing importance of Knowledge makes it a subject matter of great interest. Since thousands of years[1], humans have struggled to define Knowledge and the various issues related to it. Epistemology, as a branch of Philosophy, still does not have a proper, completely agreed upon definition of Knowledge. This is inevitable because this concept is as broad as the magnificent Universe, and cannot be encompassed within a few words. 

This post is a brief analysis of some aspects of Epistemology, viz. the subject of Knowledge. It presents a particular viewpoint about Knowledge in modern times, its Production, Distribution, Consumption and even Exchange. Increasingly, we as a Global society are moving towards an era of increasing Privatization. Knowledge, too is quickly becoming such a commodity, once it enters the realms of exchange-relations. This post is inspired by works of various Marxists and non-Marxists writers who wish to bring positive changes in the present form of Society, and hence its mode of Production. For simplicity's sake, this post will be presented in four parts- each dealing with one of the four aspects of Knowledge.

Part I:

Production of Knowledge:

Knowledge, as it is, is produced in Human minds. In turn, this production reflects the material reality around it. The culture, infrastructure, social condition, economic condition, politics, inter-personal relations, subjective desires and perceptions, and so many more constitute the material reality that helps produce Knowledge. It thus becomes clearly visible that Knowledge, as Idea, is a reflection of the World around us, and the constant Dynamics it possesses. 

Formal Knowledge[2]  is produced in Academics- Universities, Institutions of Learning and other such Organizations. The individuals and the groups of individuals that produce it, do so with what we may call a particular mindset. This is nothing but the Ideology that the given human/s possess. A particular model of World is prepared in an individual's mind[3]. Based on this model, information is consumed, which at last forms the sum total of what she knows- her Knowledge.

Production of Knowledge may not always be consumer-demand oriented. It may be for its own sake. But we are here concerned with a particular species of Knowledge- namely that of Economics. "Political Economy incites the cruelest emotions of the human breast", once proclaimed Marx[4]. And it is true. It does. When we enter the realms of Economics, all sorts of human emotions come into play. These are not limited to the "rationality" and "marginal utility maximizing" emotions. These are a great number of emotions that undertake a complex interplay to create a particular viewpoint of an individual.

When Knowledge is produced, it is produced with a given mindset. We may call it Producer's Ideology. This is then to be distributed and consumed. Production of Knowledge is not a material reality- independent process. Rather it is based on it and in turn shapes it. This is important to recognize as it signifies a mutually dependent process at work. 

When Knowledge is produced, it has to be tested scientifically. Here, we are not bringing into question the types or methods of Knowledge production which tend more towards non-falsifiable ideas[5]. We are solely concerned with ordinary form of knowledge that is produced and distributed through mainstream institutions. Here, Knowledge is produced through a particular ideological-set. This then becomes the backbone of all further testing, inquiry and analysis of produced knowledge. Thus, the knowledge that is produced and distributed in Economics, is wide with a variety of Ideological-sets producing their own types of knowledges[6]. 

When Institutions of Knowledge produce a given knowledge and distribute it, it is not 'Knowledge' per se. Rather, it is a particular kind/species of Knowledge. This knowledge may be presented as the sole form, but that is not the case, as we now understand it. Due to presence of a varied forms of Ideological-sets, any kind of Knowledge has to confirm to one or the other Ideology. It may be a hybrid form, in the sense that it derives its production to more than one ideology. Thus, the Knowledge that is produced and consumed in Institutions, Organizations, etc. in Economics, is a particular kind of Knowledge, a particular idea. 

Here comes the role of building of a conceptual apparatus[7] that instantly gets the approval of masses, their emotions, beliefs, etc. Hence, when a particular species of Knowledge becomes dominant, it requires a rigorous propaganda, distribution and consumption of it to spread horizontally and vertically in Geographical boundaries. Harvey very beautifully brings out how a particular kind of knowledge- called Neoliberalism- with its specific set of ideas, emotions, perceptions, etc. has become dominant and is now deeply embedded in our 'common senses'. But, as we saw above, it is only a specific kind of Knowledge, not Knowledge per se. Appreciating this fact will help people realize the existence of other forms of Knowledge, independent and different than Mainstream Knowledge.

In the next post we shall analyse the Distribution aspect. How a particular kind of Knowledge is disseminated to masses, how it is popularized and how it becomes dominant. The various related aspects too will be discussed.

Notes and References:

1). Eg. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and so many more who have been writing on this subject.

2). That which is distributed in Mainstream institutions of Education world-wide.

3). More on this can be found out by referring to Stephen Resnick's lecture series on youtube and Stephen Hawking's work- A Brief History of Time.

4). Within the first few chapters of Capital by Karl Marx.

5). Eg. School of thoughts based on purely Deductive logic, etc.

6). Plural made deliberately

7). Harvey's work- A Brief History of Neoliberalism, discusses on this issue in detail- Refer especially Chapter I.

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