The 14 types of knowledge: what are they?

As rational beings, we have many ways to extract useful information from the world around us.

To understand ourselves and our surroundings, to be able to see and interpret reality, to know why things happen, to devise strategies that allow us toTo be able to see and interpret reality, to know why things happen, to develop strategies that allow us to solve problems...

Knowledge is something that human beings have sought since the beginning of time. However, the search for information that allows us to understand the world and make inferences from such data has allowed us to generate different types of knowledge. different types of knowledge. In this article we present some of the best known types.

The concept of 'knowledge

Knowledge is understood as the set of interrelated information related to one or several subjects whose origin is found in experience, reflection, sensations and reflection on them. on them. It allows us to interpret the world and use that interpretation to respond to situations and stimuli.

Although often when we talk about knowledge we refer to scientific knowledge, there are different forms and types of knowledge based on where that knowledge comes from, how it relates to experience and how it is applied.

Types of knowledge

There are many ways to classify the different types of existing knowledge, going from the type of information about which it is known or the way in which the information is acquired or processed. Some of the main ones are the following, although several of them may overlap with each other in some aspects.

1. Philosophical knowledge

In this case is based on introspection and reflection on reality and the circumstances around us and the world, sometimes and the circumstances that surround us and the world, sometimes based on the experience given by direct observations of natural or social phenomena. Thus, the starting point is observation and reflection without reaching experimentation, and from this knowledge arise various methodologies and techniques that allow speculation to eventually become scientific knowledge.

There are perspectives according to which philosophical knowledge should be a form of knowledge production based solely on thought itself, regardless of the source from which the information in question arises, while in others, it should focus on the topics dealt with directly by science (applied or otherwise) or by history. While this debate is not closed, there is no doubt that historically philosophical knowledge has been independent of scientific knowledgeamong other things, because its existence dates back to times long before the Scientific Revolution.

2. Empirical knowledge

Empirical knowledge is one of the types of knowledge based on the directly observable. Empirical knowledge is considered to be all that knowledge that is is learned in the environment through personal experience.. It is based on observation without considering the use of a method to investigate phenomena or their level of generalization.

However, it should be noted that pure empirical knowledge does not exist, since whenever we look at the environment we are applying a series of beliefs, categories of thought and theories or pseudo-theories to what we perceive, in order to interpret it and reach meaningful conclusions.

3. Scientific knowledge

Similar to empirical knowledge in the sense that it starts from the observation of reality and is based on demonstrable phenomena, on this occasion we are dealing with one of the types of knowledge in which critical analysis of reality is carried out based on verification (experimental or not) in order to originate (experimental or not) in order to originate valid conclusions. Scientific knowledge allows criticism and modification of its conclusions and basic premises.

On the other hand, scientific knowledge is closely linked to the historical development of human thought; it is something that did not exist several centuries ago, because science did not exist.

4. Intuitive knowledge

Intuitive knowledge is a type of knowledge in which the relationship between phenomena or information is carried out through a subconscious process, without there being sufficient objective information at an observable level to elaborate such knowledge and without the need for direct verification of its veracity. of its veracity. It is linked to experience and to the association of ideas and sensations.

For example, we can assume that someone is angry because his eyebrows are arched and his facial muscles are tense or his behavior is colder than usual, and we can also associate a person's way of speaking with the concept "sweet".

5. Religious or revealed knowledge

This is a type of knowledge derived from people's faith and beliefs.. The data reflected and considered true by this type of knowledge cannot be demonstrated or falsified from the observable, being inferred from the internalization of various religious dogmas.

Although it can be critical of itself and develop in different ways, in general this type of knowledge tends to be transmitted without great efforts being made to vary its axioms.

6. Declarative knowledge

By declarative knowledge we mean knowledge in which we are able to know theoretical information about things, being fully aware of such knowledge and establishing it in the form of an idea or proposition. Such ideas may or may not be subsequently verified.. It allows abstraction and reflection on the information, as well as its elaboration.

7. Procedural knowledge

This type of knowledge, sometimes called tacit knowledge, is applied to the management of new problems in a personal or professional field in which a lot of experience and fluency has been acquired. Moreover, what is learned cannot be expressed verbally, but has to do with movements carried out in a given time and space.

It refers to the type of knowledge that allows us to be able to know how to do somethingIt refers to the type of knowledge that allows us to be able to know how to do something, even though at a conceptual level we may not have any knowledge about what we are doing. For example, we may know how to ride a bicycle or drive despite not knowing the principles that govern such behaviors. It is, therefore, a type of knowledge that goes beyond words.

8. Direct knowledge

It is based on direct experimentation with the object of knowledge, obtaining first-hand information about that object. Therefore, it does not depend on the interpretation of other people.

9. Indirect or vicarious knowledge

In indirect knowledge we learn about something from other information without experiencing the object of study directly. For example, when we study a textbook we are gaining indirect knowledge about the subject in question.

10. Logical knowledge

This type of knowledge is based on the derivation of conclusions coherent with the premises from which they are based.. It is information that follows the rules of deductive reasoning and whose process can be summarized through syllogisms. For example: if it rains, the ground gets wet; it has rained, so the ground has gotten wet.

In philosophy, there is a debate about whether this type of knowledge provides information about reality, or whether it is only a framework of reasoning from which to better understand reality and solve problems.

11. Mathematical knowledge

This is another type of knowledge that is most closely related to logic, but it is not exactly like the previous one. In this case, the content of the propositions with which we work to extract information is based exclusively on numbers and mathematical operations. Therefore, it does not refer directly to material elements, but to relations between numbers, something that has to do with a more abstract type of reasoning.

12. Systems knowledge

This type of knowledge refers to the ability to generate systems from systems from individual elements that can be combined with each other. with each other. It is a technical field related to mathematics and commonly used in programming and trades such as architecture or sociology.

13. Private knowledge

It is based on autobiographical personal experiences, and in itself is not available to a large group of people. It is a type of knowledge with a very wide variety of contents, and its contents are in the gray zone. its contents are in the gray zone of transition between beliefs and knowledge..

14. Public knowledge

This type of knowledge is part of popular culture and its contents have been disseminated through many groups and layers of society. In cases where this information has become very consolidated, public knowledge is expressed through what is known as "public knowledge". is expressed through what is considered "common sense".. For example: since many scorpions have venom, it is not a good idea to touch a scorpion of unknown species.

Other types of knowledge

There are other ways of classifying knowledge that can vary greatly in terms of specificity or the element in question that is known, i.e. according to its subject matter. For example, we can find the existence of intrapersonal (regarding oneself), interpersonal, artistic, political, technical or medical knowledge among many others.