StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This work "What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony?" focuses on the basis of all knowledge that human beings carry. The author outlines the role of evidence, belief, and credibility of a speaker, reasoning, perception, and introspection. It is clear that everything we know about the world and life base on the testimonies of some people…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.3% of users find it useful
What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony"

What Does It Take To Acquire Knowledge Through Testimony? Paper type Number of words Knowledge is the platform upon which human beings survive and conduct their daily activities. Knowledge has many definitions and descriptions that end up being similar in certain ways. Nonetheless, somewhat general definition is that knowledge is the state of awareness, familiarity or acquaintance of someone about something(s), truths, principles, ordinances, processes, investigation, condition or facts. Human beings of any status have certain knowledge that guides their reasoning, behaviors and interaction with the environment. Once gained, the memory particular in the brain becomes the temporary or permanent storage point for knowledge. Human beings are usually born with tabular rasa brains, and have to learn or gain knowledge as they grow through experiences. Everything we know (knowledge) are products of testimonies made to us by some other people. In general, testimony refers to the things that people tell us about something or other people. From the definition, it becomes clearer that testimony does not generate knowledge but works to transfer knowledge. Testimonies can become knowledge on the basis of availability of many things that include evidence, belief, and credibility of a speaker, reasoning, perception and introspection. 1For a testimony to become knowledge, the hearers must consider a statement as conveying information, and be willing to acquire the given information. In that case, Leakey provided an example of someone commenting how lovely a day was. If the hearer fails to consider the statement as conveying particular information, the statement remains as a simple filler of conversation. In other words, the hearer will simply consider the statements as an expression of contentedness. In similar fashion, commenting about beauty of place can only be an expression of thought or view bearing that the speakers has no intention to pass information neither does the hearer intend to acquire information2. From the analogy, it is evident that testimonies can only become knowledge if there is intention on the side of the speaker to convey information, and willingness on the side of the audience to acquire information. By intending to convey information, the speaker will be expressing understanding that the audiences have some knowledge gaps that require filing through testimony. Subsequently, the move by the audiences to accept acquisition of information will prove the availability of some knowledge gaps that require filling. With those conditions satisfies testimonies have great probability of becoming channels for transferring knowledge. Testimonies can also become knowledge in the cases where the hearer has previous relevant information about a particular subject or issue3. In such a case, the hearer may use the previous information about the issue to derive knowledge from the just issued testimony. For instance, a speaker can tell a hearer for the fast time that a certain thing is not available in a particular place when, in actuality the thing is in the referred place. On confirming the truth, the next time the audience hears the speaker mentioning about the unavailability of the thing in the given place, he/she will construct knowledge based on the past case that the thing is available in the given place. In such cases, the testimony given by the speaker only works to trigger the hearer into confirming and verifying the information with reference to past experiences to develop knowledge about the behavior of the speaker. In that line, the hearer can conclude and develop a belief that the particular speaker’s statements are not always as he/she speaks. To the hearer, to understand the truth and verifiability of the future statements of the particular speaker, it is important to investigate and confirm the previous of first statement on the same issue. Through the experiences, the hearer may develop knowledge about the speaker and his statements based on how treat statements4. 5In some instances, credibility of a speaker becomes important in making a testimony to qualify as knowledge. For a speaker to be credible to an audience with regard to discussion or presentation of a given topic, the audience has to relate the qualification and competence of the speaker against the area of focus. For instance, it is easier for someone to believe the speeches of a renowned environmentalist about the concept of global warming. A hearer who understands that the speaker has substantial competence and qualification as an environmentalist will take time to listen to the testimony of the environmentalist, and eventually conceptualize the information as knowledge. For example, that competent environmentalist may claim that emission of carbon dioxide is the cause of the problematic concept of global warming. The hearer who confirms the competence may consider the statements and evidences as true, and eventually treat it as knowledge. The situation will be different if a politician known to have no competence and qualification on environmental issues tries to dispute the claims of the renowned environmentalist. In the case that the politician try to claim that other things besides carbon dioxide emission are the causes of global warming, the hearer may trash the claims and treat it as mere expression of thoughts. From the non-reductionists point of view, testimony can become justifiable knowledge the hearers lack reasons or alternative evidences to object the information given. A clear example to support the view is when a person from Syria describes pathetic situation of the country to a person or people who know but lack details about the war. In this case, the hearers will consider the testimonies by the speakers as true and source of knowledge about the details of the Syrian war. It is easy for the hearers to consider the information as justified knowledge because they lack alternative sources or evidence to think otherwise. It is even easier for hearers to treat the information as outright justified knowledge is it is clear to them that the speaker is actually from Syria. To believe is such away means that the hearers accord the speaker higher credibility has no doubt about the authenticity of the information. Considered alongside the reductionists’ point of view, testimony can only qualify to become knowledge based on reasoning, memory, inductive inference, and perception. Memory works to store the knowledge that people gained through the past experiences. Memory store perceptions that people have about the world, through which inductive inference and reasoning can lead to establishment of knowledge in the future experiences. For instance, hearers or audiences can use their inductive inference and reasoning based on past memory to assess justifiability of a report to qualify as a source of knowledge6. Through the non-testimonial positive reasoning and induction, hearers and readers of a report can evaluate the contained information against facts to justify that particular context, speakers or types of reports are credible information source. In some instances, testimony becomes knowledge based on the interpersonal relationship between the speaker and the hearer. This expression is according to the theory of interpersonal view testimony. As per this school of thought, a speaker can successfully present his testimony as knowledge by assuring the hearer that the statements presented are true. 7Though non-evidential, this kind of assertion can convince the hearer to treat the received information as true. In such a case, the hearer bases the gained knowledge on the expressed accountability of the speaker over the information. The speaker on the other hand has to demonstrate acceptance of the responsibility over the purported truth told to the hearer. However, the assurance view of testimony as a means of transferring knowledge is only valid as long as the speaker’s statements are true as guaranteed and not false thereafter. 8Besides simple assurance about a truth, proponents of the interpersonal view based testimony claim that a speaker can use trust view to convince hearers into believing information as true and subsequently basis of knowledge. Under the trust view, speakers can use phrases such as trust me though without evidence to invite hearers into believing particular information and conceptualizing into knowledge. The trust view is only valid as long as the testimony given is a reliable lead to the truth, and that there is to prove that the trusted speaker is untrustworthy. 9According to Lackey, for a testimony to qualify as knowledge, its speaker and the hearer must accept and believe in the information. Accepting a concept of information without belief does not qualify one into knowing the concept10. To demonstrate this basis, Lackey constructed the example of a pro-creationist Mrs. Smith teaching evolution theory. In the example, Mrs. Lackey teaches the evolutionary theory despite not believing in it, and as such lacks knowledge of the theory. This construction is due to the fact that knowledge develops from belief and acceptance. Despite Mrs. Smith being a nonbeliever in the evolutionary theory, her students still learnt from her education, and subsequently gained knowledge. In the example, Mrs. Smith is simply a part of the longer chain of communication through which the knowledge flows to the students. Mrs. Smith as a channel does not have to know the information (believe the evolutionary theory) to be able to transfer it to the end recipients. This entire analogy leads to the understanding that testimony does not generate but transfers knowledge from the speakers to the hearers. In effect, the speaker does not have to believe the information communicated to make a justifiable testimony. Precisely, a person has to accept and believe in testimony given acquire knowledge. In conclusion, knowledge is an important aspect of human life that forms the basis for individual’s survival. Knowledge is the familiarity, awareness or acquaintance of facts, understanding, principles, investigations, and truths. Testimonies are the basis of all knowledge that human beings carry. Testimony refers to the things told to us by other people about some people and something. Everything we know about the world and life base on testimonies of some people. However, testimonies have to pass certain tests or exhibit certain characteristics to qualify as epistemological knowledge. For a person to acquire knowledge through testimony, the information given has to come from a person of substantial credibility. A hearer has to verify and prove the credibility of the speaker in terms of the alignment of his/her competence with the topic of conversation. In addition, a hearer can acquire knowledge from a speaker if the latter asks the former for trust (trust view). In addition, a hearer can develop knowledge from a speaker if the latter assurers the former about the truthfulness of the statement (assurance view). Furthermore, a testimony can qualify to be knowledge if the speaker has intention to convey information and the hearer has the intention to acquire the information. Bibliography Goldman, A., and D. Whitcomb, Social Epistemology: Essential Readings, Oxford University Press, 2011, p. 71-109. Lackey. J., Learning from Words: Testimony as a Source of Knowledge. Great Clarendon Street; Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 320. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony Essay, n.d.)
What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony Essay. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1874595-what-does-it-take-to-acquire-knowledge-through-testimony
(What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony Essay)
What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony Essay. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1874595-what-does-it-take-to-acquire-knowledge-through-testimony.
“What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony Essay”. https://studentshare.org/philosophy/1874595-what-does-it-take-to-acquire-knowledge-through-testimony.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF What Does It Take to Acquire Knowledge through Testimony

Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina by Galileo

Galileo also argues that he does not believe the same God who gave us intellect, reason and senses has intended to forego their use and decided to give human beings knowledge through another means yet it is knowledge that they could have obtained through the use of the reason, senses and intellect (Drake 183).... Galileo explains that God is revealed first through nature and then again by doctrine.... The revelation by nature comes through his works and revelation by doctrine comes through his revealed word (Drake 182)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Concept of Forensic DNA Analysis

The Victims' DNA profiles are characteristically entered into databases which cause many victims to worry about the privacy of this information, whether it can be accessed by the perpetrators through the local databases or the internet.... These witnesses openly shared their knowledge to the relevant authorities....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

The Alchemist

The Alchemist is a path breaking book in terms of narrating the philosophy of life through simplistic, overtly didactic storytelling.... The Alchemist is a path breaking book in terms of narrating the philosophy of life through simplistic, overtly didactic storytelling....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

Architecture for Electronic Health Recording

Figure 1: An architecture for HER System The integration of all the departmental functions and processes is done through a common database and the network.... Solution to such inconsistency in system behavior is remedied through modification and customization of the knowledge base of the system.... It simply matches the data in the knowledge base and presents predictive results to the system users to implement the actual judgment and decision-making....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Inferno di Dante Riorganizzato

Such as how murder became less evil against pertinacious actions of the hypocrites or how blasphemy is on a lower circle than heresy when both profess destructive testimony against God.... Evolution of culture through centuries made people contest the timelessness of Alighieri's hierarchy of misdemeanor.... hellip; thfully, when afterlife is integrated in any conversation, argument and debates are inevitable for what I consider is an impulse of fear, anxiety and apprehension on what really is their next destination after this worldly life....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Concept of Two Cheers for Materialism

Thus the rest of America works tirelessly to acquire as much as they can and often forgetting to enjoy them since their primary goal is to be viewed as successful in their circles.... In “Two Cheers for Materialism,” James Twitchell posits that “We live through things, we create ourselves through things and we change ourselves by changing our things.... hellip; But through numerous apt examples and nuanced explanations, Twitchell comes around to acknowledge the power of consumerist impulses and seeks to explain what drives them....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Ministering to Youth in a Changing Culture

Each experience has something to teach us as Kolb describes, “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Shields, Aaron & Wall, 2002).... The information and experience are transformed into knowledge.... Changes take place very often and the youth without proper guidance can feel lost.... In this essay “Ministering to Youth in a Changing Culture” the author will discuss the numerous experiences and what he learned from them....
10 Pages (2500 words) Assignment

Traditional Organizational Development in Present Era

(Cyert & March, 1963)With the passage of time, the business world has evolved and so have the different methodologies and the ways and means through which it is carried the day in day out.... he world presently is trying to achieve just that and for this to happen, it has to make endeavors left, right and center so that a sense of pride is instilled in its populace that would ask them to take decisions which are not befitting for their own individual selves but also for the whole mankind in general....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us