What Does Popular Knowledge Mean
By popular knowledge or common knowledge we understand that type of knowledge that does not come from formal and academic sources , as occurs with institutional knowledge ( science , religion , etc.), nor does it possess a specific authorship.
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They belong to the common of society and are acquired directly from the experience of the world , the result of custom , common sense or community life. In other words, they are learned in a spontaneous, naturalized way.
In a certain way, popular knowledge and vulgar knowledge would become more or less synonymous : both are forms of unofficial knowledge, which does not require logical or experimental demonstrations, or rational argumentation .
However, it is possible that by the term “popular” we also understand ancestral knowledge, of tribal or local origin, transmitted from one generation to another orally. They are marginal knowledge with respect to written, academic and scientific knowledge.
Popular knowledge can operate as a tool for mutual understanding between individuals belonging to different communities . It can also provide common ground to form a joint identity , especially when it comes to stories, myths and beliefs , in which there are often fragments of a shared historical truth .
It can help you: Technical knowledge
Characteristics of popular knowledge
Popular knowledge is transmitted socially and communally , or from direct experience of the world. Therefore, it does not require studies or preparation, nor can it be administered by a group, as occurs with institutional knowledge.
On the other hand, it can have a limited validity in the cases in which the community or geographic region is changed , since it is, basically, a social construction. However, it should not be confused with common sense , which is a related logic more or less widespread within society or some group within it.
Examples of popular knowledge
Some examples of popular knowledge are:
- Gender roles , that is, what is understood within a given community that are the typical tasks of a man and a woman, or of a single, married man and woman, etc.
- The rules of seduction and courtship , which in addition to being popular, vary generationally and are not written anywhere.
- The identity stories of a community , such as epics, cosmologies and even urban legends .
Differences with scientific knowledge
Unlike popular knowledge and other forms of informal knowledge, scientific knowledge requires validation, demonstration and specialized dissemination .
In fact, to obtain popular knowledge you only need to belong to a certain community, even temporarily. On the contrary, scientific knowledge is reserved for those initiated in a formal and highly specialized technical learning path , since it is not understandable by anyone naturally.
For example, anyone can know more or less when it rains in a certain region , since custom and experience allow it. On the other hand, a specialist in climatology can explain these phenomena and even make climate predictions, since it is his area of scientific expertise and has the conceptual tools to do so.
See also: Technique
Other types of knowledge
Other forms of knowledge are:
- Scientific knowledge . It is derived from the application of the scientific method . It begins with hypotheses that arise from the observation of reality, in order to demonstrate through experiments what are the laws that govern the universe .
- Empirical knowledge . It is acquired through direct experience, repetition, or participation. It does not require an approach to the abstract, but arises from the observation of things themselves.
- Philosophical knowledge . It follows fromhuman thought , in the abstract. It employs various logical or formal reasoning methods, which are not always directly derived from reality , but rather from the imaginary representation of reality .
- Intuitive knowledge . It is acquired withoutformal reasoning . It arises quickly and unconsciously, the result of processes that are often inexplicable.
- Religious knowledge . It is linked to the mystical and religious experience. They are knowledge that studies the link between the human being and the divine.