DIGITAL LIBRARY
KNOWLEDGE, REALITY AND EDUCATION (AN EPISTEMIC PERSPECTIVE)
State University of Tetova (MACEDONIA)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN12 Proceedings
Publication year: 2012
Pages: 3345-3354
ISBN: 978-84-695-3491-5
ISSN: 2340-1117
Conference name: 4th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 2-4 July, 2012
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Abstract:
The attractiveness of knowledge is mainly constituted from our long time consideration of it as the representation of the true picture of reality. This is what compelled Plato to differ episteme from doxa, and the modern period, to discard metaphysics from the list of sciences and, differentiate scientific knowledge from other kinds of it. Is the concept scientific the right adjective in order to qualify knowledge, as the best of its kind and as that which fits reality, or an obstacle which has to be replaced by another more fruitful concept in this context. Is the act of labeling true knowledge as scientific, a result of scientist’s good intention for human approximation to reality, as it is usually proclaimed? Let us suppose that this was the case for its first time users, which is nothing more than a presupposition for, no one of us is sure of it, is it still retaining this purpose. This is the first issue that we discuss in the paper and argue that, the concept “scientific knowledge”, has become a canonic trick in the hands of scientists in order to, preserve their already well established untouchable authority in the field and, require public’s blind commitment to what they say.
The second discussion topic of the paper is the essential part of the first one, i.e., education. Are our educational system and educational institutions, of any use in the context of preserving Aristotle’s right purpose of knowledge for the sake of knowledge? In fact, the paper argues that, they are just another wall which strengthens the first, already great obstacle, in the way of youngster’s active participation in knowledge yielding procedure.
Keywords:
Knowledge, science, education.