Knowledge systems

general idea:

1- This is reductive in that magpies collect the bits of other cultures/knowledge systems that they like ‘and disregard the rest’ (Simon and Garfunkel 🙂).

2 – A knowledge system is opt in. I realise that it is harder to opt out but people do. Responsibility of the individual? This implies we are all passive, victims of a knowledge system not active players.

3 – Where is the role of religion in this? Have you heard the theory that religions were invented as our populations got bigger, to the point that not everyone was known, so religion was invented to be able to control population and its values, but people consider religion to be sacrosanct in this kind of cultural/world view KS stuff. Fear of offense?

4 –  Implies that a knowledge system is not flexible, can not evolve, and bend with new input (social media??), and there is an either or idea. Perhaps a KS should be portrayed as lots of bell curves overlaping or not??? Now I am thinking of stories of enlightenment as a vector for change…..

Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there. (article/ sorry PAPER)

It used the term personalised truths (argh). Ah, I hear you say this is the crux of the looking at the world through your cultural lens. Here is a statement that is true: if you drop an apple, it will fall to the ground. Here is a statement that is also true: Māori had control of all the land in NZ before the arrival of others and now they don’t. The bit in between is opinion. I suspect we can say that a lot of the land was stolen and have that as true. Eg if we analyse the steps in a thought experiment kind of way – like if I told you to put your bag of lollies on that shelf where I would look after them and then I ate them, it is true that I stole them, even if I said it was for your own good. Maybe the word true has changed meaning and I missed the memo.

Actually, this all just pisses me off. What do you think those people who were in the Values party, them dirty hippies were talking about. They live different Knowledge Systems, like thousands of others do, while the powers that be keep on doing the same old stuff.. But now that some pointy head academics give it a name… I am sure writing that paper was a seriously fun exercise, and they felt like they were solving the worlds problems.. but it is still all just words.

Is there a name for an argument where the group that makes the claim is arguing for the non existance of itself being the sole deliverer of claims but by making this claim they expect to be listened to as the best group able to make such claims….??

I think there is a gap between people who just think and people who do. This article had excellent ideas, but I bet they don’t live it. Their kids go to schools with an emphasis on academics.

My sister and I had this theory: that the values (came from the early green movement – called deep ecology) we grew up with so came naturally were like being born christian whereas some of the new green movement were like born agains, evangelical – all the waste I made this year fits in the jar guys, or lip service people, I recycle, (like many who proport the values of christianity while have all the resources – here’s looking at you Christopher Luxon) but they don’t understand that to have these values influences your whole life and being – there is a hypocrisy, people are not quite getting it. Eg. we can now get lipstick in cardboard tube, all natural, etc, rather than questioning the need for lipstick! How is this relevant Anne?

I will try the next reading, maybe it will be “better”.

Mātauranga Māori—the ūkaipō of knowledge in
New Zealand

Nice, succinct, clear, and excellent article. 

It is obvious to me that Māori valued children more than ‘our’ Western culture. To choose a method of delivery – the story, accessible to all, that includes information. As soon as the river was called a tail, I totally understood that this was a river that changed course and that space should be left on either side for the tail to wag…. If I want a kid to remember something, I package it in a story. I am terrible at imagery, making stuff up, I get a ‘real’ story (an example of me being a dufus), and embellish. Note to self use more imagery – though I saw a dog. Maybe this is a climate change metaphor, ie. a dog wags it’s tail frequently.