When in science, experiments are conducted to either prove that someone else’s theory is correct, or to see whether or not your own theory, which fundamentally has been based on another person’s theory, is correct or makes sense. Many of the great scientists, for example Einstein came up with the theory of relativity, the theory finally emerged by him coming up with a new way of thinking, while still having some previous knowledge of the subject. Einstein, like many scientists, looked at the world in a different way, and tried to find solutions to how things work in our world. And like many scientists, he too had a ‘eureka’ moment when he was thinking about a way to disprove Newtonian and Maxwellian theories as they contradict each other. He had given up, when he suddenly realised that “time can beat at different rates throughout the universe, depending on how fast you moved.” Although his theory was originally thought of due to Newton and Maxwell’s theories, his own theory came from his perception and reasoning.
On the other hand, not everyone can come up with their own way on knowing, the majority of people decide to believe in what is shown in textbooks and what has been proven correct. Unlike Einstein’s way of discovering solutions, by taking other peoples theories and building on them to develop his own idea, and so making that the most valuable knowledge. A way to show how knowledge that we find most valuable is that of knowledge that can be proven and that has been proven. In Environmental Systems we looked at population, for this subject we looked at the Lincoln index, a method for looking at the population of a single type of species, when doing this you’re looking at a small section of a bigger range. This is done so that we can compare the result to information already available to us, proven by other people. In my case, I looked at the population of snails, by first looking at others results and then doing the experiment ourselves; we were able to see the population in a certain type of environment and so could see if the conditions stated in others information affected or not the population of the snails.
In my case, when I approach a subject like science, I believe that the knowledge which I value the most is the knowledge given to me by either the textbook or the teacher, and things that I know work. And if that is so and I understand how it works, then I don’t think it necessary to try and find your own way of knowing. However, this only relates to me, for instance if some of the great scientists of history did not come up with their own knowledge, the knowledge which they most value, then I doubt that I would have the knowledge which I value now. Value, therefore, comes when a scientific idea is meaningful to us, and that meaning comes from experiments.
In Maths, like other subjects that are considered reason based areas of knowing, the knowledge which is most valued, for some is the knowledge that can be proven. However, some may ask whether, even if a formula that has not until now been created, yet it gives the same result for the equation as one that has been created and proven correct, can the new formula still be considered usable from now on, or not?
There are some people who find it more understandable by coming up with their own formulae or method of solving the question. An example of this is if a student were to change the formula or come up with one of his own that also solved the problem and was easier for him to understand. A colleague of mine did this; while we were studying the subject of integration he changed the general formulae into something that he found simpler to use. He did this not just by re-arranging the formula in a different way; he did this by using previous rules and built upon it. Here, he used his own, personal, knowledge to come up with something easier for him to understand the subject. This method, however, may or may not work for other people as different people have different methods of learning.
I find that the knowledge most valuable is that of a theory of something that works and that has already been proven by a recognisable source. However, there will always be people who make the decision to find their own way, a new way, to understand the concept. An example of this would be in my maths class, we have been doing integration, and this subject was somewhat hard to fully understand. However, using the general formulae taken from the textbook, it becomes fairly easier and clearer to understand.
Maths, to me, has the concept that one should believe in what has been proven right, and discard those ways thought of as wrong. Even though a new formula, made up by someone, may give the same result as the original, it is not always the best option or solution.
In the Arts it is a different story. For example, in English, when looking at literature and poems there is a different type of knowledge one values. Unlike in subjects like Science and Maths, English involves looking at the mood of a poem and the meanings behind the story, as well as literary uses of language. However, some people find it necessary to focus through other people’s views, and ideas to fully understand a text.
Like in many subjects there are worksheets and information from other outside sources, these may influence the way in which someone interprets a poem or novel. However, some of these outside sources can help the student understand the text at hand in a different way. For example, during class we have been looking at poetry, one of the poets looked at was the Irish poet Seamus Heaney. We were studying some of his early work, one of the poems looked at was that of “The Early Purges”, before any outsider suggestions I just accepted the poem to be a poem showing a memory in his past that has changed the way he views the death of animals. However, after having a class discussion my colleagues who study history as a subject, saw the poem having some political reference to the Soviet Union during Stalin’s rein.
On the other hand, when reading a novel, of course you can look at how other people looked at the novel and its meaning. However, when it comes to fully understanding the novel, the best way, for me, is to read through it yourself and look at how it affected you. For example, when we were reading the novel Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, I found that it was easy to understand. This is because it was easy to relate to the main character, Holden Caulfield, as his way of speaking is modern and more associated with my age, there is also a more realistic and straight forward setting, compared to other novels, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood.
Although coming up with your own view of the text is the best way to express the meaning of the text in your personal voice, if one does not fully understand it or doesn’t have many ideas about it, it is not completely bad to look at other people’s ideas. It gives you a broader scale of ideas and it could help you understand better. By fitting it to other knowledge it has more value and meaning.
In conclusion, it is evident that there is a different value of knowledge for each different subject. There are those subjects which seem more based on knowledge that is learnt through textbooks and outsider influences of some sort. While other subjects are more based on the knowledge that ‘comes from within’ (in other words: instinct or intuition), the ‘inner’ knowledge, that has little or no outsider influences.
