By Maarten van Schie, B.Sc. Future Planet Studies

…A story about knowledge

Issues of this discussion (3)- What is there to know?- Knowledge and action- Kinds of knowledge

(know what)(know why)(know how)

What is there to know?

• A fundamental distinction

Reality

What is there to know?

• A fundamental distinction

Reality

What we know of reality

(not to scale)

But what is knowledge? | function

• Knowledge informs action–What is uninformed action?– Informed action?

RealityWhat we know of reality

Uninformed action

informed action

On informed action

• Kinds of knowledge• Important class of informed action:

speech

What we know of reality

Informed action

Highlighting a dichotomy in knowledge | ontology

• “That of which we can speak…”… is not the whole of it.

Examples?

Leading to another dichotomy

• The social realm: relies heavily on communication

• Knowledge that can be communicated

What we know of reality

Informed action

Speaking

Knowledge consolidation

• Through language• Individual contributions

Of which I can speak

Of which youcan speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Of which someoneelse can speak

Collective knowledge

e.g. “Scientific knowledge”

(but not exclusively)

...BUT

Sustainability…

Is not just about what we know.

It’s about what we do. (aggregated action)

How do we get to collective action?

What we collectively know of reality

Collective action ?

There is no “collective actor”

• Nobody has all the knowledge of the collective.Rather: there are knowledge bearers.(representatives)

= Individual agents, negotiating.

And then….

A problem of communication

What I know What you know

What a third person knows

*shared* knowledge

Shared knowledge space

• Negotiation–What we can agree upon decreases the

more people join in the negotiation.

Summary of distinctions

1. Reality and knowledge2. Knowledge informing action– Especially language

3. Knowledge and knowledge we can speak of

4. Personal and collective knowledge4b. (process of personal and collective action)

Overview (for intentional agency)

Reality

What we personally know of reality (aggregated)

(still not to scale)

What we can speak of

What we collectively know of reality

What we collectively act on

Differences

There will always be a difference between reality and what we know of reality

(a neverending story)

Reality

What we personally know of reality (aggregated)

• But not the whole of the story of sustainability, for:

Important tensions between

• Reality & what we personally act onMistakes (learn by doing)

• Reality & what we collectively act upon

Sustainability

But also:• What we personally know &

collectively knowFrustration: “I know it, but I cannot explain it to you”

Suggestions

• Learning: trying out what you know& learn from your mistakes

• Sustainability = small scale action

Suggestions

What I know What you know

What a third person knows

*shared* knowledge

Suggestions• Learning: trying out what you know

& learn from your mistakes• Sustainability = small scale action

(more agile, larger common denominator possible)• Combination: prototyping, best practices• Awareness of aforementioned distinctions

The two snakes represent the dual nature of the two worlds, Fantastica and Reality, but also the twin nature of their mutual creation and destruction. On the back of [the amulet] are these words:

“Do What You Wish”

AURYN helps Atreyu [the main character of the Neverending Story] through Fantastica in his quest to find a cure for the ailing Childlike Empress, and defeat the Nothing.