KNOWLEDGE WORDS

ANIL MITRA
COPYRIGHT (c) 2001


CONTENTS

Preliminary. 1

Plan. 1

Knowledge Words 1

General 1

Functions 1

Cognition. 1

Emotion. 1

Motivation. 1

Intuition. 1

Degrees of Certainty. 1

Modes of Expression and Communication. 1

General communication. 1

Action - stylized as/for communication. 1

Iconic Expression or Depiction. 1

Language. 1

Para-verbal 1

Combined symbolic and iconic 1

Specialized Knowledge Words 2

Innate Knowledge. 2

Innate Knowledge - Human. 2

Innate Knowledge - Species 2

Innate Knowledge - Physical, Ultimate. 2

The Object of Knowledge. 2

Relation Between Mind and World. 2

How the world presents or appears in knowledge. 2

World Constitution - Relation to Mind. 2

World is "made" of knowledge categories 2

Realism - world exists independently of knowledge. 2

External Realism.. 2

Idealistic Realisms 2

Theories of truth. 2

Traditional 2

Deflationary. 2

 


Preliminary

Knowledge is a key to being - either as such or in potential. The answer to "What is?" and "What is possible?" is tied in to "What can I know?", "What is knowledge?", and "What is knowable?"

The idea of a set of Knowledge Words arises as a preliminary to answering these questions and to developing some system - and supplement to what I have written. Also see Being Words and Basic Words.

Plan

A set words is a preliminary to building up possibilities for thought in symbolic / language terms. What are additional possibilities? Concepts, word combinations - elements of metaphysics, ontology?

Sources: Evolution and Design for ideas, words, modes systematization.

Plans and sources are the same or shared for Knowledge, Being and Basic Words.


Knowledge Words

General

Awareness - in one sense does not necessarily involve consciousness

Attention - focus, background

Consciousness

Vision

Dream

Attune

Adapt

Idea

Functions

The following functions -cognition and so on- are practical and not meant to be definitive.

Cognition

Sense - 5 senses + kinesthetic...

Perceive

Empirical

Intuition

Know

True, False

Believe

Correct, right

Think

Cognize

Concept

Meaning

Information

Data

Judgment

Emotion

Emote

Feel

Motivation

Does motivation fit into a perceive-judge / know-think )r( act cycle? Relation between emotion of motivation? Status of motivation?

Intent

Will

Desire

Intuition

Intuition                                                                                                       

Mystic

Yoga

Prayer

Degrees of Certainty

Fact

Theory

Hypothesis

Conjecture

Guess

Speculation

Hunch

Certain

Assertion

Probability

Possible

Actual

Real

Imaginary

Modes of Expression and Communication

General communication

Action as communication - action perceived is communicated and so communication

Action - non-intentional, intentional

Action - intentional: as action and as communication... action is [potential] communication

Stance, movement

Action - stylized as/for communication

Stance, movement

Affective expression of emotion - visual e.g. facial expression, auditory - vocal including tone, volume, cadence, vocalization i.e. a variety of sounds [phonemes], tactile, olfactory...

Iconic Expression or Depiction

Acting out and recreating - various motor and sensory modalities

Sketching

Molding [sculpting]

Onomatopoeia

Language

Elements of language: signs and symbols

Speech

Written

Para-verbal

Any of the foregoing modes

Affect

Stance and gesture

Quality of voice - tone and overtone, volume, rate, continuity

Cadence

Combined symbolic and iconic

General human and animal communication

Direct communication is generally multi-modal with regard to expression. And it may be questioned whether behavior is para-verbal or speech para-behavioral... or either.

Art

Drama

Poetry - includes language used to evoke emotion

Song and music

Dance

Ritual

Specialized Knowledge Words

Logic

Mathematics

Philosophy - humanities - the disciplines

Science - sciences

Truth

Justification

Proposition

Concept

Theory

Explanation

Understanding

Myth - tradition, custom

Religion

Innate Knowledge

Innate knowledge is more basic, prior to knowledge acquired by the individual organism. Knowledge acquired by the individual organism is ontogenetic - that is another word for knowledge acquired in the development of the organism and usually by specialized organs of cognition and perception; this kind of knowledge is what is commonly understood as knowledge and is simply referred to as knowledge or acquired knowledge. It is, however not the only kind of acquired knowledge. Innate knowledge is phylogenetic - acquired in evolution and innate to the individual organism. Is all knowledge acquired by some system?

The distinction between innate and acquired knowledge is not absolute in all ways or even in any particular way. To a degree, innate knowledge is bound into the organism. Innate knowledge may be accessible to the acquired modalities or their organs, and may be expressed. Innate and acquired knowledge may and do join together. Acquired knowledge functions on a base of innate knowledge. Acquired knowledge is free and alterable in the living of the organism. It is possessed or remembered and is expressible. Innate systems include the organs of acquisition, memory, alteration and expression.

As a generalization, innate knowledge is focused in the body, unconscious, not expressed, a-linguistic or pre-linguistic. As a tendency, acquired knowledge is focused in the nervous system, conscious, expressible, iconic - language being regarded as a elaboration of iconic expression and memory. In perception and cognition what is called the background is a mesh of acquired and innate forms.

To a significant degree motor, perceptual, iconic, memory, symbolic and linguistic, and expressive / communicative abilities are innate - they may however be developed; the related skills and repertoires are significantly acquired - but may be innate to some degree.

Innate knowledge - what modes of expression?

Innate Knowledge - Human

What modes?

Neural

Endocrine

Immune

...

Unconscious

Dreams, freeing up due to un-censoring

Relation to group, race, species, life... elements of creation

Innate Knowledge - Species

Group function

Genotype - genotype as expression... of what?

Innate Knowledge - Physical, Ultimate

Particle / field interaction

"Laws" of nature

Chemistry as expression

Broken / symmetry

The Object of Knowledge

Visible, tangible vs.

Inferred

Spiritual

Abstract

Concrete

General, conceptual

Instance

Universal

Particular

Relation Between Mind and World

How the world presents or appears in knowledge

Presentationalism

Representationalism

World Constitution - Relation to Mind

World is "made" of knowledge categories

Phenomenalism

Idealism

Materialism

Realism - world exists independently of knowledge

This does not say much for materialism, idealism, phenomenalism can all be seen as forms of realism

External Realism

There is a world that is not constituted of ideas, mind but includes mind. The world is not dependent on mind for its creation or existence.

Materialism

Behaviorism, functionalism etc.

Idealistic Realisms

Platonic realism - Platonic idealism

Universals are real - vs. nominalism: universals are names

Concepts are real

Rebus - concepts do not require instances

Ante-rem - instances required

Absolute idealism - the world is one absolute idea

Pluralistic idealisms

All ideas are real

The world is constituted of ideas

Footnotes

Theories of truth

Traditional

Correspondence - Wittgenstein's picture theory is a theory of relationships.

Verificationist: truth is verifiability.

Pragmatism - truth is utility i.e. truth is the basis for good actions.

Deflationary

"The proposition that p is true if and only if p." (A)

The traditional theories accept this and some further property.

The deflationary theory has an infinite axioms of the form (A).

Allows us to express attitudes to propositions that can be designated but not explicitly formulated.

Implies that verification is truth, true beliefs have practical value.

Problems

Requires an infinite number of axioms.

Leads to liar type paradoxes.