Research and Technology
Hey Kids,
Per our discussion with Mr. Weidig,
please address the following questions:
What is thought?
What is knowledge?
Feel free to respond in any context you wish.
Peace =)
posted by D. Robin @ 2/19/2009
51 comments
51 Comments:
Hello once again fellow e319 students!
I first want to start off by saying that I love these kinds of question. This statement in itself brings up many important questions and ideas that tie into our analysis of what “thought” and “knowledge” are. In order to understand what these abstract ideas are, we must question the nature of humanity. Are we beings governed by chemical reactions and external stimuli?
Before we can ask such questions, however, we must first define “thought” and “knowledge” on a macroscopic level. It can be said that “thought” is the conscious process of connecting and inferring information based around experience, the information gathered through the senses or previous “thoughts”. This idea is assuming, however, that humans are not drones that live entirely based on chemical reactions, and subliminal mental processes are excluded for that reason. Similarly, “knowledge” can be said to be what has been discovered and remembered through “thought.” The key idea here is that if information is forgotten, it can no longer be considered knowledge. This idea brings up the interesting question of: if knowledge that is forgotten loses its identity, then how does knowledge expand in human society? The answer to that question is that knowledge exists not only on an individual level, but also on a larger scale within the collective human societal mind.
In realizing that “knowledge” exists within the collective mind of human society, we come to the idea of perception. All of the knowledge of human society, which encompasses any reality known to any human, is still merely a perception of reality. As we have no method of understanding and communicating “thoughts” that are not within human perception, it can be said that all “knowledge” as we know it is simply reality “as we know it” (notice that anyone not within the discourse of humanity does not contribute to this store of knowledge). In this way, “knowledge” and “thought” are all human perceptions of reality. But what about “reality” that humans cannot perceive (theoretically, as human perception is what we base reality on)? To humankind, anything it cannot perceive is not “real”, so all “knowledge” and “thought” must exist as human perception of reality.
Returning to the earlier statements on human nature, the previous arguments were all focused on the idea that humans have free will in the sense that they are not governed by their bodies. But what if it is the contrary? What if humans base all of their actions and supposedly free choices or thoughts on the reactions within their bodies? Do we feel love because of a biological need for community and reproduction? Do we feel sadness because of chemical imbalances? Similarly to feeling, do we think because it is the best way for our bodies to make us take certain actions? I may think that I enjoy eating meat, but it could be that my body is allowing me to think that way, so that I will increase protein intake. The answers to these many questions lie hidden from human “knowledge”, and we cannot know for certain if humankind has a “soul” with which to think freely beyond the boundaries of the body and its perception.
The original questions were to analyze what “thought” and “knowledge” are, but further than that, do these concepts truly exist? Yes, we perceive these aspects of reality, and therefore they are “real”, but do they apply to humanity? Do we really possess any “thought” or hold any “knowledge”? If all we see is the human side of the picture, can we ever hope to understand what lies beyond it?
The many questions I have posed may have no clear answer (within human perception), but they still exist as the simple “thoughts” of an individual and his perception within human society.
As a side note, I apologize if this comment seems confusing; this subject is extremely interesting to me, and I had multiple “thoughts” about it (as well as difficulty organizing them).
Just a couple of “thoughts” of
-Randolph Chua
Thought is whatever consciously occurs in your mind. It creates and shapes your opinion and bias in the world. Instinctive reflexes and occurrences such as breathing do not consist of thought. Thought requires some sort of awareness to the fact that you are thinking. Thought can consist of practically anything. It spans from rational, such as “I have a headache so I should stop doing annoying homework and go sleep,” to random, such as “Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the … I’m hungry. Mean Girls is a funny movie.”
Knowledge is much more macroscopic than thought because it encompasses thought. To gain knowledge over a subject, you have to think about it. Knowledge allows a person to understand and analyze information on a said topic. For example, I have a bit of knowledge about the rhetorical uses of language, so I can analyze and understand said uses of language. I have little to no knowledge of the provisions in the economic stimulus bill, which makes it difficult for me to understand. Knowledge is a necessary component to full comprehension and is more valuable than most people think.
According to dictionary.com, thought means the product of mental thinking; that which one thinks. In terms of rhetoric and research, I believe thought is opinion-based. Thought is the product of mental thinking that is influenced by other texts whether it is another person, book, or website. Thought contains bias and personal opinion. Outside information helps shape and bias your thoughts. Opinions on politics would be an example of thought. According to dictionary.com, knowledge means acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition. I feel knowledge is more factual. Knowledge is information or wisdom that is universally accepted and contains little to no bias. Knowledge is gained from non-biased sources. For example, 2+2=4 would be knowledge.
Josh Pirahmadi
The non-conformist in me said to make an acrostic. So here it is.
K.nown ideas perceived as truth.
N.otes the brain has on different matters.
O.pen acceptance of commonly taught facts.
W.orldly information generally used to prove a point.
L.earning and observing concrete objects and transforming them into abstract information.
E.ducated minds contain knowledge.
D.ata to be used on game shows such as Jeopardy!
G.athering thoughts and using them when appropriate.
E.lephants (because nothing else has an e).
T.hings running through your mind.
H.aving a chemical reaction in the brain causing ideas to form.
O.pen rambling of the brain cells.
U.sually irrelevant, and can be subconscious.
G.reat ideas that will go on and one thing leads to another and not everyone can follow the-reindeer guacamole chexmix tv the office…beets, bears, battle star galatcica
H.arboring of the minds comments
T.he game!
Danielle Vetter
If a person knows something that they consider important or useful, that piece of information is knowledge to that person. The meaning of knowledge varies between what one person considers knowledge and what others consider knowledge. For instance, an artist may consider knowing about the way a watercolor will look when layers of purple, teal, and aquamarine combine as knowledge, because knowing that helps them in their passion and career. Whereas, a lawyer may find knowledge in knowing which piece of evidence would serve best to dispel the charges against his/her client. The artists knowledge would be utterly useless to a lawyer, so he/she might not consider it knowledge. Conversely, the artist would most likely not need to know the lawyer’s version of knowledge. In this way, the meaning of knowledge is determined by the person in question.
The meaning of thought, on the other hand, is less determined by individual prejudices. Any conscious flutter of ideas, brush of words, or blip of pictures passing through a brain represents thought. From thought stems knowledge where the human quality of categorizing takes over to name the knowledge important or not. But thoughts float around like clouds of ideas, not necessarily with a purpose, just influencing the thinker. Thoughts cannot harm anyone, but the knowledge they create can.
Through history, people have been persecuted for their “thoughts,” but they are really persecuted for their knowledge. When someone voices a thought, it no longer stands as just a thought. It becomes knowledge to someone. If a government takes offense to something someone says, then they go after that person for their knowledge. By acting on a person’s words, the government gives importance to them, and therefore names those words as knowledge, which, most likely, the government does not want others to have.
So thoughts form in the mind and when expelled on a breath, those thoughts have the potential to form knowledge. If no one gives importance to them, the thoughts just dissipate on the wind. If no one had realized Issac Newton’s thoughts on the way the world works as knowledge, then, eventually, his brilliant thoughts would have just faded away.
I think that thought is the ability to contemplate and decide on things for yourself. Knowledge is actually understanding and deciding to accept a thought. It is the conscious effort of choosing which thoughts will be true to you. Basically, I think that thought is like the invention step; it is a gathering and sorting of ideas; a brainstorm. Knowledge marks the step when certain ideas are chosen and accepted to be true; it is a decision on which thoughts seem to be right and wrong. You know something when you perceive it to be right. However, what is knowledge to one person may not be knowledge to another. Knowledge is simply an opinion; everyone decides for themselves which thoughts they will back up and deem as true or real.
Missy Clougher
I think that thought is the ability to contemplate and decide on things for yourself. Knowledge is actually understanding and deciding to accept a thought. It is the conscious effort of choosing which thoughts will be true to you. Basically, I think that thought is like the invention step; it is a gathering and sorting of ideas; a brainstorm. Knowledge marks the step when certain ideas are chosen and accepted to be true; it is a decision on which thoughts seem to be right and wrong. You know something when you perceive it to be right. However, what is knowledge to one person may not be knowledge to another. Knowledge is simply an opinion; everyone decides for themselves which thoughts they will back up and deem as true or real.
Missy Clougher
Thought involves a large amount of abstract process that may result in further complex abstract construction or at times thought will manifest itself into concrete actions. The formation of thought commonly derives itself from its environment around an individual. The interaction of any of the five senses with the environment around that person which can connect to a personal experience will provoke thought on many levels. As the thought begins to develop, other emotions or perspectives may link according to a stretch of relevancy and many ideas come to play. The intermingling of different thoughts results in one aspect of thought. Other individuals think in a different pattern and may think only on one subject at a time. Each person also must consider knowledge when thought comes into play. When ever one thinks, their knowledge usually remains as an available resource to help advance thought processes. Knowledge demonstrates full ownership of thoughts and ideas. Correctly naming, organizing, and demonstrating relevant thoughts result in knowledge. Knowledge as well as thoughts has degrees and measures providing the limits of each certain person in the area of abstract ability. Knowledge represents a concrete form that others may teach to the public and widespread information presents availability and facts begin to form. Knowledge and thoughts both occur several times in the mind of each individual and continue to develop and change.
Thought. One of my first thoughts on thought is the vital connection it shares with the mind. Consequently, thought embodies an abstract idea since it concerns an intangible quality. In fact, thought encompasses the ideas, realizations, and truths one makes according to the situation presented to him or her. For example, one of my first thoughts about taking this English Course was that I would be challenged and my writing would change. Both of these are ideas/realizations/truths and, by the way, are true.
Knowledge-even the word carries weight and power-also embodies an intangible quality and thus, represents an abstract idea. Juxtaposing knowledge to thought, knowledge encircles thoughts but also connotes the accuracy of these thoughts. When I think of knowledge, I think of someone “knowing their stuff”, to put in colloquial terms. In other words, someone with knowledge should generally understand the realizations and truths they encounter, and revise/keep them in tune to the truths society has agreed upon.
-Sonia ;)
Such vague questions as “What is thought?” and “What is knowledge” can only bring a wide spectrum of answers. Dictionary.com has numerous definitions on the word “thought” but one of them is a “product of thinking; idea or notion”. Thought is a wonderful possession that we have but is often overlooked due to the natural reflexes we have for it along with breathing, etc. In a philosophical sense, thought can be something that pops into a person’s mind. If people are thinking about what to have for lunch, that is thought. It is a cognitive process that can be simple and complex at the same time. Often one thought leads to another, causing a train of thoughts. Rene Descartes once said “Cogito, ergo sum” which means “I think, therefore I am” in English to prove that he existed and wasn’t a figment of someone’s imagination. Thought can happen consciously and unconsciously as well. People make stereotypes about others in the first few seconds when they meet them, maybe not meaning to and maybe not even realizing it as well. This fact also proves that thought is uncensored. What people say out loud to others is the filter that our thoughts go through. Because thought happens anywhere and at anytime, it is unfiltered. The most abstract and disturbing things may come in a form of a thought as well as the most concrete and beautiful, proving its sublimity. It is because of thought that new ideas and innovations are created, perhaps improving the living standard. With enough motivation behind a thought, new creations are possible. At one point in time the thought of flying was considered impossible but the Wright brothers were determined to prove this false and were successful. Thomas Edison had the though of creating a light bulb and as the story goes, it took him a thousand tries before he was successful. Thought is a precious part of our lives and we take it for granted because of the ease of having a thought. In the world of “1984”, Orwell explores the idea of the Thought Police and what would happen if our thoughts were monitored so people only thought the “right” thoughts. In America, people are blessed with the ability to have freedom of speech, often criticizing what they don’t like. If people in other countries spoke out against their leaders, severe consequences would follow. The simplicity of having a thought often leads to the complexity of the ideas that arise from it.
The definition of the word “knowledge” on Dictionary.com also has multiple definitions but one of them is “acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation”. In the famous debate of Knowledge vs. Wisdom, the two are quite different. Knowledge pertains to what a person already knows while wisdom is something anyone can have in dealing with a situation. A person with wisdom may not know the “text book answer” in dealing with a situation but often uses his/her creativity to solve the problem. Knowledge is information a person has already acquired. A human’s life largely focuses on the quest to obtain knowledge. It’s not wrong but society now focuses too much on it. The education system in high school often emphasizes memorization and analytical skills. In this sense, application or “street smart” skills and creativeness have been discarded even though they are a part of one’s knowledge as well. Those who do not excel in memorization or analytical skills are labeled as “stupid”, which is completely inaccurate. To measure the knowledge one gains in a classroom, tests are given that often force a student to regurgitate what he/she has learned. Often, a side effect of this system that has not been foreseen leads to the student cramming as much information as possible into his/her brain and forgetting most of it right after the test. The end results in the student not obtaining any knowledge. Trying to obtain all the knowledge in the world is like trying to obtain immortality and history shows us what happens to those that did try. The quest for knowledge though can be quite entertaining and fascinating. Trying to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-roll lollipop can occupy a person for a very long time.
~Ben Wu~
Thought is when we develope ideas. Depending on an indivual's background and situation, everyone goes through different process of thinking. One's thought might sound very random to someone else, and usually, thoughts cannot be explained. Since thoughts are abstract, the ideas are made up, invented, and original. However, knowledge is well known to other individuals. While someone develops or thinks "thoughts," one has or attains knowledge. Knowledge can be logically explained or proven. When someone has knowledge, he or she knows facts and information, which implies that what is known is true.
But thoughts can often grow into knowledge. When an individual expand his or her original thought and it gets accepted by many people, it become knowledge. On the other hand, if a thought stops short and is forgotten, it cannot further expand to a knowledge.
By the way, I've been thinking what that "per our discussion" means...
Thought is the way a person thinks about a certain topic in order to make a conclusion on the idea, or how the mind and brain function. Thought happens very quickly in the mind. Many times every second, a person thinks about an event or topic that he/she has recently been exposed to by other people. The thought made by the person will affect the conclusion the person has on the topic. Sometimes the thought does not relate to the topic, but something in the brain caused the person to think differently. Thought has a lot to do with attention span. If a person has a longer attention span, he/she normally can keep a thought on a topic for a long time. If a person has a short attention span, he/she normally gets off topic easily.
Knowledge is the information in the brain that brings a person to a conclusion about a certain topic. Thoughts are normally based off the knowledge of a topic. Having very little knowledge on a topic normally gives a person less thought on a topic. If a person is an expert with excellent knowledge on a topic, the thoughts will normally be more abstract and advanced than someone’s with little knowledge. Knowledge is the whole basis of the thoughts that are produced within a person’s mind.
-Matthew Schnepel
I initially didn’t know how to respond to this question, so I decided to follow Mr. Robin’s advice and define my key terms.
When I looked up “knowledge” and “thought” in the dictionary I got these results.
Knowl⋅edge [nol-ij]
–noun
1. Acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: knowledge of many things.
Thought [thawt]
–noun
1. The product of mental activity; that which one thinks: a body of thought.
It seems this these two definitions are perfectly capable of describing what these words entail, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that although I do agree with these definitions, I believe that they can be broken down and analyzed further to completely understand what each of these terms exactly mean.
Knowledge is acquiring facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation, or through personal experiences. Although most people link knowledge with school and learning, I believe that the work knowledge should be tied into personal experience and “street smarts”. People don’t only learn from studies and investigations, they learn from experiences as well. For example: Most of Mr. Robin’s E319 students learned during first semester that it is a bad idea to leave your portfolio work until the week before its due. These students obtained this knowledge from a personal experience, not a study or investigation.
I believe that thought is the process by which a person comes to a certain conclusion or product. By actively using your prior knowledge and eliminating improbable conclusions to your problem a person uses their thoughts and knowledge.
Thought and knowledge are tied together, in that you need knowledge to think, and you need to think to obtain knowledge.
Hello everyone,
I enjoy these types of questions. We all KNOW what thought and knowledge are, but these questions force us to define both terms logically and coherently.
Both of these terms are abstract, or conceived by the mind. I think that thought is an arbitrary process that the brain goes though. Thought does not require much concentration or attentiveness. Whenever we hear, see, feel, taste, or smell, the brain goes through an automatic process to perceive those senses. This involuntary action can be harnessed, resulting in knowledge. The organization and demonstration of applicable thought is defined as knowledge. Knowledge involves the abstract ideas that we perceive to be true. One person’s knowledge may be completely different from another person’s knowledge.
I think that an important facet of answering this question is addressing the fact that both of these ideas cannot be “measured.” How do you measure how smart a person is? What defines intelligence in this realm? Thought and knowledge are so abstract that measuring them is virtually impossible on an accurate scale that fits everyone. Yes, we may have tests such as the Intelligence Quotient, ACT, and SAT, but all of those really cannot measure knowledge for every individual.
Sincerely,
Poonam Sahasrabudhe
Thought and knowledge, although they are two very different concepts, interconnect very much. Thought is the process that goes through a person’s mind in any situation when they analyze or just “think” about something. Knowledge, however, is a gathering of all the information and ideas a person has come upon and stored in their mind throughout their life. Everyone’s life experiences, in addition to their formal education, add to their overall knowledge bank.
In order to have a successful thought process, one must connect these two concepts in just the right way. They must use any and all previous or new knowledge of a certain topic. With that knowledge, a person can make connections and come up with new ideas. These connections are what make thoughts useful and important.
Thought can defined as the activity in one’s brain to form ideas; the process of thinking: the power to imagine. When a person has a thought, that person uses their imagination to come up with a new idea. The idea does not need to be brand new to the world, only new to the person with that thought. When an idea has already been thought of and acknowledged it becomes a fact. A fact becomes an accepted truth or reality in one’s life. The fact does not need to apply to society or to a global scale because people have different perspectives on life and view thoughts differently. The biggest example of facts being different comes from Christopher Columbus’s time when it was factual that the world was flat. Now, hundreds of years later, it is factual that the world is a sphere. The combination of these facts become knowledge.
Knowledge brings together the thoughts and ideas of a person. Knowledge, just like thought, does not need to apply to the entire world. Using the time of Columbus once more, the thought was that the world was flat. Another thought was that ships can sail across the world. The last thought was that something will fall once it goes past the edge of something. The knowledge of bringing these ideas together forms the theory that a ship will sail across the edge of the earth and fall off.
Thought mainly comes from one’s intellect and curiosity. The thought of sailing around the world would have never come if someone like Columbus wasn’t curious to try. Knowledge mainly comes from one’s experience. Main islands and countries would not be known internationally if the thought of a round earth combined with the assurance that the ship will not fall of the edge of the earth had not been realized and experimented with. Thought and Knowledge create everything a person may know in the world from fire being hot to not touching a stove again.
~Zach Steinbach (the game)
Thought is an open gate to any and every idea, memory, or recollection in one’s mind. Depending on one’s focus, this rush of ideas may come in an organized march of corresponding thoughts, or a random flood of mismatched ideas. Everyone possesses personal thoughts that are identical to themselves and their mind. Because thought is personal and therefore contains bias, it cannot be considered credible. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be”. Because thoughts affect us personally, they contain the power to change who we are depending on what we focus our mind on. Knowledge is any thought that one perceives to be true. If one saw the sky as orange, they would believe that the sky is orange, because that is what they know to the best of their knowledge. Knowledge receives a higher ethos than thought, because it is more specific and can often be agreed upon. 2+2=4 is an example of common knowledge that can be proven and is generally accepted. Because knowledge possesses such a high ethos, one must be especially careful when analyzing for credibility. Knowledge can still contain bias and is sometimes passed off as truth. Danger arises when one’s personal knowledge and beliefs is interpreted by others as truth, (example: The Nazis blind-following of Hitler because they believed everything he said was true). Knowledge and thought are two powerful devices humans are equipped with to better understand and survive in the world.
-Chrissy LoCascio
Thought is an open gate to any and every idea, memory, or recollection in one’s mind. Depending on one’s focus, this rush of ideas may come in an organized march of corresponding thoughts, or a random flood of mismatched ideas. Everyone possesses personal thoughts that are identical to themselves and their mind. Because thought is personal and therefore contains bias, it cannot be considered credible. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be”. Because thoughts affect us personally, they contain the power to change who we are depending on what we focus our mind on. Knowledge is any thought that one perceives to be true. If one saw the sky as orange, they would believe that the sky is orange, because that is what they know to the best of their knowledge. Knowledge receives a higher ethos than thought, because it is more specific and can often be agreed upon. 2+2=4 is an example of common knowledge that can be proven and is generally accepted. Because knowledge possesses such a high ethos, one must be especially careful when analyzing for credibility. Knowledge can still contain bias and is sometimes passed off as truth. Danger arises when one’s personal knowledge and beliefs is interpreted by others as truth, (example: The Nazis blind-following of Hitler because they believed everything he said was true). Knowledge and thought are two powerful devices humans are equipped with to better understand and survive in the world.
-Chrissy LoCascio
I feel that thought and knowledge are actually very different concepts, even though they seem to fit well together. I feel that knowledge relies more upon concrete and true ideas while thought has a much more abstract feel to it.
Knowledge, as many before me have said, is generally accepted as universal truth. I understand that knowledge changes over time, yet based upon a given time, whatever the majority believes becomes knowledge. For example, when we look to science, we can see that knowledge has changed significantly. Copernicus had the crazy idea that all of the planets revolved around the sun, not the earth. Although we now know that Copernicus was correct, at the time, his ideas were not considered “knowledge” for his time. Years after this idea was proven correct, his idea became knowledge for almost all people.
This leads us into what defines thought. I feel that knowledge and thought are dichotomous. Had Copernicus never thought of the idea of the planets revolving around the sun, the ideas of the universe and its workings may have never become accepted knowledge. Without thought, no new knowledge could possibly come into existence. For example, where would we be if no one ever thought of the game? Sorry, I had to work it in somehow. But without thought no advances could ever be made. Although some thoughts are unique and incorrect, without experimenting with thoughts, society could not possibly make any advancements.
Safia
Thought is a mental stream of consciousness such as an idea. Thought does not need any factual basis and is often triggered by emotions or recent events. Thoughts are not definite, but are rather statements or ideas that the tinker is still formulating an opinion on. Often times a thought is formulated as a question, for example: “What is the meaning of life?”
Knowledge, rather, is a thought that is accepted by an individual as fact. Knowledge is found by combining thoughts that a person perceives as true. When we are young, we often make connections, such as, “When I mix red and blue paint I get purple paint.” We learn from these connections and expand on them because we have seen that they produce a certain outcome. This same idea can be applied to knowledge. By synthesizing realistic options, a person will subconsciously create an outline of criteria with which they determine what is true and what is fictitious. Knowledge is often phrased as a statement, for example: “Humans need nutrients to survive.”
Adam Reninger
Thought is an abstract concept. It occurs whenever a person has an idea or considers a topic in his or her mind. The act of thinking is unique to each person and may not necessarily make sense to another person. It occurs every time a person acts to any extent beyond the basic functions of the body such as the heart beating, and it can lead to the advancement of knowledge although it does not necessarily do so. Each person will have a different idea about what thought is because to define thought one must think which creates circular and ultimately failing logic.
Knowledge consists of thought that can be proven and demonstrated in the concrete world. When thought becomes clearly and definitively communicable between people then it becomes knowledge. This is when the thought becomes commonly accepted and often useful to some extent.
-Chris Baker
To me, thought is a person’s own commentary on life. Some people speak these thoughts while others just keep it to themselves, like a director’s commentary in a movie. Thought can be provoked by questions, such is the nature of this blog, as well as censorship, boredom, TV, books, and even music. Thought is random, spastic, concentrated, and, sometimes, incomprehensible.
Knowledge is quite different and on a much more macroscopic level. Knowledge comes from experience and understanding. One can tell a person what to do, but that person will truly never know what it is they must accomplish until it is done. Without experience, knowledge is intelligence, which is still acceptable and important to acquire. There is a different between being intelligent and being wise and I believe that to be wise, one must have knowledge and experience more so than intelligence.
Sam Rill
Knowledge can be considered as power and/or information one knows. In a way, the two definitions work together. If one knows a lot of information they can use it to manipulate others, that is, if they have the knowledge on how to do that. School teaches information and how to use the information in the best way possible, so even though everyone hates it, school can help make one powerful if one chooses to want to be powerful.
Metacognition is thinking about thinking, which is kind of what the question calls for. Thought, the noun form, is basically what is created when one’s brain is put to work. I am very interested in how thoughts can be created by a gathering of cells we call a brain. When I start thinking about all these questions: Is it possible to not think? Is there more than one layer of thought going on inside one’s brain? What does thinking relating to headaches?
Mona Patel
Thought is a cognitive process of making inferences, evaluations, and forming personal ideas. Because one’s evaluations and ideas are completely biased, since they are personal, thoughts differ from one person to another. People base their thoughts on what they personally perceive or understand. Therefore, thoughts are not universal, and are specific to each individual. They assist in the formation of knowledge.
Knowledge, in comparison, is not simply inferring or evaluating. One acquires knowledge once he/she can find evidence in support of their thought, while finding no evidence in opposition to his/her thought. I believe that knowledge can only be called true knowledge when others cannot logically contradict and refute whatever claim is regarded as “knowledge”.
And in response to Danielle Vetter's post, I loathe "the game".
-Devin Ross
Thought and knowledge are both very abstract concepts, making it difficult to place a concrete denotation on them. However, in most situations it is not the denotation of the word that matters; it is the connotation of the word. Thought connotes pondering and wondering on a certain idea or concept. Knowledge on the other hand connotes grasping the carious aspects of a certain idea or concept. Also, ones thoughts are typically unfulfilled because once one investigates their topic, it becomes knowledge. Thought and knowledge go hand in hand. You cannot gain knowledge without the initial thought to do so, and without knowledge thoughts would lack direction and purpose. Connotation, however, tends to shift throughout time and among different discourses, allowing us to ponder on the meanings of thought and knowledge.
-Maggie
The concepts of thought and knowledge, although both abstract and done with the mind, have dissimilar characteristics. Knowledge is the information known to a person. It is obtained from educational experience inside and outside the classroom. Teachers use textbooks to share the knowledge of that subject with their pupils, but knowledge can also be gained when people learn from their mistakes. Knowledge can be on topics that are complex like calculus or brain functions. Knowledge can also be simple topics, for example how to tie shoes or how to say “please” and “thank you.” People that are considered smart retain vast amounts of knowledge and can apply it to their lives.
Thought, on the other hand, is the flow of ideas through the mind. Thought is not learned from books or experience. It is a natural trait everyone is born with and it provides people with a way of combining pieces of information together. A person with an amount of knowledge uses the thought process to connect the pieces of knowledge together and to question and further develop the ideas. Thinking about knowledge also helps a person to understand the concepts of knowledge and can discover for him or herself more information that would become knowledge.
Marni Gonnering
Knowledge is the information that one possesses. Thought is the processing of that information to create connections in one’s mind, and this process is used to further increase knowledge. Knowledge is obtained by reading, listening, and otherwise generally using the five senses. It is the raw information from which all actions mental and physical occur. As information enters the mind through the five senses, they are stored there. Once the information has been stored, thought occurs as the mind organizes all the information into categories that may be useful later. The connections that have been formed create a network to which new information, or knowledge, can be added.
Alexandra Destout
In my opinion, thought is something that must have some sort of a biased, seeing as there is always a reason behind which one thinks the way he or she does (relevancy). A thought may be an opinion that a person may possess on a certain topic, or a solution for a math problem, etc. For this reason, a person’s thought may not always be correct, but rather, just be a different view point or perspective on a particular topic. After all, everyone thinks differently, leading many to different conclusions when, in certain situations, there may only be one solution. Basically, these thoughts help others discover new heuristics that they had never thought of before. The credibility of these thoughts as sources obviously vary accordingly, also.
Knowledge, on the other hand, is a piece of information that is agreed upon as correct, thus known as a “fact”, or “truth”. Knowledge is gathered over a lifespan, and in most cases, is learned through experiences. More often than not, knowledge is correct. The only situation I can think of in which knowledge can be deemed non-credible is that when a student/person is taught the wrong information, but told that it is right. Knowledge, when applied correctly, is relevant to whatever is trying to be solved, taught, or proven correct.
Amina Iqbal
Thought is an idea that comes to one’s mind without having any previous experience with it. It is not necessarily true or false, although can be proven to be one or the other through experience later. For example, I may have a thought of what to choreograph for a dance, but I do not necessarily know if it will work or not yet because I have never actually tried it, which includes my lack of experience with that particular thought.
Knowledge is an idea or thought followed up by experience. When one has knowledge, they have lived through the experience and learned a lesson from it. With knowledge comes wisdom, because once you have the experience, you know what the outcome is, and you can typically have proof to even better prove your point.
Typically, the difference between thought and knowledge can be seen when juxtaposing different age groups. Typically, the older group will be considered the “wiser” of the two because they have knowledge where as the younger group only has thoughts. For example, a teenager may have the thought or idea that high school is horrible because of all the clicks of people. But the adults have knowledge of this because they already lived through high school and lived through all the experiences that come with it.
While thought and knowledge appear to be alike in their similar topics of idea, they differ with their actual experiences. While thought seems to be more about a particular idea, knowledge can be more macroscopic and think about larger ideas. Knowledge is a thought with experience to follow.
Thought is the exploration of ones curiosity about any subject, because when one chooses to think about ideas or topics, they review information until they believe they understand it. On the other hand, knowledge is the acceptance of the information one has understood after thinking about the information. These two concepts are abstract portions of ones life which ultimately influence ones beliefs. By spending time thinking about different topics, people form different beliefs about the subjects and therefore broaden the knowledge they may use to influence others. The arguments used against others forces the audience to think about the subjects as well creating a cycle that is continuously repeated.
Sanup Desai
What is thought? Thoughts are any strings of consciousness going through the brain at any given time. Thoughts do not have to make sense, pertain to the surroundings at the time, or be at all logical. While some thoughts are connected to where a person is, or what he or she is doing, many thoughts are considered random. Random thoughts happen at any time, especially during pre-calc lectures on a + bί.
Knowledge is harder to pin down. Knowledge is the many pieces of information a person stores in his or her brain. The knowledge a person acquires depends on the form of education he or she has been exposed to. In the Illinois schooling system District 54, all students are taught addition, subtraction, multiplication, devision, reading, and writing. These subjects become basic knowledge for students. Later in the District 54 years, other electives are offered and students begin to have knowledge in many different topics than from their peers. Throughout a persons life, he or she continues to expand their knowledge. Knowledge is never ending because there are always new pieces of information to be learned.
Lisa Caponigri
Thought is the process that occurs in an individuals brain. It consists of linking ideas, past experiences, and the ability to make inferrences to create something coherent. Thoughts are confined to within the mind and is the individual's choice whether or not to make it a statement. Knowledge on the other hand is something thought loosely depends on. Knowlede is information that was either taught or learned from personal experiences. Past knowledge may be utilized as a foundation to build upon when forming thoughts. Knowledge may be precieved by the individual as truth which gives the sense of stability and confidence to further pursue a thought.
I wish I had at least a basic understanding of neuroscience to discuss this, because, as Randy talked about in his post, many of the processes that human beings consider abstract have a physical, biological cause; the question is how much abstract, or "divine," and how much is concrete, or "scientific": the eternal struggle between art/faith and logic/science, if you will. (This should sound very familiar to those who have read "The Artist of the Beautiful"!)
I think language is a fascinating convergence of the precise and the abstract (abstract in the sense that something cannot be fully comprehended). Madeleine L'Engle, a favourite author and all-around person of mine, observed in her memoir A Circle of Quiet that without language, human beings would not be capable of the same height of understanding; we might still be capable of loving, but reaching anything more than an exceptionally superficial awareness of existential and ontological issues would be out of the question. (My apologies for the lack of citation; I have the book, but not the time to search out the passage.) How does one discuss eternity, or even the biological processes of the body, without words (or something that serves the function of words)? So we see that human beings require the specificity of language to question their existence. (Certain subjects possibly don't require the mind to work within the confines of language, like mathematics. However, as I am no mathematician (again, I wish I was more gifted in this area), I can't really say. Could one comprehend mathematical concepts without language if the human brain wasn't conditioned or programmed to think in the structure of language? As a friend once said to me, "numbers are just a language, like any other, with the most complicated grammar ever, and so universal that the rules of usage don't resemble those of any language we speak.")
I find knowledge at once more and less difficult to approach than attempting to explain thought. It's less difficult because everything that is commonly considered "knowledge" has its origin in the senses, as others have said. However, does knowledge come solely from the physical world? That question brings to mind things like intuition and religious visions. I'm not a superstitious or mystical person (usually), but there are extraordinary reports of profoundly gifted children who know things they can't possibly know, and more commonplace ones like twins who can sense when their sibling is in pain. I honestly can't answer this question beyond saying, yes, we have knowledge of how our world and society work from the natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, etc., that we have gathered through observation; however, it sometimes at least appears that certain people can obtain knowledge through purely abstract means.
And that's all I have time for now, because honestly this topic is probably the most exhaustive in existence. My apologies for the rampant parentheticals. And asking more questions than I answered, heh.
I'm so sorry! That last comment that referenced Madeleine L'Engle was mine. Though you could probably tell. I hope you'll still accept it.
Lauren Nokes
Thought is the conscious formulation of an idea by a person’s mind. Everything a person has ever heard, seen, touched, smelled, or tasted can be recreated in one’s mind through the use of memory. Thoughts come from your five senses and allow you to consciously make decisions using the knowledge you possess.
Knowledge embodies all of the previous experiences a person has had in the past that allow the conscious decision and execution of an action. From education in school to watching news, reading books, finding yourself in odd situations and even discussing topics with friends and/or family, expands one’s knowledge. Everything you ever learn or do helps broaden your comprehension and expand the ability to empathize in a situation. When one possesses more knowledge on a subject, he/she can think through a problem wisely and figure out the best solution.
*Aleks Prajwowska
Thought is the conscious process of the mind that is spurred from what one sees, or hears. Thinking can be in someone's head, and no one else would ever know of the thoughts inside. Thinking is abstract and can be extremely random. Everything one sees spurs a thought, connecting to a past experience or a judgment.
Knowledge however is universally known to all through facts, and obtained through thinking. It is universally known because everyone has to agree on the subject to make it become a fact. Knowledge is obtained through thought because it requires thinking on a subject to learn. Knowledge differs from thought because thought can be biased and different for everything through their different perspectives. However, knowledge is the same to all. For example in math, all the problems end in the same solution for everyone.
-Sonal
I have to say that I agree with Kathryn on this one concerning the idea of what knowledge and thought is. A thought is more of a one time idea that pops (For lack of a better word) into your head and for the mean time you contemplate the meaning or details within that particular idea. One could be thinking about what they want to do in the future or plans for the weekend and for a moment you consider any possible ideas. Though thought can be seen as the process to gaining more knowledge I see them as different. Knowledge is something you know. It’s your lexicon (:]) or facts or information that you retain. Rather than being a quick idea such as a thought it’s a tool that is gained as you attain more experience throughout your life.
-Brianna Blackshire
Thought and knowledge are two similar ideas. Both revolve around the use of the mind and the ideas going around in it. But thought is just that; ideas. These ideas could be brought up by curiosity, discussions, images, actions etc. Defined by Webster’s Dictionary, thought is the activity or process of thinking. Pondering and looking for answers to certain questions provokes thought.
Knowledge, on the other hand, is the product of thought. Knowledge defined by Webster’s Dictionary is general awareness or possession of information, facts, ideas, truths, or principle. Knowledge is awareness. The definite information could be researched, trained, or pounded in ones head. Having knowledge is being educated. It is more then just having a solitary thought; it is acting on the thought and becoming educated on the idea.
-Britnie Blackshire
ps. my name wasnt working so i just used briannas(:
I would like continue Mr. Robin’s theme of process to also define thought as a process. A process the mind goes through, using the five senses, to develop the soundings into one’s own perception. Knowledge is then the result of thought, a sub category. The stored memory of the surroundings one observed and analyzed. That would mean that knowledge is then different for everyone since it is bases off of one’s own perception. So then is the term common knowledge a true statement. Maybe it should be almost common knowledge, since it could never be the exact same for every person because everyone would knowledge would be affected by their situation and discourse.
Ricky Ariton
Thought and knowledge are two abstract ideas that many people spend their lives attaining. Thought is the mental process when a person comes up with an idea. Thought gives people the ability to create a bias and take a stand on a subject they believe in. Thought allows a person to back up their claims by using support that they believe will answer their claim. Thought can be random and has no limits. No one is allowed to consciously control another person’s thoughts and that is the best part of it. A person has the free will to think whatever they want until they decide to put that knowledge out into the world. Thoughts can range from intelligence and does not have to have any relevance to anyone except to the one who thinks it.
Knowledge is the gaining of facts, truths, or principles gained through experience, sight, or report. Knowledge, just like thought, can hold a wide variety of information. Knowledge is not specific, but a person that learns anything is remembered in their thought is the gaining of knowledge. People gain knowledge in order to gain a reason to think and to form a mental process that helps them take a stance and believe in one aspect over another. Knowledge allows a person to expand ideas and be themselves, and when questioned, can easily back themselves up by thinking and bringing back their support.
Thought and knowledge inspire individuality and allow people to create new ideas that are willingly or unwillingly shared. The best characteristic about these two abstract ideas are that what we think and know cannot be altered unless we ourselves allow it to. No one has control over what we want to think or learn because we have free will.
To me, there’s a fine line between thought and knowledge. I define thought as “something derived from the process of thinking”. Therefore, anything that one chooses to think about automatically becomes a thought, whether it is something elementary and concrete like the reading on the clock or something abstract and, for the lack of a better term, strange, like “where does time come from?”
Knowledge is a little different. I define knowledge as “knowing facts and information”. Knowledge is believed to be true by everyone, all the time, whereas though is debatable. Since your only interaction with knowledge is to memorize it, there’s much less personal bias in play than there is with thought. Knowledge is reputable, while thought may not be all the time.
Thought and knowledge can be perceived as similar words but in reality they are completely different. It is actually knowledge to "know" what these words mean.
I think that thought can be the ideas and the thinking process that goes on in a persons mind. It does not have to be truth but anything that can be turned from abstract to concrete by the mind. For an example I would consider a dream to the thought. If there is a abstract idea there has to be a concrete idea.
The word knowledge makes me think of smartness. The word knowledge turns a “thought” into truth. Anything that can be proven is knowledge. An example would be 1+1=2. This is common knowledge, but everything can be questioned. What if the answer is only 2 because that is what your first grade teacher told you.
I do not think that the words knowledge and thought can be defined by just one person but it is in everyone’s opinion of what they mean.
Jessica Lucas
First time Blogging in a Long time!
Many people might mix up thought and knowledge as synonymous words, but as Mr. Robin has thought us, there are no true synonyms. Though thought and knowledge are alike, these two words are still clearly different.
Both of these have definitions one can look up in the dictionary, but to be able to analyze this in a real world sense, one has to define the words in his or her own way, because technology means something different to everyone else, so one set of definitions for these two words would not work.
In my mind, thought is an opinion of someone and that it cannot necessarily be proven because of that fact that it is an opinion. On the other hand, knowledge is facts and information that someone has and that these facts and information are true. Thought can also be true, but one does not know that because it is only his or her thought at not others. In addition, a difference between thought and knowledge is the fact of how it is created. Thought can be created at anytime, anywhere by one person just thinking of something and having an opinion on it whether it be small or big. However, knowledge does not work in the same method. As I stated before knowledge is facts and information have to be proven. Knowledge starts out like a thought in that is an opinion but before it can be knowledge it has to be proven to be true, using whatever methods the person needs to use to prove his or her opinion is true, and once he or she does this his or her opinion is no longer a thought but knowledge.
-Mo Khan (P.1)
I think the definition of thought and knowledge is different for each individual based on their experiences in life. For me, thought and knowledge go together. Thought is an idea while knowledge helps you enhance the idea in the outer world. For example, if I have a specific idea or opinion towards a certain subject, my interaction with other people helps me gain more knowledge about the idea, and hence, help me become more intellectual.
Thought never goes without benefit. It prevents you from saying ideas that will not be appreciated by your audience. In fact, thoughts help you filter out what you are going to say in a speech, conversation, etc. The best part about thoughts is that they are a personal communication within you. Therefore, no one can judge what you are thinking.
Knowledge does not mean being super smart. I feel that knowledge has to do with how one learns by their mistakes. If an individual never made a mistake, then what is there for him or her to learn? For example, I gained knowledge by my mistakes in my prompts. They might have reduced my score, but it helps me from making the same mistakes again.
Everyone has their own opinion on thought and knowledge. I feel that thought and knowledge help a person achieve more in life. Thoughts help create ideas and knowledge helps to strengthen them.
On a macroscopic scale, the concept of thought parallels perception, an involuntary response of the mind based on "external stimuli," be it an image, a smell, a sensation, or any of humanity's other concrete senses. The brain naturally "thinks," or processes external information and initiates the proper physical response. It may disturb humanity to confine the concept of "thought" to an involuntary processing of information. Rather, there are different levels of thought, this primitive response being the first level.
Say that your average human - brain, skin, heart, organs, the whole shebang - mistakenly (or decidedly) places his/her hand upon a flippin' hot stove. The first level of thought would consist of the brain informing it's vessel that this act indeed causes great pain, followed through with the message to withdraw one's hand. The next level of thought might be a conscious, reflective affirmation that, yes, that truly did cause pain. Usually after the phase of affirmation, the brains must decide whether it likes or dislikes the pain. The overall experience, combined with the due process of thought, provides our average human with knowledge. The knowledge that touching stoves yeilds pain allows our subject to refer back to this experience when future situations demand it.
Primal thoughts in response to experience yield knowledge. However, "thought" hardly stops there. To proceed to the next level of thought, humans must ask questions of an experience. For example, ask what in stoves make them cause pain to humans. What happens to the human that makes them sense and comprehend the pain? What if a human could not process pain? Could that human then gain knowledge from that experience, were they not able to percieve the pain? Each answer reciprocates another question, until the level of thought becomes so metaphysical and philisophical, that the answers transcend human experience, perception, and knowledge.
It's late.
Too Late. (in more ways than one)
Ben out.
Well I believe that both thought and knowledge come together to create circumlocution. The question to ask is whether knowledge came first or thought? In order for someone to know, one must have had thought on a certain subject. Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me that this would be the first question to ask overall. From there, I would say thought and knowledge, although different, they both base themselves upon reality. In class, we always say our realities create our truths. Using that heuristic, our realities would also create knowledge and our thought. How would one call someone full of "knowledge", what exactly would "knowledge" be. Personally, I find that knowledge is when someone knows all about the truths society agrees upon. Thought is linked with knowledge because one must think to be having any sort of knowledge. That being said, thought also links back to discourse. Knowledge and thought come from the culmination of discourse and reality.
Well I believe that both thought and knowledge come together to create circumlocution. The question to ask is whether knowledge came first or thought? In order for someone to know, one must have had thought on a certain subject. Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to me that this would be the first question to ask overall. From there, I would say thought and knowledge, although different, they both base themselves upon reality. In class, we always say our realities create our truths. Using that heuristic, our realities would also create knowledge and our thought. How would one call someone full of "knowledge", what exactly would "knowledge" be. Personally, I find that knowledge is when someone knows all about the truths society agrees upon. Thought is linked with knowledge because one must think to be having any sort of knowledge. That being said, thought also links back to discourse. Knowledge and thought come from the culmination of discourse and reality.
I was not sure where to put this comment, but since this blog section concerns technology, I think i will post this comment here. I find it interesting that technology in the form of this blog serves to further the odd mind game known as "the game." Technology makes a game, such as "the game" nearly impossible to avoid losing. Through a text, blog post, e-mail, phone call, IM, facebook/myspace message you can lost the game. These many technological ways to lose the game truly go beyond the face to face possibilities. =D
I was not sure where to put this comment, but since this blog section concerns technology, I think i will post this comment here. I find it interesting that technology in the form of this blog serves to further the odd mind game known as "the game." Technology makes a game, such as "the game" nearly impossible to avoid losing. Through a text, blog post, e-mail, phone call, IM, facebook/myspace message you can lost the game. These many technological ways to lose the game truly go beyond the face to face possibilities. =D
To proceed to the next level of thought, humans must ask questions of an experience.
What an intriguing thought! (That was from Ben Kesller's post.) This implies that we can't think unless we're taking in information from the outside world. For example, my research paper centers on the human pursuit and perception of perfection. But how did Nathaniel Hawthorne, the authors of my sources, and I come to realise that we're imperfect? It could only be from experiencing the realities of the world: people are not proportioned in an optimally aesthetic way; sometimes you fail at communicating an idea; everyone eventually grows old and dies. If you didn't have experiences that taught you these things, wouldn't you think that there is no imperfection? If you didn't interact with the outside world you wouldn't be aware that you existed. Would you exist if you didn't know that you existed? I don't know. Probably more of a topic for a philosophy class, yeah? :P
Lauren Nokes
I hope this post is still open for commenting. I assume if it wasn't it would be locked. Anyway, what I'm responding to is from Lauren Becker's post. (Oh, Nineties. There are far, far too many people of this generation named Lauren.)
Through history, people have been persecuted for their “thoughts,” but they are really persecuted for their knowledge.
I don't think that I agree with this. Although many people have been considered dangerous because of information that they possessed that could threaten the positions of others, still more have been victims of violence and oppression because of their ideas about the information that they posses: Galileo, who championed the heliocentric Universe; Socrates, who died by hemlock for his beliefs; even Jesus, who was condemned to death for his teachings. To possess information that others do not wish you to possess can lead to peril, but more often the information is there for others to find - it's what you do with it that makes it dangerous. Ideas can lead people to do terrible and great things, especially when those who present them make the rhetorical choices that will influence their audience in their favour.
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