Everyday knowledge: definition and meaning. Knowledge of the world. Life experience

A person without ideas about the world around him can not exist. Ordinary knowledge allows you to combine the wisdom of many generations, to teach everyone how to properly interact with each other. Do not believe me? Then let's take a closer look at everything.

Where does knowledge come from?

Through thinking, people have for centuries perfected their knowledge of the surrounding reality. Any information that comes from the external environment is analyzed by our brain. This is the standard process of interaction. It is on it that ordinary knowledge is built. Any result is taken into account - negative and positive. Further, it connects our brain with the knowledge already available, thus accumulating experience. This process occurs constantly and ends only at the time of death.

Forms of knowledge of the world

There are several forms of knowledge of the world, and in each title it is clearly traced what is the basis on which everything is built. In total, such knowledge can be identified 5:

1. Ordinary. It is believed that it is from it that all other methods of cognition of the world originate. And this is completely logical. After all, this knowledge is the primary and every person has it.
2. Religious knowledge. A fairly large percentage of people know themselves through this form. Many believe that through God you can know yourself. In most religious books one can find a description of the creation of the world and learn about the mechanics of certain processes (for example, about the appearance of man, about the interaction of people, etc.).
3. Scientific. Previously, this knowledge densely adjoined the ordinary and often flowed from it as a logical extension. At the present moment, science has become isolated.
4. Creative. Thanks to him, knowledge is transmitted through artistic images.
5. Philosophical. This form of knowledge is based on thinking about the destiny of man, his place in the world and the universe.

The first step of everyday knowledge

Cognition of the world is a continuous process. And it is based on the knowledge that a person receives through self-development or from other people. At first sight it may seem that this is all quite simple. But this is not so. Ordinary knowledge is the result of observations, experiments and skills of thousands of people. This baggage of information is transmitted over the centuries and is the result of intellectual labor.

The first step is the knowledge of a particular person. They may vary. It depends on the standard of living, education, place of residence, religion and many other factors that directly or indirectly affect a person. An example is the rules of communication in a particular society, knowledge of natural phenomena. Even the recipe, which was read in the local newspaper, refers specifically to the first stage. The knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation is also related to level 1. This is a life experience that has been accumulated in a professional way and is often referred to as a family affair. Often recipes for the production of wine are considered to be common property and other people are not told. With each generation, knowledge is added to new ones, based on the technologies of the present.

The second stage

To this layer belong already collective knowledge. Various prohibitions, signs - all this refers to worldly wisdom.

For example, many signs are still used in the field of weather prediction. Also popular are the signs on the theme of "luck / failure." But it is worth considering that in different countries they can be directly opposite to each other. In Russia, if a black cat has crossed the road, it is believed that this is a failure. In some other countries this promises, on the contrary, great luck. This is a vivid example of everyday knowledge.

Signs related to the weather, very clearly notice the slightest changes in the behavior of animals. Science knows more than six hundred animals that behave differently. These laws of nature have been formed not for one decade or even one century. This accumulated life experience is used even in the modern world by meteorologists to confirm their predictions.

The Third Layer of Worldly Wisdom

Ordinary knowledge is represented here in the form of philosophical representations of man. And again there will be differences. A resident of a deaf village that deals with the household and earns it for life, talks about life differently than a city-provided manager. The first will think that the main thing in life is honest, hard work, and the philosophical ideas of the other will be based on material values.

Worldly wisdom is built on the principles of behavior. For example, you should not argue with neighbors or that your shirt is much closer to your body, and you need to think first about yourself.

Examples of everyday knowledge of the world are many, and it is constantly supplemented by new patterns. This is due to the fact that a person constantly learns something new and the logical connections are built by themselves. When the same actions are repeated, a picture of the world is built up.

Properties of everyday knowledge

The first point is non-systematic. Not always a concrete individual is ready to develop and learn something new. It can quite suit everything that surrounds it. And replenishment of everyday knowledge will occur sometimes.

The second property is inconsistency. Especially bright it can be represented by the example of a sign. For one person, a black cat that crosses the road promises grief, and the second - happiness and luck.

The third quality is directed not at all spheres of human life.

Features of everyday knowledge

These include:

1. Orientation to human life and its interaction with the surrounding world. Everyday wisdom teaches us how to run a farm, how to predict the weather, how to communicate with people, how to get married / marry properly and much more. Scientific knowledge studies the processes and phenomena associated with man, but the process and information are radically different.
2. Subjective nature. Knowledge always depends on a person's standard of living, his cultural development, his field of activity, and the like. That is, a specific individual relies not only on what he was told about this or that phenomenon, but also makes his contribution. In science, everything is subject to specific laws and can be interpreted unequivocally.
3. Focus on the present. Everyday knowledge does not look far into the future. It is based on existing knowledge, and it is of little interest to the exact sciences and their development in the future.

Differences between the scientific and the ordinary

Previously, these two knowledge were closely intertwined with each other. But now scientific knowledge differs from the ordinary one quite strongly. Let us consider these factors in more detail:

1. The means used. In everyday life it is usually a search for any patterns, recipes, etc. In science, special equipment is used, experiments, laws are carried out.
2. Level of preparation. To engage in science, a person must have certain knowledge, without which this activity will be impossible. In ordinary life, such things are not at all important.
3. Methods. Cognition usually does not distinguish any specific ways, everything happens by itself. In science, methodology is important, and it depends solely on what characteristics the subject and some other factors contain.
4. Time. Worldly wisdom is always directed to the present moment. Science looks to the distant future and constantly improves the knowledge gained for a better life of mankind in the future.
5. Reliability. Everyday knowledge does not have a systematic approach. The information that appears to be usually forms a layer of knowledge, information, prescriptions, observations and guesses of thousands of generations of people. It can be verified only by applying it in practice. No other way will do. Science, however, contains in itself specific patterns that are irrefutable and do not require proof.

Methods of everyday knowledge

Despite the fact that unlike the science of everyday wisdom there is no definite mandatory set of actions, it is still possible to identify some of the methods used in life:

1. The connection is irrational and rational.
2. Observations.
3. Trial and error method.
4. Generalization.
5. Analogies.

These are the main methods used by people. The knowledge of the ordinary is a continuous process, and the human brain constantly scans the surrounding reality.

Knowledge Dissemination Options

A person can receive ordinary knowledge in many ways.

The first is the constant contact of the individual with the surrounding world. A person observes regularities in his life, making them permanent. Draws conclusions from various situations, thereby forming a knowledge base. This information can relate to all levels of his life: work, study, love, communication with other people, animals, luck or failure.

The second is the mass media. In the age of modern technology most people have a TV, internet, cell phone. Thanks to these achievements of mankind there is always access to news, articles, films, music, art, books and much more. Through all of the above, the individual constantly receives information, which is generalized with the already available knowledge.

The third is getting knowledge from other people. Often you can hear for any actions different sayings. For example, "Do not whistle - there will be no money in the house". Or ordinary-practical knowledge can be expressed in the advice that a young girl receives from her mother while cooking food. Both examples are everyday wisdom.

Scientific and everyday in life

Everyday and scientific knowledge about society is closely intertwined with each other. Science "grew" from everyday observations and experiments. Until now, there is a so-called primitiveness, that is, scientific and everyday knowledge in chemistry, meteorology, physics, metrology and some other precise knowledge.

Scientists can take some assumptions from everyday life and look at their provability in a scientific environment. Also, often scientific knowledge is deliberately simplified to bring them to the public. The terms and descriptions used at the present time can not always be properly understood by ordinary people. Therefore, in this case, ordinary and scientific knowledge is closely intertwined, which enables each individual to develop together with the world and use modern technology.

On the Internet, you can often find videos, where, for example, physics is explained almost "on the fingers" without using complex terms. This makes it possible to popularize science among the population, which leads to an increase in education.