Knowing is Owning

In a video this morning I found myself using the word 'possess' in relation to knowledge, belief, doubt etc. This has made me wonder to what extent there is a metaphor of possession and ownership underscoring at least some of our understanding of what it means to 'know' something. The educationalist David Perkins talks about a type of knowing which he refers to as 'possessive' to indicate those things we know which seem most like concrete objects separate from the body; facts for example, the dates of wars and coronations, the atomic weights of common elements, the names of all the characters in the Star Wars films. These item of knowledge can be held firmly, or they can be passed on, and when we gain this knowledge and finally grasp it, it becomes 'ours' and we take 'ownership' of it. I'm guessing there is a metaphor analysis waiting to be carried out on this understanding, if it hasn't been already. If there is it will be written in the literature as KNOWING IS OWNING.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• know
• knowledge
• epistemology
• conceptual
• metaphor
• image
• schema
• George
• Lakoff
• Mark
• Johnson
• Donald
• Perkins
• education
• understanding
• belief
• object
• objectivity
• facts