Knowledge Exhibition

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Introduction

My knowledge question is: “What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?” Through examining every day objects in my life, I have answered this question in three ways. My first object teaches me that personal experience and knowledge have no direct correlation; my second object teaches me that some overlap exists between experience and knowledge; and my final object proves that personal experience and knowledge directly intersect.

What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

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Object One: Mr. Wolf’s Coffee Mug

This is a mug I see Mr. Wolf drink coffee out of every day. During an experiment at the beginning of Theory of Knowledge this year, Mr. Wolf asked us to predict what was inside the cup without physical proof. When we could not see what was inside a coffee cup with our eyes, we had no reason to assume there was coffee or any other substance inside. However, based on relatively universal personal experience, we initially assumed a mug like this held coffee. Many people, particularly in America where a cup of coffee every morning is ingrained in culture through media, share this experience. This is also due to the shape of the mug, such as the fact that it has a handle, which is associated with holding a hot beverage.

Past experience, both personal and historical, leads us to believe we possess the knowledge that there is coffee in the cup with no physical evidence. Experience forces us to use context clues and line them up with what we already know to develop knowledge, or what we believe is knowledge. In class, most of us said we were relatively sure that the mug contained coffee. If it did not, I think we all would have been surprised. Still, the fact that experience led us to think there was coffee in the cup did not make it automatically true. The mug could have contained a different beverage, a small everyday object, or nothing at all. This answers the question of how experience relates to knowledge by teaching us that experience offers us no direct knowledge, only a framework to base knowledge off of that will not always prove correct. As seen in this example, my personal experience has no real connection to my knowledge.

What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

Object Two: My Set Piece

This is a piece of the set of one of the first shows I ever performed in. At first, it only looks like a piece of wood, but it was also a section of the sun in the background of the show, so this set piece has personal connection to me due to my individual experience. I also possess knowledge on this object due to this, and I know what it is when it might not initially appear evident to someone else. I could explain the meaning behind this set piece as well as what it means to me personally, implying that my experience offered be this knowledge. However, this is not a universal experience. Many people would see the piece of wood as simply that, and they would not technically be wrong. Someone in a similar knowledge community as me, such as theater, might have some understanding that the wood is a part of a set.

This explores the fact that our shared personal experience offers us knowledge exclusive to this community. Still, no one would have the exact understanding that I have of this set piece. This answers my knowledge question “What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?” by proving that personal experience provides some connection to knowledge because my experience lets me understand this object better; at the same time, it does not imply an absolute connection between experience and knowledge because this experience only applies to me. Without experience, I could still gather a general sense of what the object is, so this is not the only reason I possess knowledge on this object. Still, my personal experience lets me understand it on a deeper level. In this example, my personal experience offers some connection to my knowledge, but only on an individual level. Experience and knowledge overlap somewhat, but are not synonymous.

My question: What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

Object Three: My Golf Tee

This is my beloved golf tee. It is called the Marteeni. I use it every time I play golf because I think it helps me shoot farther and straighter. When I started golf, I had no concept of what tees or clubs to use. Through trial and error I have discovered which tees are the most effective to hit the farthest. The only way I figured out which tee gave me the most distance was through experience. When I talk to other golfers, they generally agree that the Marteeni provides this effect. Without personal experience, I would have no idea which tee works best for me. I could guess based on looking on tees but, possessing no knowledge of golf, the guess would be purely random. Therefore, personal experience gives me exact knowledge. Furthermore, an entire knowledge community has an experience similar to this with the Marteeni or other certain tees.

As a whole, golfers gather knowledge purely by playing golf. No amount of watching golf or reading about it will offer the same impact as actually trying it. Physical and emotional knowledge is often acquired in this way, by constant personal experience. This answers the question “What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?” by proving a direct correlation between experience and knowledge not only among individuals but among entire communities of knowers. Without personal experience we would have no knowledge of which tee works best, but anyone who shares this experience will eventually develop knowledge of their own on this topic. In this example, my personal experience and my knowledge are one and the same, and this applies to an entire knowledge community as well.

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