Knowledge is not as basic as I once thought. I used to believe that knowledge is just what information you have “in your head,” but now, after reading essays about knowledge, I believe that there is much more that makes up knowledge. Why should knowledge have one definition when it means something different to everyone? The essay by Jonathan Kozol, “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society,” informs readers of the illiteracy problem in the world and how it affects the economy. He goes on to talk about how ineffectual these illiterate individuals are in the world and he introduces the question of “What should we do with them?” (Kozol 46). Robin Tolmach Lakoff in the essay “The Grooves of Academe,” basically raises the question, “Why don’t schools just tell us how to be successful?” (Lakoff 347). Lakoff makes a very interesting point in his essay in which I will discuss further in my essay. The essay by Louis Menand, “What are universities for,” describes how universities require frivolous classes that students only take because they have to not because they want to. Why should someone take a course that does not appeal to them?
What really is knowledge? I believe there are many different definitions of knowledge and none that are more right than the other. Knowledge is so powerful that it cannot be generalized into a single definition. Before I had read any of these essays, I did generalize knowledge. However, after reading and discussing these essays so intently, I was amazed at what I found. I believe that knowledge is what we take it to be, not so much what everyone tells us. Knowledge can be gained from personal experiences, life changing events, from the parents, and really anything that makes us think differently. I believe that everyone has the power to make their own definition of knowledge and all of those definitions would be true to the person who created them.
So in my opinion, what is knowledge? I believe that knowledge is everything that makes up a person. Everybody has knowledge and most of the time they figure out how to use it efficiently. Even if I am the CEO of a Fortune Five Hundred company or a drug dealer on the streets, I still have knowledge and I am using it to my best interests. On the contrary, I do believe that everyone should strive to attain a higher level of knowledge so that they may benefit the economy better. I also believe that drug dealers and bums and homeless people have not utilized all their knowledge potential. On that same note I believe that people should turn to unethical business just to sustain a “happy” lifestyle. Kozol and I share very similar beliefs here because we both recognize that there is a problem at hand, but still do not see a progressive improvement. So how should we go about helping these people to have better lives? “Do we possess the character and courage to address a problem which so many nations, poorer than our own, have found it natural to correct?” (Kozol 46). I believe that we should continue education our youth and continue offering rehab for those who need a fresh start. I believe any ambitious illiterate can become a functioning literate if they are able and willing to put forth the effort.
Who should have access to knowledge? I have already stated in my essay that I believe that knowledge is infinite and everyone at least has a limited amount of knowledge. However, the question of what level of knowledge should be a good level of knowledge to have still remains. I see a perfect world where everyone does their part in society so that as a whole we are basically good. To live in this utopia everyone must know the basics of reading and writing and a skill so that they could be beneficial to the world. In the world today, this is not the case. Many people today are denied many liberties because of their problem of illiteracy. Jonathan Kozol agrees very closely with me as demonstrated in this quote. “So long as 60 million people are denied significant participation, the government is neither of, nor for, nor by, the people” (Kozol 40). Basically, if we have too many illiterates in the society, the government will be simply run by those of the correct ethnicity, social class, or parent privilege. It is important to maintain a certain level of knowledge among all people. I think a good level of knowledge could be at least education through high school. If this were the case, we would have a much more efficient world.
I feel that our means of educating people today are adequate. From a very early age here in America, kids start off learning the basics of reading and writing all the way to complex algebra in high school. After high school the students may choose to seek higher education offered in colleges and universities. What really is this higher education though? There are many courses that are required for each different degree program but many of the courses are the same throughout the different degrees. Why should students have to take all these extra courses outside of their regular degree courses just to get the diploma? In Menand’s essay, he describes how the Introduction to Poetry class was such a popular class (Menand 254). It was popular because it satisfied three requirements of the course curriculum. “It was a prerequisite for English department courses; it could be used as the final installment in a sequence of composition courses all students had to take; and, as a “humanities” elective (Menand 255). The course seems like a perfect choice to take for any student. He goes on to talk about that rarely any of the students who took that class actually took the class because they wanted to or were interested in poetry. What would be the point of such a class? If no one is excited about taking an Introduction to Poetry class, then why even offer the class at the school? I do think that a few of the courses that are basics at most colleges should be removed. It is important to still require English and Math because these courses will help people in their day to day life. When it comes to Texas Politics and various courses like that, I do not believe they are necessary. Not everyone wants to be a politician or wants to be active in politics. With that said, college is still very necessary to better ones education and knowledge. College opens many doors for people who graduate.
Who gets access to the higher level learning, though? It is important for some percentage of the population to strive for a higher level of education so that they may lead the world. I believe that anyone who is willing to work hard should be given an opportunity that would allow them to get a much higher education.
Knowledge learned in school, though, is not by any means the only knowledge that people should have. The knowledge that one may learn in school is a good start, but everyone should go out and seek on their own what it is that really motivates them. We can’t tell people to go learn to be a doctor, or go study petroleum, but we can give them information about these topics and hope that some people will be interested. Whatever motives to learn people have in them should be used as fuel to seek their ambitions. In my opinion, college education is very necessary, but on the other hand, so is creativity. If we pressure people into doing things they may not want to, then we may be losing out on something great that person may have invented. One’s intuition must be maintained so that we will continue to be a thriving world. College education opens doors and eyes for many people, but in doing so they should allow for the creative minds to do great things.
Colleges are giving out knowledge and information at enormous rates. By what other means should we distribute the knowledge? How should knowledge be shared? I believe that knowledge is all around us. Knowledge is what allows mankind to build skyscrapers, design computer programs, and engineer new cars. Knowledge helps us advance our society at speeds faster than ever imagined. Knowledge is constantly increasing and spreading. So with all this knowledge circulating, how should we go about educating the youth?
We have a very good education system today. Educating the children at a very young age gives them basic knowledge which they can use to figure out what knowledge means on their own. Kids learn about the past and learn about current problems and events and when they are older they make their own decisions about things. Even though a person’s knowledge is heavily influenced by their early years of schooling, there are still other main areas knowledge comes from.
Knowledge is also taught by parents. My parents are probably the most influential sources that helped develop who I am today. If it wasn’t for my parents, I would not have had the necessary guidance it would have taken for me to get to college. They have influenced me in so many ways. Whether it was teaching me about the Alamo by taking a family trip to San Antonio, or buying me my first computer which turned out to be the start of my career, I have learned a lot of information from my parents.
My parents not only taught me information and showed me their views on ideas; they also instilled morals and good-will in me. Knowledge is not all about the hard facts and information that one possesses, but it is also very important how they use that information. Holding doors for the ladies, proper dinner etiquette, even showering daily, are all just acts of good-will that our parents instill in their children’s minds in belief that it will make their children better people. So how do the actions correlate with knowledge? Knowledge is how much people actually use of what they know. Everyone is made up of a lot of potential but only the ambitious ones will stand out in the world. We take what our parents had taught us and as we try to understand everything, we make decisions of our own. Therefore, we are constantly bettering ourselves and others around us.
So who stands to gain with such a heavy emphasis in the world about knowledge? The higher educational facilities gain because so many people fund their universities and colleges in hopes of getting a return of knowledge. Universities and college put such high costs on their education facilities in hopes to seclude the lower class from this kind of learning, which essentially keeps a balance in the world and forces only those who are ambitious to succeed. Who really stands to gain though? We do; the people who live in the world around the educated and the knowledgeable people. They gain from others’ work. Is it right for these people who do not choose to be as knowledgeable as others to just sit there and do nothing about it? It is not right for them, but if they are not motivated enough to participate, then is it right to force them?
What is at stake? It is essential that the world maintains a healthy balance between those knowledgeable people and other illiterate people. There would be constant challenges and possibly war if everyone too well educated. There has to be a percentage of the population that is willing to work the lower end jobs. I described early a utopia that consisted of knowledgeable people doing their part in society to make a better world. The truth is that can never happen. There will always be illiterate people, and there will always be people who don’t use their knowledge to the fullest potential. If there is ever a drastic change in the literates and illiterates in the world, there would most certainly be problems in the economy. That is why it is important to maintain a healthy balance between the two.
I have read many books and essays that have allowed me to make decisions about how knowledge affects the world and one book that I read changed my views to a great extent. The novel The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman describes how the world became flat and the factors and forces that were involved. He summarizes the events that led to the earth’s flattening in three different eras. Globalization 1.0 describes how enormous the earth was thought to be before Columbus founded the Americas. Contrary to popular belief about the Vikings living in the Americas prior to his sail, Friedman says the Globalization 1.0 occurred because of Columbus. After the Europeans discovered that the earth is in fact not endless, this as a result, began the flattening of the earth. The second Globalization, 2.0, was basically caused by the rapid increase in communications around the world. From the many fiber optic cables laid in the ocean to all the satellites that help link the world, all this contributed greatly to flattening our world. The final Globalization occurred when we began outsourcing so greatly. We developed work programs where we could outsource accounting and other work to the people of India and many other countries. The flattening of the world is not over though. Unfortunately this is probably just the beginning. So what is at stake with so many people having a great deal of knowledge? The world could completely change before us.
From the illiterates to the flattening of the world, my views on knowledge are in no way finished. I am just a freshman in college and I have much to learn about knowledge. However, I have learned a lot from researching these essays and other novels to contribute to the defining of my definition of knowledge. There is so much more to learn and I will do my part to learn it. My drive to attain higher levels of knowledge will continue to increase and expand, I know it has already, and it will continue forever.