WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FACTS, KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, AND WISDOM?

The study of knowledge is called Epistemology. It covers subjects such as what knowledge is, how it is acquired, communicated and taught, and similar related matters.

Generally knowledge is collected and categorised into particular fields of study, called disciplines. Each discipline has its own body of knowledge, its own set of categories, and its own set of conceptual intellectual models. Professional disciplines typically have their own professional methods and activities, which link in with these models. Thus the Medical Profession, the Legal Profession, The Accounting Profession, and the Clergy, all have their own bodies of knowledge, ways of working, and conceptual models which provide them with distinctly different perspectives as to how they view reality.

We can also understand that there is a hierarchy which involves a kind of aggregation.

HIERARCHY

Data - a basic piece of information.

Facts / factoids - basic information - requires models and categorisation structures to establish relevance for accumulation into

Information - A set of structured relevant data and facts, complete with metadata. Aggregated into a body with further models and epistemological structures it can become

Knowledge - A larger body of structured relevant information. Gathered and sufficiently categorised it becomes

A Body of Knowledge - a field or collection of fields of knowledge is known as a discipline. A particular field of knowledge is known as a specialised field of knowledge. Combined with conceptual models it becomes

Understanding - Comprehension of the broader implications of a set of knowledge within a framework of models, circumstances and events / actions. It can combine with

Experience - an accumulation of knowledge, lessons, events, trials and outcomes gathered over a period of time, which sufficiently pursued can combine with additional knowledge and learning to become

WISDOM - A broader understanding within a wider perspective of context, models, knowledge, and experience.

In particular wisdom should be understood to require a subject to be viewed from several perspectives, through the lens of multiple disciplines, thus providing a more rounded, balanced and holistic view of the matter, which will be closer to the truth than a single camera angle. An aggregation of information obtained from a variety of methods and viewpoints commonly results in an understanding of the subject that is considerably closer to reality.

A photo of the left front knee of an elephant is indeed a picture of an elephant, but it is very far from providing a good understanding of the nature and scale of the creature.

Generalists v Specialists

Knowledge commonly has dimensions in breadth and depth. Specialists and experts generally study a particular field of knowledge in depth. Indeed, Celestial Koan’s definition of an expert has nothing to do with dripping taps, but states that “An expert is someone who knows how much they don’t know about a particular specialist field of knowledge.” Another aphorism runs, “An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.” It takes a lot of study to become an expert, and it is almost impossible to become an expert in numerous fields of knowledge. (Please note that there are some remarkable people out there who achieve this. One term for such geniuses is ‘a Polymath’.)

A Generalist is someone who knows quite a bit about a very wide range of fields of knowledge. In particular the generalist seeks to understand the differing models and perspectives of a wide range of fields of knowledge and disciplines. It can therefore be said of the generalist that “He is someone who has a pretty good idea of how much he doesn’t know.” Alternatively we could say that, “A generalist is someone who learns a little more about more and more.” That, however, is not a generalist’s aim. A generalist’s aim is to perceive a subject or topic from more and more perspectives. Ultimately the generalist would like to perceive the subject from all possible perspectives, including inside out, upside down, etc. Once one can perceive a subject / object completely, one has reached reality, and probably also enlightenment. However, while wisdom may include revelation, true enlightenment is the top of the mountain. Wisdom is merely a step along the pathway to perceiving true reality and one’s relationship therewith.

Celestial Koan has a pretty good idea of how much he doesn’t know. That is a form of wisdom.

Some Wisdoms to Assist Comprehension:

  • A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

  • There is an exception to every rule and this is the exception to this one.

  • Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools.

  • He who makes the rules can break the rules.

  • In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

  • An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less. A generalist is someone who knows a bit more about more and more.

An Example of Wisdom’s Application

Human knowledge and understanding has tended to be classified into particular disciplines - Science, Engineering, Law, Accountancy, Education, Philosophy, Arts and so forth. Each has sub-disciplines, thus Science - Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Economics, Geology, Medicine, Physics, Psychiatry, Sociology, and on it goes. Each has its own paradigms, world views and associated models and categorical structures for documenting and understanding the information and knowledge within its discipline.

Thus, when considering an issue such as Choice, Free Will, and Responsibility, various disciplines have very different models, bodies of knowledge, and ways of viewing the matter. Consider the question of choice, responsibility, punishment and sentencing for a person who has committed a crime / sin against a fellow human - (a) selling him illegal and potentially addictive harmful drugs for his pleasurable enjoyment, or (b) a driver taking prescribed medication for depression while going through a bad divorce who hurts a cyclist with a vehicle in a moment of careless distraction. How different are the viewpoints of:

  • The police / law enforcement

  • Legal profession

  • Socialogists and social workers

  • Psychiatrists and Counsellors

  • Ambulance and Emergency Department Hospital Staff

  • Philosophers

  • Humanists

  • Theologians / Clergy

  • Politicians

  • Educationalists (including driving instructors)

  • Scientific Rationalists including some:

    • Physicists

    • Engineers

    • Artificial Intelligence Developers

  • Reasonable man / average citizen jurist - if there is such a person.

 A useful measure of wisdom has been obtained when you understand each of those different viewpoints, why they are different, and the extent to which they can and can't be reconciled. Consider too how each would consider the additional facts that:

  • the vehicle that hit the cyclist was a driverless vehicle,

  • the driver hadn’t slept for twenty-four hours,

  • the vehicle hadn’t been serviced for six months.