Posted on by Christina Adams

Is Knowledge a Social Construct?

This is a more modern sociology idea that suggests that knowledge is discovered and created by, for, and from a society. This means that we do not just gain knowledge on our own, but that we are influenced by those around us. It also means that to a certain extent if a group of people start to believe one idea is true over another that they can change the course of other groups in their pursuit of knowledge. The knowledge becomes repeated so often that society as a whole can, oft times blindly, accept the knowledge as ‘truth’ and ‘facts’ and no longer has the ability to see reality or the world outside of that knowledge. The assumption is that as members of society, we can then recreate the knowledge that everyone knows and then change society to live under a different set, a more accurate set by our current standards, of truth and facts. This is a means of making a better society.

But here’s a few things that need to be pointed out. First, if knowledge itself is a social construct, that is ultimately determined by what people believe, construct or create, and not on what actually is true, then it is primarily based on subjective beliefs not necessarily on truth or knowledge. The focus on beliefs is part of a philosophical issue on the topic of knowledge. In philosophy real knowledge on a topic is often determined by the combination of having knowledge, truth, and belief. Some have argued that you cannot have actual, complete knowledge without all three. Knowledge has to be true and it has to be believed in order for it to make a difference and be relied upon in a factual way.

In other words, if I know that there is a snake in the other room, I believed my eyes when I saw the snake hide under the bed in the other room, and it is completely, actually true that there is a snake in the other room, then I have knowledge about there being a snake in the other room. This knowledge of the snake can be proven true by others by their going to the room, looking under the bed, and seeing the snake for themselves. But the position above is suggesting that all we need for proper knowledge is the right belief by most of society, i.e. if enough people believe there is a snake in the room, whether there really is a snake or not, their belief makes it true that there is a snake. And if others try to see the snake and can’t find it, they are wrong because they don’t have the right belief.

This view of knowledge is not based on the actual knowledge of a topic, or the actual truth of that topic, just belief. At the very least we do not live in a world where we can reimagine it to whatever we might wish to be true, even if all of society agrees to believe it.

Second, who would be qualified to determine if or when the societal construct was no longer keeping with real knowledge. Is it only a matter of the right educational degree? The right experience? How would we ever know if we have the right people leading the construction of knowledge? If our current socially constructed knowledge is false and we fix it, would it stay that way forever? The answer would be ‘no’ because future people would find our views and beliefs out-of-touch and out-of-date with their reality and they would need to reconstruct society’s knowledge again.

Third, if society’s knowledge will constantly need to be updated, then it cannot be seen as real or true knowledge, but only a temporary opinion that would be replaced by a similarly temporary opinion. There is no consistent standard that could be upheld as a solid foundation that society could return to, preserve, and maintain.

Those are just some issues with viewing knowledge as a social construct. The question is: Is knowledge only constructed, determined, and maintained by society?

From a biblical perspective the answer is no. Knowledge does not come from society nor is society its source. It is not constructed by society so that its origins are racist or misogynist or steeped in preserving some kind of sinful past. Rather, knowledge was first created by God. God maintains it. God has shared some of it with us so that we can learn and grow and relate with Him. Christ, Himself, is the source of all wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3) and He keeps what is true hidden in Himself so that we might seek Him and continue seeking Him. He does not change knowledge, nor is it socially constructed by Christians, but it is fixed and all that is true can only be found through Him.

Knowledge is not changeable because Christ is not bendable to whatever is popular by yesterday’s morals, today’s standards, or tomorrow’s ideals. He is constant and He can also be known. It is in Him alone that we can understand what is real, true, and right. All other ‘knowledge’ will fade and bleach and rust away. If we stand on anything other than Christ, we will always have to shift our knowledge, however, by sticking with Christ we never have to move into ‘new knowledge.’ We will only go from a basic to a deeper and deeper knowledge of what is real.

We also need to be aware of blending knowledge of Christ with the kind of knowledge those who claim knowledge is socially constructed would want us to blend. It is not a choice to mix Christ who has real knowledge and society who wants to reconstruct knowledge. Christ has said all knowledge is in Him. Certain members of our society have said all knowledge can be made by man. These are not compatible statements. Ultimately, those who claim knowledge is a societal construct that they can mold into a better construct are saying that they want to be gods. They want to create right and wrong, good and evil, in whatever image they want and they will want to create it in their own image. Either they are right or Christ is, but it cannot be both. We cannot serve both masters. If we try to hold on to both, we will lose our grip on Christ and not know it.

Yet, it is so much more freeing to trust Christ with all knowledge. We never have to strive to catch up on the latest views. We are never caught off guard by some new direction that we need to go that may or may not completely change what we thought was real 5 minutes ago. We only need to return our eyes to Christ, to trust that He will give us all we need for life and godliness, and to rest in what is true with the understanding that it will never change. And then we can stick with Him who will last forever.

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Posted on by Christina Adams

On Knowledge

We live in an age where there is a lot of information everywhere. We can find information, opinions, conflicting opinions, and general content whenever we want. The problem is that then we have to figure out what is real, what works, and what is accurate often on our own. This is a hard task, especially since so many people with information seem so certain that their information is correct.

What is knowledge?

Information can contain knowledge, but it is not knowledge. Where information contains opinions, facts, and fictions, knowledge contains only that which is true about reality. People who want to know how to do anything will prefer knowledge over opinion, even though they may try opinions as if they are knowledge.

Consider this example: Your car is making a funny noise. Your neighbor tells you it sounds like your struts need to be replaced. You take your car to a mechanic and he says you need to completely rebuild the engine, at great cost. He rebuilds your engine, but the sound remains. Your neighbor says he has the tools to fix your struts and he’ll do it for $80. He works on your car and the sound is gone. The neighbor had knowledge about your car’s sound because his work produced the desired effect of eliminating it.

How do you know if it is real knowledge?

Knowledge is an accurate description of reality. It explains what we experience and provides the path to actual change if the knowledge is applied in the way it is intended to be applied. A person who is given a prescription by a doctor cannot know if the pills are working if they are not taken as directed. Nor can a person know if a diet is working if they aren’t sticking to it. On a basic level we all know this to be true which is why in our society there are specialists. We want to have the people who have studied a specific area help us in fixing our current problem.

Now, there are times when specialists contradict each other and disagree over solutions, but even in that case the side that produces the desired effect is the side that has actual knowledge. What if both sides have some successes and some failures? Then, despite the fact that both are specialists, they don’t have accurate knowledge about the specific problem or solution, they only have opinions about the problem or solution. Knowledge is the accurate understanding of both the issue and the way to fix it, and the solution will always work.

What is Christian Knowledge?

Just as there is knowledge about life, work, food, health, and all manner of such things, there is also knowledge about Christianity, theology, morality, and the spiritual life we all have. All sorts of claims about how Christianity works, about God, etc. are often made, but not all claims are knowledge. Actual knowledge about any topic is known by how well the problem is solved by the solution given. Thus, if Christianity is true and has knowledge of the problems of the human condition, our relationships with God, and how to have the best life, then its solutions will work because the knowledge covers reality.

In the Christian Worldview, we believe that God created all things including the world we live in and the laws that govern it. This includes the laws that govern our own actions and relationships, not just the laws of nature. We were designed by God for certain purposes and to act outside of those purposes brings us in direct conflict with the reality He created. Just as when we ignore the laws of nature we will experience pain, so when we ignore the laws of God’s purposes for us we also experience pain. Yet, God has given us instructions for how to avoid pain by returning to Him and living as He created us to live. And this is the foundation of Christian knowledge.

So what about the fact that Christians do not always seem to have answers to life?

The disappearance of moral and theological knowledge has been happening gradually over the last few centuries which has been written about academically. Over time those who knew the truth did not speak up for it or were not listened to when they did. And so, much knowledge has been lost from the average, and perhaps even above-average, citizen. Instead, opinions masquerading as knowledge have become the norm. We tend to live in Christian bubbles where there is more false than true spread around. But how does this happen?

First, some people approach knowledge about Christianity, theology, and life as a means of interpretation and translation, which tend to lean more on opinion or the opinions of famous theologians rather than on whether the solution works. It is always easier to say that others didn’t do the solution right, than to really look at whether the solution is right in the first place.

Second, some people may know the problem, but they have mixed information about the solution. The result is a partial success so they have a partly true, partly false solution. This is also true in the world. We can settle for small successes rather than figure out why part of what we have done did not work and when part of it did.

Third, some people are not willing to try the solution to the problem, but they act as if they did. Like a person who can’t understand why they still aren’t awesome at an instrument, but they refuse to practice everyday. There are some who claim Christianity does not work, but they have not been willing to spend time with God or to change their ways to follow Him.

There will always be a need for knowledge, but we do need to know what knowledge is so that we can know how to do the things that will work. As Christians, we need to take stock of the things we are doing. What is working? What is not working? Why are some thing not working when others are? Honest reflection is needed so that we can root out the lies and live free.

How would you define knowledge? Do you think actual knowledge can be found? What is the difference to you between knowledge and opinion?

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