Systems of knowledge

Geetha Narayanan argues it is time to question our systems of knowledge. Professional life gets more and more dependent on keeping virtual identities going: 100 % blogging, 100% FaceBook and 100% one’s own websites etc. There is a conflict evolving between the virtual web 2.0 image oneself and others versus the just having a friend and being together sometimes.

This conflict challenges the systems of knowledge in which traditions of orality are included as well. What are systems of knowledge? How does lived practice generate knowledge? How can old traditions of India contribute to systems of knowledge? And what role can technology play in evolving knowledge other than by mechanisms, which are created by a perpetuating thing of hits, tags, social media etc. So much knowledge can be found by interacting with people, especially in India where there are still oral traditions alive, which go back for centuries. Google as a system of knowledge is limited in this sense, even though young people think one can find anything online.

CN