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Stereotypes On Personal Knowledge

Decent Essays

How Stereotypes Influence Knowledge

Knowledge, no matter the circumstance, is divided into two types; personal and shared knowledge. Shared knowledge is common within a group of people, whereas personal knowledge is known to an individual by description or experience. One’s personal knowledge is affected by relatively constant factors in their life which instigate stereotypes, such as gender, religion, culture, etc. These factors create an influential relationship between shared and personal knowledge, therefore creating a diverse database of knowledge in the ‘knower’.

One common factor that impacts the knower’s knowledge is gender. To some extent, gender has always contributed to the stereotyping of human beings. From the minute they are born, they are treated differently and are expected to fulfill different roles within a family, community, and ultimately society depending on the family virtues and values. Therefore, parents, extended family …show more content…

Religion exists to explain the unexplainable which we find on Earth and beyond. With various religions come various explanations to these inquiries. When one is born into a religion, they are taught and given a belief of knowing what is obvious and beyond. Being born into a specific system of faith shapes one’s personal knowledge. Miracles, for example, are taken to be true by those who are familiar with their religion, and false to those who are not. This was proved in a study conducted by the workers at The Huffington Post, where children (ages 8-10) were given biblical stories. The children who were familiar with the Bible were able to recognize them, whereas the non-religious children were not able to. Miracles, explanations, doctrines and other sources of religious information directly impact one’s personal knowledge. Religious knowledge and rituals influence choices and decisions made by people throughout their lives and through future

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