Essay: Shared knowledge plays a crucial role in the formulation and appraisal of different theories of knowledge.

In mathematics, the discovery and production of various knowledge have been possible due to the collaboration of different mathematicians. Shared knowledge in relation to mathematics occurs between a group of people who mutually scrutinize and investigate knowledge claims in order to support and prove a theory or produce a new theory. It is argued that shared knowledge produced through collaboration is much more recognised and reliable as it has been anatomised and justified by various people. An example of a mathematical theory which involved the collaboration of various people is Sir Isaac Newton’s theory about gravity and comets. Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.This is clearly evident in the book published by Newton in 1687- ‘Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica’ about the theory of universal gravitation. Newton gathered observations regarding a comet seen widely during the fall of 1680, from around the world and used mathematics to explain them. For example, on November 19th, he begins with an observation made at 4:30 pm by a person named Matt in Cambridge, England. Therefore, Newton accumulated numbers made by different observers spread wide across the world through letters. These data by different observers who collaborated with Newton, indeed helped him to produce an unprecedently accurately of how the comet travels through the sky- the force of gravity, further supporting Galileo Galilei work about force. As a result, this implies that a collaborative task between people leads to the production of knowledge. Shared knowledge plays a crucial role in the formulation and appraisal of different theories of knowledge.
However, in opposition to this view, the production of knowledge cannot ‘always’ be regarded as a collaborative task. In Arts, personal knowledge has been used to create new or to contribute to different genres of art such as paintings. Artists depend on their own insights and vision for producing their work. Individual effort is used to develop their personal experience, perception and imagination into a piece of knowledge such as an artwork. The art pieces by the well-revered artist- Freida Kahlo is a perfect illustration of projects wherein individual effort and personal knowledge were used. Kahlo spent the late 1920s and early 1930s travelling in Mexico and the United States. During this time, she drew her main inspiration from Mexican folk culture. Furthermore, she used art canvases to starkly depict her physical and emotional pain are, as well as her turbulent relationship with her husband- artist Diego Rivera. One of her many artworks- ‘The Broken Column (1944)’ is used by Kahlo to portray one of the most impactful accidents that she encountered- “There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the train, the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.” The painting delineates Kahlo after spinal surgery. Bare except for a hospital sheet and a metal corset- her body is shown split open and pierced with nails. A crumbling ionic column which has replaced her spine is visible in the cleft that cleaves her body. Thus, symbolising her broken body. Therefore, to suggest that ‘production of knowledge is always a collaborative task’ tends to eliminate the knowledge produced by personal knowledge. Could it ever be right to propose that knowledge cannot be produced by individuals alone? Clearly not.