Knowledge that is productive and reliable is quality knowledge. We are not sure of most of the knowledge quality since we never really try to measure the quality of knowledge. If you rely on low quality knowledge, you can never be sure that the knowledge will lead to beneficial outcomes. Outcomes could be random and generally not good. It is useful to understand the quality of knowledge to be able to improve your basis of action and plans to contribute to solutions to the problems of world. It is very important for us to transform no quality knowledge to known quality knowledge so that all our knowledge and skills are gradually improved.
Is the quality of knowledge measurable? Different ways of knowing measure the quality of knowledge differently. While knowledge obtained through reason, memory and language may have certain measurable attributes related to it, other ways of knowing like emotion, faith, intuition and imagination are subjective and may not be directly measurable. These may need other ways to be able to measure quality of this knowledge that include the acceptance of this knowledge within masses.
Quality is the key to value of knowledge. It seems hard to be able to be able to say that a certain knowledge is better quality that another knowledge. However, in order for the knowledge to be useful and productive it is important to form basis of measuring the quality. Quality knowledge is usually fit for purpose and can be measured by setting up various criteria. An important attribute of good quality knowledge is that it is true.
Checks for truth in knowledge include –
Coherence check for truth. This demands that all the knowledge claims held to be true should not conflict or contradict. In research, all documents should be free from contradiction.
Correspondence check for truth. Here we observe and try to find sufficient evidence in order to establish truth.
Pragmatic check for truth. Evaluating what is true by trying to establish what is useful or not.
So is the quality of knowledge actually measured by the number of people who accept it?
Considering knowledge in Natural Sciences, here knowledge is produced through hypothesis. Hypothesis is developed by experimentation. Here, we assess the quality of knowledge by evidence and critical thinking. The goal in gaining knowledge is to seek what is true. However in certain cases to seek what is true in experimentation we work by rejecting what is false. When a new hypothesis is proposed, it must undergo testing and only conclusions that have withstood considerable testing are accepted as true within science. Science works by falsifying hypothesis – testing them to discover what is false – not strictly by proving them true. It is the evidence and the truth within the scientific knowledge that will actually assess the quality of knowledge. Through years and generations knowledge in science is developing. While various theories which were considered truth at one point of time, through further investigation and experimentation alternative theories were developed and proved.
Considering an example of theory of evolution by Darwin. Before Darwin stipulated this theory, the general belief was that all creation of all creatures is ‘according to their kind’ by God as described in the first chapter of the biblical book of Genesis. Darwin’s notion that existing species, including man, had developed over time due to constant and random change seemed to be in clear opposition to the earlier believed theory by masses. Before Darwin, the prevailing scientific theory of life’s origins and development had held that species were fixed and that they never changed. This theory was known as “special creationism”. These theories were believed by masses and hence believed to be true. Any theory that was against the general belief was hard to convince even if it was true. Just because the earlier theories of creation were acceptable by general masses didn’t make it true while scientific evidence and truth is what makes the knowledge as a quality knowledge in this case.
Another theory, which was a belief for long, was that earth was the center of universe. The church believed in the idea so much that in the early 1600s they burnt Giordano Bruno at the stake and later sentenced Galileo to house arrest for supporting the Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. However, the real opposition was from other scientists who held to the view established by Aristotle almost 2000 years before, which the Earth was at the center of the universe. Today, we know that sun is in fact the center of universe.
These examples clearly show that acceptance of any knowledge within masses does not necessarily make knowledge as quality or true knowledge.
Though in natural sciences quality of knowledge cannot necessarily be measured by how many people accept it, but any experiment or hypothesis actually does conclude by convincing the masses on the accuracy and truth within the experiment. These people could be eminent scientist within the field who are definitely the starting point of any new theory or innovations. Innovation is the key to producing new knowledge today and until the innovation is useful to a substantial number of people, it may not be acceptable.
Another Area of knowledge, which I would like to consider here, is The Human Sciences or social sciences. The knowledge produced here is by identifying broad regularities within their subject matter, trends in social or economic activity, common features compared across all cultures or kinds of psychological behavior or thought. The knowledge claims made here are about ‘many’ or ‘most’ people.
The conclusions in this case are also based on evidence however; the evidence is usually collected through statistics. The results should be generalizable.
Acceptance of quality knowledge in this case also depends on evidence and scientific proof however since this is more subjective than objective, the results are depending on the mass acceptance. The study of probability and data are the deriving forces for conclusions within human sciences.
Mass acceptance does play an important role in measuring quality of knowledge produced here. In business, models and meetings decisions are made based on power of vote. More importantly, the basis of politics of any democratic country is mass voting. Politics shape the future of nation. It is simpler to depend on the statistics to show the correctness or quality of knowledge in these cases since human sciences are based on behavior of people, which are best measured by taking into account the numbers, and data which result in formulation of theories of economics, sociology or psychology.
Jury trials are another such example where judiciary takes help from mass acceptance from knowledgeable people of the field. In certain scenarios when the situation is very subjective and judgements is not easy through basic methods or direct application of law, jury system comes in handy. The quality of knowledge is judged through the number of members of jury who believe in certain judgement. The jury system is considered controversial within some judicial systems since it may not be the best idea to depend on voting to decide on important issues.
We have seen how our judicial system is evolving continuously. Recently a bill legalizing gay marriages was passed in India. Since culturally it is not acceptable by society, it faced some resistance but finally the right judgement prevailed. So many practices in past including sati, caste system and dowry system were considered correct only because these belonged to the social system and were acceptable by masses. Only in the past century due to development of right quality knowledge, such practices were abolished. Reason in this case is our way of knowing if the knowledge is of value or not.
Today’s modern world talks about artificial intelligence and robotics. The very basis of these fields is data science where we are analyzing data to be able to manipulate and assess probability of an event. The knowledge created in this is based on collecting data from various scenarios and putting it together to a reasonable value. The basis of this knowledge is the number of people accepting and using the data. Thus, human sciences are forming the base of computer science to create data models.
In both human and natural sciences, experiments are designed seeking to maximize their reliability validity and generalizability. The knowledge produced is by proof or evidence as part of experimentation. Once proven, the next step in establishing the value of this knowledge is acceptance within the experts in the field where the results are critically analyzed and questioned. Once this acceptance comes through the knowledge is available and usually accepted by the masses.
The quality of knowledge may not be best measured by how many people accept it but definitely the good quality knowledge is useful only once it is accepted and used by number of people.