He Vulgar knowledge , Comes from the Greek term 'doxa', and in classical rhetoric this refers to the domain of an opinion, belief or probable knowledge as opposed to episteme or scientific knowledge.
According to Martin and Ringham, doxa or vulgar knowledge is defined as a public opinion, a majority bias or a middle class consensus. It is linked to the concept of Doxology .
Origin and concept of vulgar knowledge
The use of vulgar knowledge was used by Greek rhetoricians as a tool of argument formation when used in common opinions. Also the doxa was often manipulated by sophists to persuade people.
It should be noted that vulgar knowledge is a rhetorical term that is most often explained as"belief and opinion". Vulgar knowledge is contrasted with the episteme, which is true knowledge or scientific knowledge.
Episteme are the things that can be objectively and scientifically proven, and therefore we know, such as 2 + 2 = 4 or that air consists of oxygen.
Vulgar knowledge refers to valuation issues, opinions and beliefs that depend on the subjectivity of consciousness. For example, if something is good or bad, beautiful or ugly, or the conviction that something is true even when we can not prove it.
According to Mats Rosengren, vulgar knowledge is a social consensus about how things work and should work. He goes on to describe his idea of doxa in a broader meaning"includes patterns of thinking and language, such as acting, walking, dressing, and actions that are considered obvious within a specific group."
For a specific group, this knowledge makes things look natural, normal, and almost self-evident. In addition, the doxa is not questioned by the group itself simply because there is no one within the group who manages to question that thought.
Examples of vulgar knowledge
"The condemnation of rhetoric as a trafficker in opinions about justice has dogged art since Plato's time when he wrote Gorgias . The Sophists in Gorgias Held that rhetoric creates the truth that is useful for the moment outside this philosophy, or for the opinions of the people through the process of argument and counterargument. Socrates will have no part in this kind of truth, which, however, is essential for a democracy,"according to James A. Herrick.
A clear example of vulgar knowledge is the highly popularized conception of alien beings, even and despite the fact that science has failed to verify such existence. Society, even when this concept is not proven, takes it as truth.
Aristotle Distinguished doxa as an opinion, different from the episteme. The philosopher identified as cultural, social or ideological assumptions based on the premise of an argument that can be plausible and approved by the members of a particular community.
At present, we could determine how vulgar knowledge those statements that do not need to be cited or referred by the one who is expressing an idea. For example, to assert that Barack Obama was the first black president of the United States, is a belief that does not need citation.
Depending on the group to whom the talk or content is being addressed, there will be topics that may be broad-based, or not.
For example, describe the symptoms that a patient may present with Asperger syndrome May need bibliographic references for students of a normal course. However, these statements in a talk addressed to Psychology graduates would not need any kind of endorsement.
Vulgar knowledge expands through a particular group of people that can vary in size and consistency. For example, for the citizens of a certain country there would be no problem in saying the name of the president of the region.
For Christians, God's belief is unquestioned because it is part of a reasoning, and an inherited belief. This type of example was what Aristotle referred to in his approach to doxa.
For smokers, and non-smokers, it is easy to say that the cigarette causes harm. But this concept is not said because who expresses it has investigated on the subject, but because he has heard it frequently, thus becoming a kind of vulgar knowledge.
Professor Lennar Hellspong writes that doxa can be interpreted as a doctrine that refers to general opinions within a group of people. Believing in God and Jesus is an example of doxa that exists within Christian groups in society.
Even when one can not prove this existence by scientific methods, one simply has to believe without knowing it. Christians, however, are convinced of the existence of God, therefore such affirmation is a doxa or vulgar knowledge.
In rhetorical situations, doxa or vulgar knowledge can also be used by a speaker as a way of connecting with the audience. If the speaker understands the assumptions of the audience, his beliefs, he could adjust his arguments to fit his opinions. By doing this the speaker would have a greater chance of delivering his message in a much more persuasive way.
Focusing on vulgar knowledge (which is different from truth) also allows us to see how culturally rooted we are to our values And standards.
For example, while Americans might not question a political speech ending with"God bless our troops,"for the rest of the world this may not be appropriate as effective rhetoric.
Vulgar knowledge in sociology
Bourdieu explains that the term doxa can also affect youth, especially in typical school beliefs.
For example, students with lower grades feel inferior because of the popular belief that they are not as smart as those who achieve higher grades. These guys Could experiment with drugs To confront their insecurities.
This accepted belief is a fallacy because the level of intelligence is determined by various patterns and can not be measured solely through a school evaluation.
Bourdieu believes that vulgar knowledge is more than a common belief. He believes that it is also the potential to rise to common action.
References
- "Doxa". Credo Reference. Sage UK. 2005. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
Andreea Deciu Ritivoi, Paul Ricoeur: Tradition and Innovation in Rhetorical Theory. SUNY Press, 2006. - T. K. Seung, Rediscovered Plaque: Human Value and Social Order. Rowman & Littlefield, 1996.
- Encyclopedia of Examples (2017). "20 Examples of Knowing Vulgar". Retrieved from: examples.co.
- Kuhn, Thomas S. (1970) [1962]. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Bourdieu, Pierre. 1977 [1972]. Outline of a Theory of Practice. R. Nice, transl. Volume 16. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.