General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic measure?

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General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic measure? - 7/3/2009 7:26:09 AM

MsFlutter

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I was reading 'Think for Yourself' by Steve Hindes and it reminded me of a recent encounter.

Note: this is NOT an age-ist thread so put the flamethrowers away)

Human psychology and reasoning has always interested me so I'm going to throw some paint at the wall and see where the discussion leads.

As I understand it, almost everyone carries with them a general fund of knowledge. We'll call it GFK and acknowledge obvious exceptions to the rule. The GFK includes many types of information: social, moral, cultural, academic, vocational, etc. As learning increases, the individual matures, acquires knowledge, interacts in more complex social settings and makes more sophisticated decisions.

Intake psychologists I've met in the past appeared to measure the GFK of incoming patients against a standard. It wasn't unusual to see a summary such as this: 'By this age, these things should be part of their GFK. There appears to be a deficit - the components of which will be identified in further evaluation."

My interpretation is that 1) there exists is an expectation of certain skills/knowledge at certain ages, and 2) said skills/knowledge are measureable. Medical conditions, chaotic childhoods, lack of oversight can be contributors in situations of deficit.

When someone says "I am _______ years old", it frames for me an expectation of what their GFK might be. I recently witnessed a situation that had me puzzled. It finally dawned on me that the individual may be far younger than stated. That would explain some of the cultural references that had gone right over their heads.. and the social skills/common courtesies that just weren't there. Turns out I was correct.

for discussion: Can the measurement of funds of knowledge (or expectation about what those should be at any age) be equitably applied as a (for lack of a better word) social instrument in Main Street America or is it useful only as a diagnostic tool?

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/3/2009 10:08:53 AM

ienigma777

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Not only expected by a certain age...but Locale, where the person was had their upbringing; and over the years of interactive experiences in various situations with different types of people and their learnings, belief systems, affiations, locales, etc.......all have a certain degree of infulence on the GFK of an individual. This attempt at measuring and standardizing mentality and knowlege, in my opinion, impedes, hinders personal growth.

When these experts can measure, they can then control the thinking of a person, and group; formulating the mindset, by letting available only the information they chose for an entire populace. That is the goal, then public opinion is orchestrated, the person's belief system is controlled, and can be predicted, thereby making it far easier to manipulate a crowd, into whatever actions these 'controllers wish. Religon is an experiment of this GFK...only the elite have the knowlege of God; impart to the populace, at certain age levels the information they wish to make available, bringing the person along in a desiginated educational advancement, but only to the end result agendas of the controllers.

The mind is the final frontier.

There is a saying: 'It is the wise puppet master who gives his subjects the illusion of free will.'

As a sidebar; not to derail your thread; this MJ hysteria is an example of how the mega media corporations, using the power of their financial assets can create a God-Like image, and have millions of people adore and like lemmins go and worship at the throne of a created media image, a neon-god as it were. Using social injustice as just one segment of their campaigns to separate the persons from their money, glamour, high production shows. Hitler did the same with his parades and all night vigils. A circus, to boggle the mind, and the fear of being non acceptible in the eyes of your peers. And, then to crete a family like co-existance with the public at large. All engineered manipulations.

This MJ hysteria, is important to the study of this GFK, and manipulation of a mass of people. It is reported 750 thousand people (not sure of the number????) will be at the MJ funeral, in the streets. If there would be a mass gathering simular to this over the country's HealthCare' system, the interest and focus on HealthCare, as is on MJ's demise; then, maybe something meaningful could be accomplished.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/3/2009 11:55:36 AM

aravain

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FR

I don't even think it's useful as a diagnostic tool, really.

All it does is say "Hey, there's something wrong" and doesn't find out anything specific.

So it's useful to help screen out people who have something up, and those who don't... otherwise not so much.

Absolutely everyone is different and has a different childhood, and different parents. Some aren't allowed to watch TV. Others are babysat by the damned thing. Some don't read/aren't interested in the News. Others check obsessively because they think the latest rates of theft in Timbuktu affects them (can you guess which one I fall more under?).

Some people were homeschooled, and so don't have that GFK of social interactions. Others become jaded through over-interaction with people.

The idea of a GFK would be great if we really were a homogenized people with everyone having more or less the same experiences. We're not. As such, it's another example of a majority deciding that, because they're a majority, their generic sum of something is the RIGHT sum of something.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/3/2009 12:00:17 PM

DesFIP

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As a diagnostic tool it just points out there's a problem. It doesn't tell you what the problem is. But having a discrepancy means you have to look for other stuff. Without any discrepancy, you're more likely to look at upbringing, home life than a learning disability or undiagnosed mood disorder as a cause of school problems.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/3/2009 7:27:50 PM

autoRelease

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MsFlutter
for discussion: Can the measurement of funds of knowledge (or expectation about what those should be at any age) be equitably applied as a (for lack of a better word) social instrument in Main Street America or is it useful only as a diagnostic tool?

For what purpose would one use such an instrument on Main Street America? As a test of intelligence? A basis of class? A measurement of success?

To answer the question, I think this sort of test is fast becoming obsolete.
Popular culture is disappearing; instead what we have our pockets of different subcultures with a thin common overlay. For that reason general knowledge is going to become increasingly hard to measure.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/4/2009 5:56:09 AM

DemonKia

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FR, after read thru

Once upon a time I was toying with the idea of writing a book about the changing expectations about the individual's base knowledge . . . . . In my favorite subject, science, for instance, the last hundred years have seen a vast expansion of the knowledge base learnable . . . . .

So, I think that what the OP is discussing is not just the obvious issues of whether someone has heard of the Beatles or not, or their grasp of any particular academic subject, but day-to-day stuff . . . . .

I started the following listing, which I'm sure is short all kinds of stuff that people are expected to know . . . . . Please feel free to add obvious oversights, & note that each short-hand item comes with a whole host of associated knowings . . . . .

Things most people are expected to know that are not pop cultural or academic:

How to cook; how & what food to buy; how to drive an automobile, & how to do various bits of basic maintenance; how to keep a home (house or apartment) equipped, clean & in working order; how to take care of a yard & / or indoor plants; how to conduct polite social behavior; how to find love & friends; how to be a 'good citizen' & basic civic responsibilities; 'the law' & how it applies to that given individual; how to get & keep a job; how to budget whatever money one has; how to use public transit, taxis, & other forms of transportation other than individual cars; how & how much to be honest / dishonest; spiritual decision making (whether to be religious, what to believe, where to go); how to use computerized equipment, from cellphones & computers to cash registers & calculators; . . . . .

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/4/2009 7:51:40 AM

ienigma777

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The one basic factor in this GFK is our educational system/systems. The lower strata of our society is given the basic sub-standard level of education; i.e,, the basic knowledge to function in this society, and to keep the wheels of the society functioning.....the basic sub-standard, standard of education. The more moneied strata of society are given a higher degree and Different set of standard educational tools. They are instructed with 'the ruling' standard, i.e., better schools, positioned peer contact, a system of expertise in ruling the lower strata. This is what consitutes the basic GFK of society, of a single person.

It is the ancient law of societies, some were born to rule, the rest born to serve. All is dependant upon the positions and degrees of wealth....that is the very basic of all societies and each level is given it's own GFK.

Those who 'think out of the box'...asking themselves.."there has got to be someting more than this, (whatever the 'this' is); are rare, and strive to transcend their given role; this is what must be curtailed, why the strive to standarize the GFK, to measure the intellect of a person, basically it is to keep the lower strata in their place, and the higher strata free of worry to be taken over and/or have their positions of rule and authority threatened. So, you measure, and diagnose (the act of identifying the disease) where the system is failing, and correct.

Those in the lower strata of society seek to better their standard of living, cater to, or excell in some endeavour thus offering to the higher strata a value that can be used to strenthen the positions of the higher strata. Thus becoming nothing but the puppets or tools of the higher strata to control the masses at the lower strata of society which is structured to serve the agendas set forth by the higher strata of society.

It has been so in every society wherever situate.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/4/2009 10:40:01 AM

popeye1250

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Flutter, I would imagine that if you tried to use it as a "social instrument" you'd get a lot of flack from minority groups if you started uncovering "deficits."

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/4/2009 12:15:09 PM

MsFlutter

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quote:

ORIGINAL: popeye1250

Flutter, I would imagine that if you tried to use it as a "social instrument" you'd get a lot of flack from minority groups if you started uncovering "deficits."

LOL - very true. I didnt really mean painting with THAT broad of a brush, I was curious to know if anybody else had considered it useful to themselves.

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RE: General Fund of Knowledge: social or diagnostic mea... - 7/7/2009 9:52:54 AM

ienigma777

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They've already done that, hence the diverse discrimation laws. When a group does not 'measure' up, then they enact some law that discredits the findings of any study.

This 'measuring' is just a means to discern how intelligent a segment of a society is, and then adjust to 'dumb down' those who do posess a certain level of intellect. If that doesn't work then they pass some sort of law as a national affirmination thingie where a person can't be disqualifed from a position even if they don't know shit from shineola.

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