Knowledge Question Prompt
- What shapes my perspectives as a knower?
Other people’s beliefs, perceptions, and knowledge are the main factors that shape my perspectives as a knower. The scarab itself and its symbolism, rebirth, development, and existence, as well as its religious foundations, is representative of how perspectives are shaped. To those who believe in amulets and charms, a scarab holds a greater meaning to them. It is a relic of the gods they believe in and what the gods stand for. It reminds them of their culture and is symbolic of their beliefs in that system of religion. Conversely, it can be reasoned from my upbringing and the people who raised me, why I don’t believe in what the scarab represents, but rather, I find my own meaning in the scarab. Since I wasn’t brought up in a religion where there are multiple gods and that the gods take on patrons to animals and objects, I don’t see much meaning in the symbolism of a beetle for the Egyptian gods. I didn’t grow up with enough knowledge about Egypt and the knowledge that I was given, was one that emphasized the differences of our culture in a way that can be construed as making it seem inferior. This would ultimately shape my lack of belief not only in Egyptian gods and customs, but also my perspective on the validity of sacred items in their culture, such as the scarab. Perhaps validity is not an accurate word in this context, because it’s not that I question if the scarab really means something to their culture, but rather, I am skeptical of the scarab’s supposed powers. I think the perspective that I hold of Egyptian culture from the knowledge I was given, is one that falsely frames their customs as flawed, because who am I to question why someone believes in something, when beliefs are based on the perspectives and experiences that one goes through.
Moreover, in a personal context, this particular scarab is a representation of how I gained my perspective as a knower, as its existence is a reminder of how I started on the journey to become a knower. The perspective that I have of the teacher who gave this to me is forever immortalized in the scarab. Who I am as a knower is attributed to her shaping my perspective of myself as a knower. Any real drive I have to learn and to gain knowledge has already been constructed. Her teaching me will be my perspective of who I developed as a knower, but furthermore, the abilities she taught me in being independent as a knower continues to shape who I become as a knower.
At its core, I guess the question asks what influences what I think I know. I think although essentially everything I know is a choice depending on if it aligns with my stance, who I am, and therefore, my perspective, is an amalgamation of the environments I am surrounded by, that shapes the knower I was, am, and will be.
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