Our knowledge is accumulated through personal experience and interpretation which improves our awareness, and challenges our understanding of a given matter thus, improving our confidence as not only repetition of practice, but also applying oneself to a matter. Given this, experiential knowledge is acquired through experience and priori knowledge which is necessary to the individual before they apply it to a given culture. Thus, culture is the involvement of beliefs, language, geography and practices that are shared between a group of persons through history and their experiences of life collectively. Based on the aforementioned, I will be discussing the correlation between knowledge of an attractive Italian dish that has developed through time and the Italian culture that surrounds it.

For example, Pizza is one of the most delicious recipes in Italy which originated during the 1800s in Naples. Being a busy city where locals would find quick and easy ways to feed their families. This food was considered for the working class, due to its limited appeal and ingredients and was unsuitable for the upper class. However, Raffaele Esposito baked the first pizza with toppings emblazoned in the colours of the Italian flag, for the Italian King Umberto and Queen Margherita, during their stay at Naples in 1889. Raffaele utilised flavourings of bazil, mozzarella and tomato, thus creating a margherita pizza. Soon enough, as Italians were immigrating to the United States, America became aware of this culinary art and commenced experimenting with the unique flavours, especially after World War II. The first pizza parlour was established in New York City in 1905. Thus, pizza became a global classic for all classes and members of society to this day.

Ultimately, the culinary knowledge that all Italian chefs possess is intertwined with one another, especially given that Italian cuisine is often influenced by surrounding countries e.g Italian dishes that contain butter, cream, cheese, garlic etc. But, this is going to clash with Japanese cuisine because their dishes instead incorporate more fresh vegetables for they’re flavourings, perhaps due to differing foundations of knowledge from Japanese history.

The following picture of la Rocco Tower on St Ouen’s Bay provides a stimulus as is one of my most cherished locations in Jersey; I have chosen this photograph to illustrate the empirical view (verifiable by observation), acquired during my childhood as to my passion for the sea/ocean and as such, has fuelled my desire to be near the sea for a means of spiritual contentment.

Firstly, experience is a longitudinal process where there is a need for practical application and exposure to new information so we challenge the knowledge we receive to formulate a thorough understanding. Although experience is unique to a singular person, it cannot apply to all forms of experience; as a group of persons can only claim to have the same experiences on a particular matter. For example, St. Ouen is where many individuals go to, and spontaneously accumulate knowledge but they can only share this experience subjectively. 

Whereas, our knowledge which is accumulated through personal experience and interpretation is what improves our awareness, and challenges our understanding of a given matter thus, improving our confidence as not only repetition of practice, but also applying oneself to a matter. Given this, experiential knowledge is acquired through experience and priori knowledge is necessary to the individual before the experience has taken place. For example, my prior knowledge and perception of Jersey’s coastlines before experiencing St. Ouen was different compared to after a good few years of spending my childhood there. Thus, knowledge is transcended through time, but again, I think this process should be understood respectively as this depends on the inherent distinction between knowers of knowledge.

In conclusion, based on the aforementioned I believe that although experience and knowledge share some similarities respectively, as the Oxford definition for ‘wisdom’ states that it is the ability to execute sensible decisions while it encompasses the understanding and  experience one has acquired, emphasising the mutualistic relationship. However, they couldn’t be any more distinct from each other as we roam in a highly subjective environment where our thoughts and subconscious mind is what influences us to execute actions or pursue matters that permit us to acquire knowledge. So knowledge is highly unique to every being and so this acts as barriers for knowledge to be coherently expressed between us conscious beings because we all accumulate diverse knowledge in comparison to one another.

According to the Cambridge dictionary, the noun knowledge means: information, awareness or understanding that has been obtained through a means of study or personal experience. 

The object stimulus of this photograph displays the idea that knowledge can reside within an abstract photograph. For example, geographers can acquire data about the climates of Earth through the distance of tree rings. The utilisation of this data is a useful tool to accumulate knowledge of the current condition of Earth and its predicted path or any anomalies present. Given this, knowledge is recognised as the pinnacle aspect of human society and without it, the world would be full of uncertainties. It is tested, analysed and criticised to the point where it is adamant that it is true, however, that is until new evidence is considered and the cycle continues. 

Photography has been utilised since the early 18th century as a medium for recording historical events, data but also, self-expression within particular time periods. This has led to an abundant amount of acute information that has provided an immense amount of evidence for many years afterwards. For example, evidential footage is available from past events that would not be repeated in today’s society, such as the reign of England’s sovereign Queen Elizabeth II. We are able to get a visual insight into the parades of devoted royalists who gathered for the coronation of her majesty Elizabeth, which arguably captures the current stance of behaviours in society far better then a written document would. 

Previously I used this image as a final piece for my photography coursework, where I learned to theoretically analyse and evaluate my work. I chose this stimulus figure to guide this passage because it highlights the Autumn equinox, marking the rebirth of the Autumn season. Thus, this photograph is a reminder of the empirical knowledge I have acquired through my experience during this season.

One branch of the theory of truth is Empirical knowledge, information that is derived from the faculties of our senses – sight, sound, taste, smell and touch, in which humans and animals experience these stimuli from outside the body. In regards to when I took this photograph, I can recall the autumnal breeze whispering golden aromas and the crisped leaves skittering across the ground. Hence, my suggestion is that knowledge does not have to be derived from material data, but also through personal experiences, extensive research and theoretical debates.