Knowledge is a key factor in the way that people and societies perceive the world. The title question posits whether power of knowledge, that is, ability to persuade, inform or effect a change is dictated by the way the knowledge is being conveyed and not the knowledge itself. In its turn, power of knowledge is the capacity to impact belief, decision-making and action. The ways used to present knowledge are symbolism, language, visual representation, simplification, and emotional framing. In this essay, the title is discussed using Areas of Knowledge (AOKs) of
Mathematics and Human Sciences, which depend greatly on the communication process to relay the meaning of expert communities to the general audience. Although mathematics is considered objective and universal, its syntactic impact can be seen to be based on representation and interpretation. How data and theories are framed in the human sciences can have a drastic impact on response by the public and politics. Therefore, to what extent does the mode of communication affect the authority and influence of knowledge across different areas of knowledge? This essay explains that although the way knowledge is communicated greatly increases or decreases the power of the knowledge, its power is also influenced by other factors such the nature, methods and standards of every AOK.
Mathematics
The power of knowledge in mathematics is heavily dependent on the way it is conveyed in terms of representations. Conveyance helps to ensure that abstract concepts become accessible to non- experts. A real-life example is the application of statistical graphs and mathematical models in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic. To justify the public health, governments used visual means like the infection curves, reproduction rates (R-values), and the exponential growth models. Although the mathematics behind it were not simple, simplified graphs were used to convey the urgency and risk to the masses (World Health Organization, 2020). Despite the fact that mathematical knowledge is easily referred to as objective and not tied to interpretation, the way it's communicated in the real- world context impacts how it is understood. Visual representations are a convening factor between abstract numerical arguments and human intuition. Boaler argues that mathematical knowledge is easily communicated through visual concepts instead of symbolic interpretations. (Boaler, 2019). A formula may look complex in its symbolic form of expression but strong when it is converted into a graph. This explains how the public easily understood the increased death rates during the pandemic. This proves that the persuasive and practical power of mathematics is impacted by the way it is conveyed to the public. The way knowledge mathematical knowledge is conveyed must resonate with ways of knowing like sense perception and intuition. In mathematics, therefore, knowledge conveyance is a very important factor that is used to define its contribution to society and influence actions.
However, there is a perspective that the strength of mathematical knowledge is judged by its logical validity as opposed to the way it is conveyed. Mathematical proofs can still be used in their complex symbolic notation especially in the academic and professional worlds, like cryptography and algorithm design. An example is encryption, which is based on complex number theory. Despite this, knowledge from this mathematical discipline continues to be effective even in situations where the general population does not comprehend it. This implies that mathematical knowledge has inherent power that is based on deduction and internal consistency. Stewart explains that mathematics is a self-justifying system and truth is not proved but rather established by means of proof (Stewart, 2019). A correct theorem, even when ill communicated, is true and operative. However, this power is restricted to communities of experts within the area of knowledge. Although the knowledge is still valid, its impact outside those communities is highly diminished when it is poorly conveyed. Therefore, as much as mathematical knowledge may have inner power which can exist regardless of communication, its greater impact becomes limited without communication efficiency.
Human Sciences
The power of knowledge in the human sciences is very much reliant on the way it is conveyed through language and framing. The presentation of climate change research is a prominent real-life situation that illustrates this argument. Knowledge on climate change has existed scientifically for many decades. However, people and politicians have very mixed reactions to it depending on the way the findings are conveyed. This knowledge's power is impacted when it's conveyed from an environmental, economic or ethical issue. Human sciences are concerned with complex, probabilistic knowledge, which is interpretable. Consequently, rhetoric, emotional appeal and narrative have a great importance in establishing impact.
However, the recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have gradually been taken to more straightforward and urgent wording to highlight the risk and accountability (Alan et al. 2019). This proves that the same information can be mobilizing or not persuasive based on how it is presented. Compared to mathematics, human sciences are very much dependent on language as a way of knowing. Therefore, communication plays the key role in establishing the area of knowledge's power. The human sciences are one of the fields where knowledge can gain a lot of power when it is conveyed well to different audiences. It can also lose its power of impact when the audience are not considered when its communicated.
Another perspective is that the influence and power of knowledge in human sciences is determined by methodological rigor and empirical reliability. A real-life example is the longitudinal study of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) led by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente. This knowledge has already become a common tool to inform the health and education policy of the public. The original ACE research and the consequent replications on a large scale on other populations found a great deal of correlation between early childhood trauma and long-term outcomes like chronic illness, mental health conditions, and low life expectancy. The initial presentation of these findings was in a technical academic style and in statistical tabular representation. While the general population failed to understand the findings, it's methodology and scientific empiricism won over the policy makers. The study acquired significant strength in the policymaking and healthcare systems because of the great sample sizes, replication, and definite causal trends. This example shows that knowledge still have power when scientific rigor is applied. The preference of policymakers and institutions to ACE research was not due to rhetorical framing, but based on the fact that the evidence was statistically sound and applicable in different situations. Empirical credibility in the human sciences is due to open methodology and integrity of data and not by narrative appeal as Pinker argues (Pinker, 2022). Although subsequent public-facing summaries and infographics made it easier for the public to understand the policies, the knowledge’s underlying power was seen as policy makers had already moved into action before the information was communicated successfully. This implies that communication increases reach, but does not ascertain the legitimacy or institutional power of knowledge. In human sciences, knowledge power can be due to methodological strength and not the manner in which it is presented and especially in the context of experts and policy makers.
Comparison
One of the major similarities is that communication enhances the scope of the knowledge in both AOKs without necessarily dictating the validity of the knowledge. In mathematics, visual images and models provide abstract facts with greater power in the real-world decision making, but logical proof establishes that mathematical knowledge can be used powerfully especially within expert communities. Likewise, in human sciences, well-chosen framing and wording can impact the way knowledge is understood by the public. However, the power of the knowledge in scholarly and institutional contexts is anchored by the methodological uniformity as well as empirical rigor. Nonetheless, an important distinction can be noticed in the extent of power influence by interpretation. The knowledge of mathematics strives towards being universal and certain, i.e. its strength is not easily misinterpreted as soon as its validity is proved. On the contrary, the human sciences are concerned with the probabilistic and contextual knowledge, which is more vulnerable to distortion by the selective framing or biased presentation. This analogy implies that although the mode of conveyance of knowledge is a significant determinant in AOKs, it is mediated by the epistemological underpinnings of individual disciplines. This means that the power of knowledge can be viewed as the result of the manner in which it is conveyed and the criteria upon which it should be considered as knowledge itself.
Conclusion
The power of knowledge as discussed in this essay has been found to depend on the method used to impart the knowledge via the Areas of Knowledge of mathematics and human sciences. In mathematics, the visual and contextual representation of communication goes a long way in maximizing knowledge and impact, yet internal validity makes knowledge powerful to expert communities. In human sciences, the proper conveyance using language and framing is the key to creating the perception of the masses and policy, but the ultimate basis of credibility lies in methodology rigor. The discussion indicates that although knowledge delivery method is vital in enhancing or restraining its power, it does not do so independently. The AOK and the standards of truth and the intended audience are all mediators of the connection between knowledge and power. The main consequence of this argument is the ethical duty of the knowledge producers: the way knowledge is shared may influence society and it is necessary to make knowledge distribution clear, honest, and accountable.
