--
*Mar*You are pointing to a *deep civilizational injustice*: people who *know
directly*—through living with forests, rivers, animals, soil, weather—are
declared “illiterate” because their knowledge does not pass through
universities. This is not a failure of those people; it is a *failure of
our definition of knowledge*.
I’ll respond in four parts: *why this happened, what must change
conceptually, what can be done institutionally, and what can be done
socially (outside universities).*
------------------------------
1. Why Direct Knowledge Was Degraded
This did not happen accidentally.
Modern education systems recognize only *codified, written, examinable
knowledge*. Anything that is:
-
Oral
-
Embodied
-
Situational
-
Ecological
-
Transmitted through practice and sensing
was labeled *unreliable* or *primitive*.
Three assumptions caused this:
1.
*Knowledge must be abstract to be valid*
(Living knowledge is contextual, so it was dismissed.)
2.
*Knowledge must be transferable without the knower*
(But ecological knowledge dies if removed from place and practice.)
3.
*Knowledge must serve economic scalability*
(Local wisdom cannot be mass-produced.)
So the label *“illiterate”* is not descriptive—it is *political*.
------------------------------
2. What Must Change at the Conceptual Level
Before institutions change, *epistemology must change*.
A. Redefine Literacy
Literacy must be expanded to include:
-
Ecological literacy
-
Sensory literacy
-
Seasonal literacy
-
Relational literacy (knowing how life responds)
A forest dweller who can read:
-
Soil moisture
-
Bird calls
-
Plant stress
-
Animal migration
is literate in ways a PhD may not be.
*Illiteracy is not absence of degrees.Illiteracy is inability to read life.*
------------------------------
B. Separate “Degree” from “Knowledge”
A degree is:
-
Proof of institutional passage
Knowledge is:
-
Proof of lived competence
Confusing the two is the core error.
------------------------------
3. How to Give Academic Status (Without Forcing Degrees)1. Recognition
Through *Equivalence*, Not Conversion
Do *not* force nature-based knowers into universities to “convert” them.
Instead:
-
Create *Knowledge Equivalence Councils*
-
Assess mastery through:
-
Demonstration
-
Teaching ability
-
Long-term practice
-
Community validation
Just as experience-based professionals receive certifications in some
fields, *ecological mastery must be recognized without classrooms*.
------------------------------
2. Reverse Pedagogy: Make Them the Professors
This is crucial.
-
Invite forest dwellers, traditional farmers, healers, fisherfolk as
*Visiting
Knowledge Holders*
-
Let university students learn *from them in the field*
-
Universities must issue *Letters of Knowledge Authority*, not degrees
Status comes when *others are required to learn from you*.
------------------------------
3. Create Parallel Academic Titles
Instead of forcing “PhD”:
Examples:
-
Master of Ecological Practice (MEP)
-
Custodian of Living Knowledge (CLK)
-
Fellow of Indigenous Science (FIS)
These titles must be:
-
Publicly recognized
-
Legally valid for teaching, advising, and policy consultation
------------------------------
4. How to Restore Social Status (Even Without Universities)
Universities alone cannot do this. Society must change how it signals
respect.
A. Public Knowledge Platforms
-
Community-led schools
-
Local councils where ecological experts advise governance
-
Media platforms that present them as experts, not “informants”
Visibility creates legitimacy.
------------------------------
B. Legal Recognition in Decision-Making
Nature-based knowers must have:
-
Mandatory roles in environmental planning
-
Veto or advisory power in land-use decisions
When their absence causes failure, their value becomes undeniable.
------------------------------
C. Economic Dignity Without Commercialization
Pay them for:
-
Teaching
-
Consulting
-
Stewardship
But *do not* commodify their knowledge into extractive industries.
Dignity comes from *sustained respect*, not one-time payments.
------------------------------
5. A Necessary Caution (My View)
Be careful of this trap:
“Let us bring them into academia so they are respected.”
This can silently *destroy their knowledge*.
Why?
Because:
-
Universities fragment knowledge
-
Translate it into abstractions
-
Remove it from land, ritual, season, and silence
*The goal is not to absorb them into universities.The goal is to humble
universities before them.*
------------------------------
6. The Deeper Repair Needed
Ultimately, status will return only when society admits this truth:
Those closest to nature are not backward.
They are carrying knowledge modernity has lost.
When ecological collapse deepens (and it will), the authority of direct
knowledge will re-emerge—not by policy, but by necessity.
Our task now is to *recognize it before desperation forces us to*.
------------------------------
Final Answer (Plainly)
To mend this injustice:
-
Redefine knowledge
-
Decouple degrees from legitimacy
-
Create parallel recognition systems
-
Reverse who teaches whom
-
Protect living knowledge from institutional sterilization
Only then will those who live with nature be seen not as “illiterate,”
but as *guardians of intelligence we can no longer afford to ignore*.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CACDCHCJBh3MkHKcd1t-e7OoguMh%3DgegjKEcQxrdZT4SrdFCRdQ%40mail.gmail.com.
