Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

I. Scope
languags ar only on spifi
Human
of th human and othr-than-human
xampl
condent can we be in our ability to learn
How
the narrative khipus, when they are so
about
dierent from our understandings of
radically
We are trained from an early
communication?
that mathematics and language are two
age
worlds. The Incas, however, collapsed
discrete
into a three-dimensional construct—an
them
of civilizational complexity in the
achievement
asn of a writtn Ina languag has long
Th
sholars aus Ina soity had
onfoundd
th othr faturs—inrdil arhittur,
all
uranization, govrnan and soial
thnology,
wr ommon to larg-sal
systms—that
in Egypt, China, Msopotamia,
ivilizations
and Cntral Amria. Only th Ina
Mxio
to lak a writtn languag. Thy usd
appard
arrangmnt of knottd strings, known
an
khipu or quipu, rsmling a fari aaus,
as
to kp a numrial rord of
prsumaly
and dmographi information. That
rsours
howvr, until sholars ralizd that khipus
was,
a form of 3D writing.
may
growing ody of rsarh suspts that
A
ould hav rordd not just numrs
khipus
narrativs of th Ina Empir “inluding
ut
storis, and vn anint philosophis”
nams,
Urton 2018). If so, th mthod would
(Mdrano,
ntirly diffrnt from any known sripts, as
usd not symols ut a 3D inary od mor
it
to th languag of omputrs. Khipus
similar
Is thr any knowldg that annot
2.
through languag, and if so
transfrrd
What might xampls of knowldg that
3.
only transfrrd through languag?
an
th oarsnss of diffrnt animal
xampl,
and faris usd), spin dirtion, olour
hairs
th rlativ plamnt and shap of knots.
and
(th knot makrs, or “writrs”)
Khipukamayuqs
information using ths tools in a systm
odd
may hav n rad throughout th mpir.
that
if w disount, tmporarily, th possiility
Evn
khipus ontain narrativ information, th
that
of ounting in knots is still radial.
onpt
human ings larn to ount y
Modrn
pils of physial ojts, suh as toys
making
loks, thn prod to ount with fingrs
and
thn symols. As Gary Urton nots, th
and
symol for 7 dos not intuitivly look
English
svn of anything, ut th khipu od
lik
7 was a knot mad y wrapping string
for
itslf to mak svn loops. With all
around
varials at thir disposal—txtur, spin,
th
and knot strutur—Urton stimats
olour
th khipukamayuqs had ovr 1500 “words”
that
thir “voaulary”—far mor than Sumrian
in
signs or Egyptian hiroglyphs.
uniform
4
For reflection
The role of language in knowledge
aility to ommuniat.
what would an xampl?
1. Is languag ssntial to knowldg?
Box 4.1: Inca writings
form of narrative cords.
(Medrano, Urton 2018)
Figure 4.2 Khipu knots
ommuniat information through txtur (for
90