Alienated and Persosnal Knowledge: An Analysis of Scholarly Models

Abstract

This article considers the idea of knowledge from the basis of Western and Classical Chinese models of knowledge transmission. The transformation of understanding “what is the knowledge” was revealed through emphasizing the milestones in the history of Western philosophy. The result of such analysis is formalized as the concept of “Alienated” knowledge. Advantages, limitations and the effects on the structure of society of this model were reviewed. The alternative approach that used to be found in Oriental cultures was examined on the material of the Classical Chinese system of tuition. Its essence was embodied as the concept of “Personal” knowledge. This paper pays attention to actual questions of human body and mind improvement and transformation, exposes the foundation of this process in the historical development of thought and compares mutually exclusive ways of further evolution of humanity.