The Illumination Metaphor frames knowledge and learning in terms of visibility and clarity. Perhaps most commonly encountered in phrases such as “I see” – meaning, “I understand” – the Illumination Metaphor tends to be coupled with either the Acquisition Metaphor’s version of knowledge (i.e., there’s an object to be seen) or the Nativism’s version of knowledge (i.e., there’s an inner truth to be pulled into the light).
Learn More...Spectator Theory of Knowledge (John Dewey, 1890s) – a phrase offered as a critique of the Illumination Metaphor and its associated assumptions of knower-independent, object-like truths
Please cite this article as:
Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2023). “Spectator Theory of Knowledge” in Discourses on Learning in Education. https://learningdiscourses.com.
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