Editing Knowledge (section)

=== Propositional ===
{{main|Declarative knowledge}}
[[File:Latin dictionary.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of the Totius Latinitatis Lexicon by Egidio Forcellini, a multi-volume Latin dictionary|Declarative knowledge can be stored in books.]]

Propositional knowledge, also referred to as declarative and descriptive knowledge, is a form of theoretical knowledge about facts, like knowing that "2 + 2 = 4". It is the paradigmatic type of knowledge in [[analytic philosophy]].<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Klein|1998|loc=§ 1. The Varieties of Knowledge}} | {{harvnb|Hetherington|2022a|loc=§ 1b. Knowledge-That}} | {{harvnb|Stroll|2023|loc=§ The Nature of Knowledge}} }}</ref> Propositional knowledge is ''propositional'' in the sense that it involves a relation to a proposition. Since propositions are often expressed through that-clauses, it is also referred to as ''knowledge-that'', as in "Akari knows that kangaroos hop".<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hetherington|2022a|loc=§ 1b. Knowledge-That}} | {{harvnb|Stroll|2023|loc=§ The Nature of Knowledge}} | {{harvnb|Zagzebski|1999|p=92}} }}</ref> In this case, Akari stands in the [[Relation (philosophy)|relation]] of knowing to the proposition "kangaroos hop". Closely related types of knowledge are ''know-wh'', for example, ''knowing who'' is coming to dinner and ''knowing why'' they are coming.<ref>{{harvnb|Hetherington|2022a|loc=§ 1b. Knowledge-That, § 1c. Knowledge-Wh}}</ref> These expressions are normally understood as types of propositional knowledge since they can be paraphrased using a that-clause.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Hetherington|2022a|loc=§ 1c. Knowledge-Wh}} | {{harvnb|Stroll|2023|loc=§ The Nature of Knowledge}} }}</ref>{{efn|For instance, to know whether Ben is rich can be understood as knowing that Ben is rich, in case he is, and knowing that Ben is not rich, in case he is not.<ref>{{harvnb|Hetherington|2022a|loc=§ 1c. Knowledge-Wh}}</ref>}}

Propositional knowledge takes the form of mental representations involving concepts, ideas, theories, and general rules. These representations connect the knower to certain parts of reality by showing what they are like. They are often context-independent, meaning that they are not restricted to a specific use or purpose.<ref>{{multiref | {{harvnb|Morrison|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=znbkHaC8QeMC&pg=PA371 371]}} | {{harvnb|Reif|2008|p=33}} | {{harvnb|Zagzebski|1999|p=93}} }}</ref> Propositional knowledge encompasses both knowledge of specific facts, like that the atomic mass of gold is 196.97 [[Dalton (unit)|u]], and generalities, like that the color of leaves of some trees changes in autumn.<ref>{{harvnb|Woolfolk|Margetts|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=whziBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA251 251]}}</ref> Because of the dependence on mental representations, it is often held that the capacity for propositional knowledge is exclusive to relatively sophisticated creatures, such as humans. This is based on the claim that advanced intellectual capacities are needed to believe a proposition that expresses what the world is like.<ref name="auto6">{{harvnb|Pritchard|2013|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=sfUhAQAAQBAJ 1 Some preliminaries]}}</ref>