Ways of Knowing
Augsburg College
NUR 306
Week One
Introduction
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Nursing is……
What is Health & Nursing?
Complex
 Word Symbols
 Ideas
 Abstract concepts & terms
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Ways of Knowing in Nursing….
Varying views of reality lead to different
nursing beliefs, theories, and educational
approaches
 Core beliefs affect how you practice
nursing
 Your practice must be in harmony with
your beliefs about what is real and true
 Important to know your core beliefs
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Metaphysics - “what is real”
 Cosmological
 Theological
 Anthropological
 Ontological
Metaphysics - “what is real”
 Cosmological
 Theological
- Origin & nature of universe
- Nature of God
 Anthropological - Nature of human being
 Ontological - Nature of existence
Cosmological
Study of the theories about the origin,
nature, and development of the universe
 How did the universe originate and
develop?
 Is there a purpose towards which the
universe is tending?
 What is the nature of time and space?
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Theology
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Is there a God?
Is there more than 1
God?
What are God’s
attributes:
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Good & evil?
All powerful?
Are there angels?
Is there an evil power?
Theological - What do we
mean by “God”
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Atheists - there is no God
Pantheists - God and the Universe are identical
Deists - God is the maker of nature & moral
laws, God exists apart from and is not interested
in humankind or the physical Universe
Theists - there is a personal Creator/God
Polytheists - there are many Gods
Monotheists - there is one God
Anthropological
Humankind is both the subject and
object of inquiry:
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What is the relationship between mind and body?
Is mind more fundamental than body or vice versa?
Is there an interaction between mind and body?
What is humankind’s moral status?
Are people born good, evil, morally neutral?
To what extent are individuals free?
Does and individual have free will or are they destined?
Does an individual have a soul?
Ontological
The study of the nature of existence,
or what it means “to be”:
Is basic reality found in matter or physical
energy (the world we can sense), or
spirit/spiritual energy?
 Is reality lawful and orderly or chaotic?
 Is reality fixed and stable or everchangeable?
 Is reality friendly, unfriendly, or neutral in
regard to humanity?
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Epistemological Beliefs vs.
Metaphysical Beliefs
Metaphysical Beliefs - what is real?
 Epistemological Beliefs - what is true?
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 These
two beliefs are at the very
core of nursing
Basic Question In
Epistemology…
Is there truth independent of
human experience?
 A Priori
knowledge
 A Posteriori knowledge
A Priori Knowledge:
Is independent of human awareness
 Is true whether humans know/accept it or
not
 Exists prior to human experience
 Traditional science has upheld the
superiority of a priori knowledge as it
represents the fixed and permanent world
that is ‘uncontaminated’ by human
knowers
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A Posteriori Knowledge:
Requires human experience for
verification of truth/knowledge
 Modern philosophers claim a posteriori
knowledge is superior, and that a priori
knowledge does not even exist!
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3 Basic Positions on the
Objectivity of Knowledge:
Humans are recipients in the knowledge
process.
 Humans are participants in the
knowledge process.
 Humans exist as ‘pure objects’ who
become manufacturers of truth rather
than recipients or participants
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Sources of Knowledge:
Empirical Knowledge: composed of ideas
formed from observable data
 Sensory Knowledge: knowledge obtained
through the Senses
 Revelatory Knowledge: knowledge that is
revealed through a transcendent or
supernatural reality that breaks into the
natural order/reality
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Sources of Knowledge:
Authoritative Knowledge: accepted as
truth because it comes from experts or is
sanctioned over time by tradition
 Rationalism/Reason: emphasizes the
power of thought & what the mind
contributes to knowledge, the senses are
not enough
 Intuition: knowledge that is not the result
of conscious reasoning
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Validity of Knowledge
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Corresponding
Theory
Coherence Theory
Pragmatic Theory
Validity of Knowledge - Tests
of Truths
 Correspondence
 theory
Theory:
fits the data collected & analyzed
through research
 if the judgement corresponds with the
facts it is true
 method most often used by those
working in the sciences
Validity of Knowledge - Tests
of Truths
 Coherence
 places
Theory:
its trust in the consistency of
harmony of all ones’ judgments
 a judgment is true if it is consistent with
other judgments that have previously
been accepted as true
 there is an agreement on the
boundaries, logic & phenomenon of the
theory
Validity of Knowledge - Tests
of Truths
 Pragmatic
 there
Theory:
is NO such thing as static or
absolute truth
 people know only their own experiences
 the test of truth is in its utility, workability,
or satisfactory consequences
Value Systems
Not universally agreed upon
 What a person or society conceives of as
being “good” or preferable
 Built upon different conceptions of reality
 Problems arise when two different value
systems are held by a society, person, or
profession
 Individual & social life is based on a value
system
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Conceived vs. Operative Values
 Conceived
Values:
 values
that people verbalize but may
not actualize
 Operative
 values
Values:
that people act upon
Worldviews (paradigms)
Explanations given for life events
 All beliefs and values regarding health
care are derived from a person’s basic
worldview
 3 Major Worldviews:
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1. Magicoreligious
2. Scientific
3. Holistic
Magicoreligious Worldview
The fate of the world depends on God,
gods, or supernatural forces
 Events can be responsible for illnesses
(sorcery, breach of taboo, disease-causing
spirits, loss of soul).
 Relates to a psychic or metaphysical need
of humanity for integration and harmony
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Scientific Worldview
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DETERMINISM: a cause and effect relationship
exists for all phenomena
MECHANISM: the relating of life to the structure
and function of machines
REDUCTIONISM: the division of all life into
isolated smaller parts to better study or
understand the whole
OBJECTIVE MATERIALISM: that which is real
can be observed and measured
Holistic Worldview
The forces of nature must be kept in
harmony or balance
 All is connected, inter-related, separate
and yet part of a Whole
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Axiology, Ethics, Aesthetics
Axiology: asks “what is of value?”
 Ethics: the study of moral values & conduct
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“what should I do?”
 “what is the best for all?”
 “what is good conduct?”
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Aesthetics: searches for the principle
governing the creation of beauty and art
imagination & creativity
 the art of nursing
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