Health visiting is a practical discipline, hence knowledge in health visiting practice cannot be thought of as inert, that is merely as items of information merely; rather, it must be thought of in terms of a dynamic interplay among the individuality of the knower (the practitioner), the sources whereby knowledge may be acquired, and the contexts in which it must be applied. This discussion is an exploration of that interplay. Thus, in the discussion, the distinctive demands on the practitioner (and the kinds of personal qualities these entail) in acquiring and applying knowledge are highlighted, as are the sources of knowledge and the constraints of context. Three sources of knowledge are noted: authority, personal experience, and intuition. Context is conceived both in terms of the macro, sociopolitical, level and in terms of the micro level, i.e. the individual homes and interpersonal relationships in and through which health visiting is typically practised. Conclusions are drawn relating to the education of health visitors. The discussion draws on a distinction between three kinds of knowledge: factual or propositional knowledge, knowledge by acquaintance, and practical knowledge, or know-how.

origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called the theory of knowledge, it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called the theory of knowledge, it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowledge in the form of skills, and knowledge by acquaintance as a familiarity through experience. Epistemologists study the concepts of belief, truth, and justifica The…

These cases suggest someone can have a belief that is true and has reasons behind it, but still not really have knowledge. Because of this, other ideas like reliabilism (trusting reliable ways of knowing) and virtue epistemology (focusing on intellectual character) were developed to better explain what knowledge really is.[2] There are different kinds of knowledge. Propositional knowledge is “knowing that” something is true, like knowing that water boils at 100°C.[3] Procedural knowledge is “knowing how” to do something, like solving a puzzle or coding.[4] Experiential knowledge is “knowing by experience,” like recognizing a friend’s voice or knowing how a certain food tastes.[5] Each of these kinds uses different parts of the brain and different types of thinking. The study of knowledge is called epistemology.

Abstract More basic than the authors' distinction between knowing and believing is a distinction between knowledge-by-acquaintance (I know John Smith) and propositional knowledge/belief (I know/believe that John Smith lives in Durham). This distinction provides a better account of both the comparative and developmental data.