"The Master said, Yu, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to recognize that you know it, and when you do not know a thing, to recognize that you do not know. That is knowledge." [Analects 2:17]
The Analects stated above can be divided into two: First, is that if you know a thing, you must acknowledge it as something that you are knowledgeable of. Second, is that if you don't know a thing, you must then admit such unfamiliarity.
When you know...say that you know.
Indeed, if there is a thing, which has, let's say, passed by you (maybe in the form of a problem, or a question, and the like), and somehow, you have known such precisely, you must indeed have appreciation for it and somehow give recognition for it, for it is something you know of. For example, there is a query about doing a first-aid for there is someone who needs an immediate care after having been in a car accident. And by chance, you are the only one there who definitely knows how to provide such instant medical upkeep. Would you just stand in the corner and do nothing? Or would you do it, which is indeed somehow a way of recognizing such knowledge? Definitely (as long as you're not that freak enough not to do so), you will do it, right? For if you are to do otherwise, it is not only your knowledge and capability that is put in the brink here, but also the person-in-need's life. Thus, you always need to give credit to the things you accurately know. Well, such is not an act of arrogance or conceitedness though, for rather it is an act of honesty and uprightness. As what Sir Pascua, a Philosophy teacher in our school said: "It is not arrogant to say something that is true". Yes, but again, remember, something that is TRUE.
When you don't know...say that you don't know.
This though is the common mistake most of us people commit. This is for oftentimes, we claim something to be of our knowledge, but actually, is not. Usually, we tend to brag something and say "I know this one" but actually, it is either we pretend to know such or we actually think we know such, but unfortunately, we actually don't know it at all, Such prominence of committing such mistake is somehow justified by our use of call-names to those people we get to acquaint with, who illustrates such character: "Boy-SS (Swito-swito)", "BB (Buot-buot)", "Pabright-bright", and many others which pertains to such disposition of carrying faulty knowledge. Yes, sometimes we caught ourselves attributing such names to other people, but some of that times, we are actually the one who doesn't know that that person knows it actually, making ourselves the one that is "BB" then. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that most of us has somehow perpetrate such deceitful and unscrupulous character. Now, the problem is, it will allow transmissions of wrong knowledge, especially in cases where one is aware of doing such. Dishonesty, fraudulence, untruthfulness, treachery, or what have you, will somehow prevail in the society if most of us will still continue and will not do something against it. Now, the solution is, if one doesn't know, he/she must not say that he/she knows. One must be honest, no matter what cases will be brought upon against him/her. Even if the other people will consider him/her as someone who is illiterate or dumb or ignorant, as long as he/she doesn't act as if he/she knows, that one is indeed on the right track. In other words, it is far more better to admit one's ignorance than pretend to be something better-off. And that is, what the Master is saying about what is knowledge.
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