The construction of Knowledge - As seen in film

While watching Mona Lisa Smile and thinking about how knowledge is constructed, there were a few scenes that made me think about the nature of knowledge and how one accepts certain knowledge as the Truth. One particular scene that stood out to me was where the Art teacher Katherine Ann Watson is sitting in a meeting with the Collages head officials and they make note of her thesis paper. I hope I can get this right but it was something like, that Picasso will be a great artist to watch as he will be influential in movements, similar to Michelangelo.  Here the man addresses her thesis as if it was a bit comical and useless and even questions the teacher if she has ever even been to Europe before, as if to say you can’t possibly be comparing Picasso to Michelangelo. Watching this today we know this is either funny or thought provoking because Picasso has truly made his mark in the world today. It is most likely because this teacher is not a Doctor yet, a woman, and challenges mainstream views, that her knowledge is cast aside by others as unworthy and insignificant. It has use ask, does one have to go to the Sistine Chapel to understand art?

When the absolute Truth as we know it is questioned does its followers usually resist new knowledge by devaluing it and understanding it as not quite good enough to be true knowledge? It seems that sometimes many people have to accept the knowledge before it is deemed absolute, however there are also times where an influential “right” particular person can declare ideas as the Truth. It is important to realize that knowledge is constructed and the value of different knowledge is controlled by powerful structures. This film and this particular scene opened my mind to understanding how we all are capable of creating knowledge, but powerful structures often influence people in what they think is valuable knowledge.

-Week 1