Indigenous Knowledge and Scientific Knowledge

In this essay the paradoxes and difficulties associated with the ongoing debate between ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ and scientific knowledge will be thoroughly discussed. An attempt will be made to take a stand and decide whether ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ and ‘Scientific Knowledge’ should have distinct boundaries or whether they are able to co-exist successfully. In order to do this, reference will mainly be drawn from readings by L. Green (2012), M. Leach and J. Fairhead (2002). I will draw on evidence by these authors in order to argue that the distinctions between the two different types of knowledge needs to be destroyed and that they need to be able to co-exist so that differentiation is acknowledged, therefore safeguarding the interests of minority groups and cultures. Finally, I hope to show that it is vital to be aware that in today’s world there is not simply one type of knowledge and recognising that the idea of different knowledge systems that people believe in are dynamic and constantly changing.
‘Indigenous Knowledge’ is knowledge associated with and shared by a specific culture. It is accumulated over generations of living in a particular environment (Warren 1991:23). It could possibly in most cases be the basis for “ local decision making in rural communities”( www.http://jis.sagepub.com).
In contrast to ‘Scientific Knowledge’, native people who live a traditional lifestyle come to understand their natural environment by experiencing things. Their daily observations and interactions with nature offer a deep and sincere awareness that is holistic and rooted in their cultural understandings, which are shared orally and passed from generation to generation, often in the form of stories. While ‘Indigenous Knowledge’ is sometimes seen as completely different to ‘Scientific Knowledge’, the two are able to complement each other in order to provide a broader understanding of the world.
‘Scientific Knowledge’ is knowledge which is obtained through applying

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