[Ads-l] Fw: Thinking class / Cognitive class / Knowledge class

[Z S]

I'm not convinced that the two are parallel. Cognition/thought and
knowledge are basic to all human beings - hence the term *homo sapiens*.
Even the farmer has specialized, scientific knowledge...so does the cement
worker (in the case of the documentary). If you put any of us in the
Amazon, we most likely lack the inherited, cumulative body of specialized,
scientific knowledge required to survive more than a year. The tailor in
Italy or the home seamstress/pattern drafter possesses a specialized
knowledge of geometry, arithmetic, space, and form (as well as anatomy)
that allows him or her the ability to create or manipulate 3D objects by
using complex calculations and a flat surface. If you put any of us
(without their specialized knowledge) in their place of work, we'd likely
come away with a sarong or toga, at best.

On the other hand, many people will easily admit to lacking creativity -
and it has no implications as far as class or intelligence, nor does it
dehumanize. Some jobs don't demand creativity and try to outright prohibit
it! However, all jobs require knowledge, human thought, or "cognition".

Knowledge worker, thinking class, cognitive class, knowledge class -
they're terms that 1) diminish the the skills and knowledge necessary for
various professions and economic classes and 2) dehumanize (understatement)
by denying the very existence of knowledge and human thought among specific
classes and professions.

Best,
Zola S.


On Wed, Feb 7, 2024 at 1:33 PM Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:

> It calls to mind the parallel construction "creative class".
>
> ---Amy West
>
> On 2/7/24 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> > Date:    Tue, 6 Feb 2024 23:24:50 +0100
> > From:    Z S<zrice3714 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: Fw: Thinking class / Cognitive class / Knowledge class
> >
> > Just confirmed a suspicion: in the documentary*Spies of Mississippi*, one
> > of the witnesses states that her uncle, B.L. Bell, referred to his class
> as
> > "the thinking class people". (I just went back and scrubbed through the
> > film to check.)
> >
> > (Timestamp 17:07 to 17:42)
> >
> > https://youtu.be/JX925i-llQk?feature=shared&t=1027
> >
> > These terms sound as antiquated as they are. Interesting - to say the
> least
> > - that they're so freely used today by the media.
> >
> > Best,
> > Zola Sohna
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org