1 How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence

whether it is accepted or rejected?

The first object is a book that I own “And then there were
none” by Agatha Christie - a white author, originally named
“Ten little niggers”, with a cover depicting ten black boys on
it. However, the title was too offensive for the book's
publication, so it had to be changed to “Ten Little Indians”
and now ‘And then there were none”. The photo was taken
by me on May 1st. The change in the title regarding races
also changed the rhyme being used as a leading element in
the book, from “Ten little niggers” to “Ten little soldiers”.
Social standards and norms regarding moral values over
time have rejected the conceptual knowledge produced by
this book.

When the book was first published in 1939, the title "Ten
Little Niggers" was based on a nursery rhyme and was not
considered offensive. However, as societal attitudes and
awareness have evolved over time, it has become clear that
the title is derogatory and inappropriate due to its negative
connotations toward black people, and it had to be changed. So if the book were to be
presented with the original title today, it would likely be met with significant criticism and
backlash from readers who find it offensive. This shows that the context of social moral values
changes over time, therefore, leading to different perceptions and the rejection of the language
used or the conceptual knowledge in the book.

This also shows that the language of the title is different from the actual knowledge in the book
and the language through which knowledge is communicated can be more influential in the
extent to which knowledge is accepted or rejected than the nature and content of the knowledge
itself. This book is not portraying black people being a lower class or any issues related to
slavery, however since the word “nigger” is associated with the inferiority of the black
community and is perceived that way by society. This means that the context where the title and
the book was communicated through the language and the word “nigger” was more important
than the conceptual knowledge produced by the book itself, which led to the rejection of the
conceptual knowledge of the book.
 2 How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence
whether it is accepted or rejected?

My second object is a picture of

the explained theory of vitalism
from my science book that I took
a screenshot of while studying,
which suggested that living
organisms were fundamentally
different from the non-living
matter due to the presence of a
"vital force". However, with the
development of new
technologies and tools, such as
microscopes and chemical
analysis, scientists were able to
observe and measure biological
processes at the cellular and
molecular levels. This led to the
rejection of vitalism as a
scientific theory because it was falsified, and proven wrong by today’s time scientists. This also
shows that the development of tools and methods in which the knowledge is presented can
determine whether or not it is accepted or rejected.

The availability of technologies, tools, and methods that provide evidence to debunk a theory will
determine whether or not that theory is accepted or rejected. The range of technologies, methods,
and tools back in the time was not able to detect any flaws in the theory of vitalism, therefore it was
accepted to be true. However, the development of new technologies and tools allowed scientists to
gather new evidence and test existing theories in ways that were not previously possible. As a result,
vitalism was found to be unnecessary and inaccurate and was eventually rejected by the scientific
community. So the context of which the availability of scientific methods and tools will determine the
acceptance or rejection of scientific knowledge, in this case, the theory of vitalism.

Another context in which the theory of vitalism is believed to be false is because it is published in
textbooks where it is claimed to be inaccurate. The textbook itself is a product of scientific
development, including the development of methods and tools. Thus, it is written and reviewed by
experts, so the context of expertise will also influence people’s belief that whether or not the theory
of vitalism is right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. So if a science textbook says that a theory
is not true, you are more likely to accept what the book says and reject the theory of vitalism.
 3 How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence
whether it is accepted or rejected?

Photo of Lin Arensia with the corpse of her young relative. Source of photo: SIPA USA/PA
Images

My third object is the picture of a woman named Lin Arensia posing with the corpse of her
relative being dug up in the Ma’nene ritual - a traditional event of The Toroja community of
Indonesia, published in an article by Mirror. (Mirror, 2022). This is an event that represents the
ritual of the community and is inspired by the people's belief in an infinite link between life and
death. The tradition’s aim is to honor the dead ones in the family and the ancestors so that the
connection between the live ones and the dead ones will not be lost. However, for a person
coming from a different part of the world and doesn't belong to the community, not familiar with
the culture like me or my parents, it was one of shock and horror to see this photo at first.

The different cultural contexts can influence the acceptance or rejection of the viewers of the
cultural knowledge produced in the Mirror article - the Ma’nene ritual. While mine and my
family’s reaction towards this photo is one of shock and horror and somewhat uncomfortable to
accept the act of digging up dead people like this - perspectives of those that don’t belong to the
community, viewing this act as something a little offensive and disrespectful, the woman in the
photo seems to be happy and smiling, posing next to her relative’s corpse, which means her
cultural background has shaped her view of normalizing and accepting this cultural knowledge
by her community, which aims to pay respect to the ones that passed away. The cultural
context/background and values can determine whether or not a knower, which is me, can
accept or reject a culture that belongs to another community of knowers, which is the Toroja
community, in the photo above.

However, knowing this comes from an article whose purpose is to educate people on different
cultural practices in order to make them aware of traditions that are unusual to the target
audience where The Mirror is a UK publication makes me feel more comfortable accepting this
cultural knowledge. If I only see this photo alone, it would be a little bit uncomfortable to accept
it, but knowing this coming from an article makes me change my perception of this photo and
the culture of Toroja people with a more open-minded view since I know that I am going to read
about something new and its purpose is to educate people. So I am prepared and aware that
something new and different from my cultural background/context, therefore making it easier for
me to accept the act and the culture of the woman in the photo. The different context which is
the media that the culture and the photo is presented can change my perception and lead to the
acceptance or rejection of the cultural knowledge coming from the Toroja community.
Bibliography

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