Contextual Knowledge

Contextual knowledge is knowledge that is correct in its context. Oism's claim (which CF adopts): all knowledge is contextual.

Why context matters

• You learned something under specific conditions. "Don't touch the stove" was learned as a child.
• The conditions change. You grow up; the stove is now familiar.
• The knowledge isn't wrong; it's for a different context.

CF's adoption

CF makes context explicit via the IGC triple:

• An idea is refuted or non-refuted for an IGC.
• A new context requires re-evaluation.
• The old evaluation isn't invalidated; it's just for the old context.

Why this solves some puzzles

• "I used to think X, now I think not-X." Not contradiction; different contexts.
• "X was true in the past, isn't now." Context changed.
• "X works for you but not for me." Different contexts, not different truths.

How to handle context changes

1. Note the new context. What's different?
2. Re-evaluate the IGC. Is the old idea refuted for this new IGC?
3. Don't throw out the old knowledge. It's still useful in its context.
4. Be explicit. State contexts when sharing knowledge.

Anti-patterns

• Universal claims without context. "X is true" — true when?
• Treating old knowledge as wrong because context changed. It's contextual.
• Treating new knowledge as always superior. It depends on the goal.

"Deciding you should do or believe something given the situation that you don't know X is contextual knowledge. The context is you don't know X, and your answer is appropriate to that context, but not to all contexts." — criticalfallibilism.com