Types of Knowledge

One way to categorise different types of knowledge is as follows:

1. Factual Knowledge
This type of knowledge answers one or more of the following questions about an object or entity:

• What it is?
• Where it is?
• When it is?

If it is about an act or task, it answers questions like:

• What is done?
• Where it is done?
• When it is done?

If it is about a phenomenon or event, it answers questions like:

• What it is?
• Where it occurs?
• When it occurs?

2. Procedural Knowledge
This type of knowledge answers questions, about an act or task, like:

• How it is done?

If it is about an object or entity, it answers questions like:

• How it is made?
• How it can be changed or transformed from one state to another?

3. Mechanistic Knowledge
This type of knowledge is about the mechanism or the process by which something takes place or is brought about.
About a phenomenon or event, it answers questions like:

• How does it occur?

About an object or entity, it answers questions like:

• How it changes from one state to another

4. Causal Knowledge
This type of knowledge answers questions, about an object or entity, like:

• Why it is?

About an act or task, it answers questions like:

• Why it is done?

About an event or phenomenon, it answers questions like:

• Why it occurs?

Non-Creative & Creative Use of Knowledge

If you view or regard a certain body of knowledge with a perspective with which it has already been viewed or regarded OR you use or apply it in a context in which it has already been used or applied, then this is a non-creative use of knowledge. On the other hand, if you view or regard a certain body of knowledge with a new and fresh perspective with which it has never been viewed or regarded by anyone before OR you use or apply it in a context in which it has never been used or applied by anyone before, then this is a creative use of knowledge. A creative use of knowledge is the foundation for the creation of new knowledge.

Knowledge

Knowledge can be defined as a part of the hierarchy of data, information and knowledge.
Data is a collection of raw facts (without any context and perspective). When we add context (i.e. conditions and circumstances surrounding the data-point) and perspective (i.e. the way in which the data-user is viewing or regarding the data), we come up with information. To information, when we add meaningfulness (i.e. a sense of purpose, value or significance) and relevence (i.e. its relation with the matter in hand), we obtain knowledge.

Data: a collection of facts
Information: data + context (of data-point) + perspective (of the data-user)
Knowledge: information + meaningfulness (to the information-user) + relevance (to the information-user)

Where,
Context: conditions and circumstances surrounding the data-point
Perspective: the way in which the data-user is viewing or regarding the data
Meaningfulness: sense of purpose, value or significance
Relevance: the relation of something to the matter in hand