Knowledge Matrix

This is one of the topics that I often bring up with my peers about gaining knowledge and building wisdom.

Every topic can be described in terms of two dimensions.

1. Your knowledge on the topic.
2. Your awareness of the topic.

These two might seem similar but they are not. These two dimensions create a 2x2 matrix, which I would like to call the knowledge matrix.

If we consider knowledge as an iceberg in the ocean, known knowns and known unknows form the tip of the iceberg. Unknown knowns and unknown unknowns constitute rest of the iceberg.

Known Known

These are the things we know that we know. These are the facts of the topic that we have a complete understanding on.

Known Unknown

These are the things we know that we don’t know. These are the questions of the topics that we don’t have the answer for. We are aware of our limitations in the topic.

Unknown Unknown

These are the things we don’t know that we don’t know. These are the topics waiting to be discovered by us.

In our quest to gain knowledge, we should try to increase known knowns and decrease unkown unknows as much as possible.

• Read widely: Reading is an excellent way to gain knowledge on a wide range of topics. Read books, articles, and blogs on subjects that interest you. It’s also helpful to read different perspectives and opinions, even if you don’t agree with them.
• Subscribe to a couple of newsletters that will cover all major events happening in the world. Don’t oversubscribe, as it’ll be overwhelming and you’ll start to lose interest.
• Listen to educational and informational podcasts.
• Subscribe to YouTube channels that consistently post well researched videos. Try not to subscribe to channels that post daily or post bot generated content.
• Take courses: Online courses and workshops are a great way to acquire new skills and knowledge. Many universities and online learning platforms offer courses on various topics.
• Keep an open mind: Keeping an open mind is essential to learning and growth. Don’t be afraid to challenge your own beliefs and opinions, and be willing to listen to others with different viewpoints.

Unknown Known

These are the things we don’t know that we know. These are the assumptions or unconscious knowledge that we have.

I find this aspect particularly interesting because it has great potential for self-discovery. In the epic Ramayana, even lord Hanuman couldn’t cross the ocean until he was reminded of his powers by Jambavan.

Let’s take another example. Imagine that we are having a conversation with a non-native speaker in our mother tongue. During the conversation, we can easily identify the mistakes that they make. But if you sit down and try to explain the language rules, you’ll find it difficult to formulate those rules.

Unknown knowns lead to a disconnect between what you know and what you are aware of. These often lead to the following.

• Self-doubt about your capabilities and knowledge.
• You get a false impression that you are stagnating and not learning anything new.

Following are a couple of tips to turn your unknown knowns into known knowns.

1. Document your decision-making process. You’ll become aware of the decisions that you took based on your intuition and start to reason about them.
2. Try to teach or explain a concept you’ve learned recently to someone else. This will help you identify and articulate your own understanding.
3. Accept compliments or recognition for your achievements and skills without downplaying your own abilities.

By incorporating these tips into your learning routine, you can continue to expand your knowledge matrix.