Different Ways of Knowing

 Having a foot in both art and nursing has offered me some interesting insights.  I suppose it is not too surprising as nursing is often referred to as an art…
It was nursing literature that first introduced me to the possibilities of different ways of knowing.  Carper introduced her “Fundamental Patterns of Knowing” in 1978 as the following: personal, empirical, ethical and aesthetic. Aesthetic knowing is the process of perceiving the nature of a clinical situation and interpreting this information to understand the meaning for those involved. This is at the very heart of nursing… and art.
It was a course in hope studies at the University of Alberta that bridged the gap, affirming an aesthetic awareness that really impacts both my nursing and my art.  According to Denise Larsen, "The field of hope research is vast, with research indicating that higher levels of hope are associated with beneficial outcomes in virtually all studies including, physical and mental health, education, sports, and even business. A hopeful orientation, despite adversities faced, encourages active engagement in life and creative problem-solving. " (For more information, please click on this link.
Our world seems to be biased toward empirical knowledge… would our lives/world/cultures be richer if we were more open to knowing in different ways?