Freire, P. & Horton, M. We Make the Road by Walking, Chapter 3

1. What is Organic Knowledge? In the reading, organic knowledge is described as the knowledge of the people. This is the theory that knowledge starts with the people. We first to understand the way the people think and their syntax.That would create a way for the people to go beyond their state of thinking. The reading goes on to describe the importance of understanding the experience and the practice of people. Paulo states "without practice there is no knowledge."

2. I agree with this statement. In life, we often analyze and understand things based off our own experiences. Our experiences are what shape our being. That is why it is so imperative to understand the experiences of others. Once we open ourselves to knowledge acquired by people other than ourselves, it will create in us a deeper understanding of all knowledge. Practice can be defined as a noun and a verb. Practice as a noun is defined in the dictionary as the actual application of an idea or belief. It is the repeated exercise of an activity or skill to acquire or maintain proficiency. By practicing the people we apply their beliefs to acquire proficiency. For me, this is most evident through relationships. We learn the most about the ourselves and others when we connect to them on a personal level. When we have a relationship with an individual we learn about their past experiences in an attempt to understand who they are now. This practice is the same no matter what knowledge it is we are practicing. It is organic because it is created naturally. In order to understand knowledge of the world, we have to understand the people of the world, for without the people there is no world. We have to practice learning what people and things are composed of, just as we do in relationships. It teaches us, how we view ourselves in relation to the world. By learning other people, we learn ourselves; we learn what we love, what we are afraid of and what we hope to be, or not be. Organic is defined as related to or derived from living matter, and that is what we are. We are the living matter that shapes all knowledge. That is why it is important to study people and their understandings.

3.) How do we connect to people we feel no connection with? Is it possible to earn something form every person we encounter? How much of that shapes our reality? How much of others experiences do we carry with us in our day to day lives? Paulo says in chapter 3 that information can be got through a reading or a conversation. Myles answers this question best by saying "To me, it's essential that you start where people are. But if you're going to start where they are and they don't change, then there's no point in starting because you're not going anywhere. So while I insist on starting where people are, that's the only place they could start. I can start somewhere else." Basically, you attempt to get to know people. Once that occurs, you take what ever knowledge you can and use it to get to a new level.