What is participatory knowing?

Participatory knowing involves the interaction between an individual and the external world, suggesting that both actively contribute to shaping experiences and realities. According to John Vervaeke, this concept means that you and the world are in a state of cooperation, wherein both the person and the environment are influenced by physical laws (like gravity), biological aspects, and cultural factors. For instance, the ability to recognize and use a cup involves understanding its utility shaped by physical, biological, and cultural environments.

This concept introduces the agent-arena relationship, where identities are formed both in the individual (agent) and the world (arena). It emphasizes a deeper connectivity, where a sense of belonging emerges through these interactions across different layers of one's existence. Importantly, participatory knowing is tied to one's sense of self, which is essentially a compilation of all the agent-arena relationships a person can form or understand, playing various roles that contribute to but are not solely definitive of their identity. This experiential knowing goes beyond simple memorization or conscious awareness, embedding itself deeply into what Vervaeke refers to as the “memory of yourself” 1.