Knowledge

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List of basic quizbowl terms
List of quizbowl concepts

Knowledge is used to refer to two related but distinct concepts:

1. in the colloquial meaning, knowledge is any information, regardless of origin or nature, that a player has, and which they can use to answer questions correctly
2. in quiz bowl contexts, knowledge is the subset of information which is suitable for use in quizbowl questions; this excludes trivia because it does not meet a standard of importance

Awareness of this second meaning is important when participating in discussions of questions and the writing/editing process. For example, assertions of what players "know" about a given author will necessarily exclude things like their date of birth or specific years of publication because these are generally considered to fail the standards of good quizbowl. In all other regards, though, this narrowed concept of knowledge is referred to in the exact same way as it would otherwise: players know things and have knowledge and questions test knowledge, regardless of the definition being used.

Real knowledge

Main article: real knowledge

Knowledge can be further subdivided into "real knowledge": information that a player gained from outside quizbowl. This excludes information gained through deliberate studying or through osmosis, and in particular is meant to exclude particularly artificial means of acquiring information like list studying. In recent years, "real knowledge" is considered to be at odds with carding, though this is a false dichotomy: flashcards can be used to retain any kind of information, including "real knowledge".

The dichotomy between "real knowledge" and its opposite (sometimes derisively called "fake knowledge") is most immediately practical as a way to distinguish between facts which a player is more likely to know from time with the game versus independent study (e.g. from coursework). However, the term is almost always accompanied by a value judgement: players with "real knowledge" are superior to those without, and clues which reward "real knowledge"

Gettier problems

Main article: Gettiering

A Gettier is a correct buzz on a question made by a player who arrived at the answer through an incorrect thought process of a certain sort: they correctly determined that a clue corresponded to the right answer, but were mistaken about how. The term is named for the "Gettier problem" of American philosopher Edmund Gettier, who introduced it to challenge the definition of knowledge as "justified true belief." Making a Gettier is called Gettiering.

It is generally held that players who perform a Gettier do not have knowledge about the clue in question.