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Introductory notes for readers of this thesis - Theses - Flinders ...

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Of particular interest is Hughes explanation <strong>of</strong> ‘fixed’ and ‘fluid’ understandings <strong>of</strong>knowledge within contemporary Australian society. He contends that whilstpostmodernist ambiguity is an influence within the culture, in relation to some areas <strong>of</strong>knowing and unknowing, the modernist scientific knowledge paradigm is primary. Forexample, young people accept that knowledge in physics, chemistry, geography andhistory—in relation to dates, times and places rather than interpretations <strong>of</strong> socialmeanings—is fixed, concrete and accepted as given. On the other hand, as Mason et al.demonstrate, young people perceive knowledge in relation to religion, spirituality, moralbehaviours and political ideologies is ambiguous and a matter <strong>of</strong> personal choice orperspective. Figure 32 77 shows that, in a student worldview, scientific, rationalknowledge is the fixed concrete centre and spiritual and philosophical knowledge is thegray periphery.77 Ibid, 125.211

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