The four ways of knowing: revising the 4P model of knowing through a non-dual and reflexive perspective

Abstract

Abstract Vervaeke and Mastropietro’s 4P model of knowing is a non-representational and process-oriented framework that integrates four interrelated ways of knowing: propositional, procedural, perspectival, and participatory. In this paper, we revise this model, drawing on the enactive approach and insights from Madhyamaka and Yogācāra Buddhist traditions of philosophy. We first provide an integrated overview of the 4P model and identify three questions concerning the conceptualization of participatory knowing and the ontological status of distinctions between the four ways of knowing. We then introduce the enactive and Buddhist resources that inform our treatment, and address these questions through a non-dual and reflexive treatment that preserves the framework’s pedagogical and transformative potential. Finally, we discuss how the revised framework can inform fields as diverse as education, psychotherapy, and contemplative pedagogy.