The Three Levels of Knowledge
“Marriage is holy and the bed undefiled. But the whoremonger and the fornicator, GOD will JUDGE!”
This ominous warning, seemingly suited for a late-night televangelist, was preached by Duffey Strode. In gripping footage of his sermons, Duffey’s head thrusts forward, his face contorts, and his eyes bulge like a tree frog as he unleashes biblical diatribes with the conviction of a fiery street preacher. He was ten years old.
Duffey and his family found themselves at the center of a nationwide controversy, appearing on popular television shows like Larry King Live and The Oprah Winfrey Show. What motivated this child? And why was the nation so fascinated by him?
Psychologists might point to verbal precocity and a desire for attention. Cultural scholars could cite societal prizing of religious devotion. But beneath the sensationalism lies more profound questions: Did this boy understand the meaning behind his words? And, more broadly, what defines knowledge?
Duffey’s journey in the public eye took a revealing turn during an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. “Explain what you just said in your own words,” the audience pressed. The young preacher froze. Duffey anxiously turned to his father; his expression begged for help. He found none. The beams from the studio lights unmercifully illuminated his lack of understanding.
The case of Duffey Strode illustrates the levels of knowledge.
The three levels of understanding are:
1. Recapitulation: repeating and reciting information without exhibiting a deeper understanding.
2. Conceptual: logical frameworks organize ideas to connect to broader contexts and meanings.
3. Altered Behavior: exhibited knowledge through changed behaviors, choices, and habits in alignment with learned principles.
When I first watched Duffey, I was in awe. “This kid really knows the Bible,” I thought. But I had mistaken his ability to recite verses for a deep understanding of scripture.
Despite his passion, Duffey had only a level-one understanding of his words. He couldn’t explain the concept of hell or eternal damnation. He couldn’t elaborate on the passages, their importance to practitioners, or their worldly effects. He didn’t understand what he was saying.
We all embody Duffey’s superficial knowledge at times. As a teenager enthralled by finance, I fancied myself a market disciple. Rushing home from school, I devoured the latest on CNBC— the closing price of Apple stock, Starbuck’s third-quarter earnings report, and the latest unemployment numbers. Like scripture, I memorized Gordon Gecko’s infamous “Greed is Good” speech from Wall Street. At the time, my mastery of market jargon made me feel almighty. But I was a false idol.
I could talk like a veteran floor trader, using phrases like “relative strength index” and “Bollinger bands,” but my words masked a shallow financial literacy. My passion outpaced comprehension, as fiery determination does in youth.
Only through hard-won knowledge earned over years of reading, researching, and experience did I really start to understand long-term investing. Success became less about parroting the financial news and more about cultivating patience, discipline, and perspective.
After learning from mistakes and a sustained effort to truly study the art of investing, I have modified my behaviors — like a religious pilgrim transformed through spiritual revelation, I finally found understanding.
A Risk to Society
By confusing memorization with knowledge, we risk creating a society of young Duffeys.
Without deeper comprehension, people cling to misconceptions and false narratives. Such a world is ripe for conflict. This deficit not only stifles meaningful dialogue but is a wall to cooperation, impeding the progress of society.
Deep knowledge cultivates wisdom, empathy, curiosity, and open-mindedness. It transforms our minds from disjointed filing cabinets stuffed with facts and figures to integrative canvases. It allows us to extract broader lessons from daily experiences, find common ground, and solve difficult problems.
The Developing Mind
Misinterpretation of knowledge begins in childhood. Curriculums prioritize facts and formulas starting in grade school. Multiple-choice and short-answer tests limit evaluation to memorization and repetition.
This encourages rote learning, the first level. Students pull all-nighters to cram their developing brains with information — only to offload it when they hand in their bubble sheets.
In Boston, some schools produced improved Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam scores. Yet, little improvement was made in fluid intelligence, working memory capacity, information processing speed, or problem-solving skills. The students merely became better regurgitators.
More useful tests of knowledge employ higher-order assessments like projects, portfolios, and open-ended tasks.
While memorization and repetition establish a starting point for deeper comprehension, they alone cannot produce mastery. Children must be encouraged not only to learn “things” but to understand “the thing behind the thing” — grasping the reasons, interconnections, and implications that underlie the knowledge.
Thinking Amid Chat Bots
Today, we have an army of virtual chatbots and the ever-reliable Google to answer our inquiries immediately. Reciting the state capitals in alphabetical order isn’t too useful —in just seconds, I can look up the capital of Vermont. Montpelier.
What is supremely valuable is the capacity to filter, synthesize, evaluate, and apply ideas.
Ultimately, exhibited knowledge demonstrates real internalization. When behaviors are altered, and new habits are formed, the pinnacle of understanding is reached.
