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Essay on evolution of science
The importance of knowledge
Similarities between science and history
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Knowledge has a preliminary definition which is that it is justified true belief. Due to its dynamic nature, knowledge is subject to review and revision over time. Although, we may believe we have objective facts from various perceptions over time, such facts become re-interpreted in light of improved evidence, findings or technology and instigates new knowledge. This raises the questions, To what extent is knowledge provisional? and In what ways does the rise of new evidence give us a good reason to discard our old knowledge? This new knowledge can be gained in any of the different areas of knowledge, by considering the two areas of knowledge; History and Natural Sciences, I will be able to tackle these knowledge issues since they both offer more objective, yet regularly updated knowledge, which is crucial in order to explore this statement. I believe that rather than discarding knowledge we build upon it and in doing so access better knowledge, as well as getting closer to the truth.
We gain knowledge in through our ways of knowing which are mainly perception, reason and language. We use them to find knowledge because we justify our claims and beliefs by their use, thus, our evidences, because they get us closer to the truth. To accept something as knowledge, it must be considered true, one must believe it and there must be justification why the person knows it, therefore these ways of knowing aid in the process for our quest for knowledge. In conclusion, in order to obtain knowledge all of these three attributes have to be integrated in some type of way, and due to the changing nature of all three of them, knowledge is always changing and it is dynamic, leading to the fact that knowledge can be discarded. The questions b...
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Lagemaat, Richard Van De. Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2005. Print.
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In some respects, we can attribute the founding of America and all its subsequent impacts to Christopher Columbus. Columbus a hero in the United States, has his own holiday and we view as the one who paved the way for America to be colonized. However, people tend to forget the other side of Columbus, the side that lusted after gold and resources that often belonged to the native inhabitants he came across in his exploration. In his insatiable greed, he and his crew committed countless atrocities, such as torture and killing of defenseless natives. Columbus’s discovery of these new lands contributes profound and negative effects as future colonists arrived. “Zinn estimates that perhaps 3 million people perished in the Caribbean alone from raids, forced labor and disease” (Zinn, 1980). Columbus was seen as a cruel man, who saw the peaceful inhabitants as right for the conquering and lead to the devastation of the native population, yet is celebrated every October.
Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.
The application of epistemology to practical life relies largely on a coherent set of parameters that determine whether someone has knowledge or not. While a traditional analysis at first glance seems to provide these parameters, this definition allows for cases to be considered knowledge though they are actually contrary to an intuitive definition of knowledge. In this paper, I will outline the traditional analysis of knowledge, present Gettier and Harman’s objections, analyze Harman’s proposed solutions in principles P and Q; and critique the necessity and consequences of Principle Q.
Lagemaat, Richard van de. Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
To what extent do the Ways of knowing rely on each other to give us reliable knowledge? Discuss with reference to 4 Ways of knowing.
How we approach the question of knowledge is pivotal. If the definition of knowledge is a necessary truth, then we should aim for a real definition for theoretical and practical knowledge. Methodology examines the purpose for the definition and how we arrived to it. The reader is now aware of the various ways to dissect what knowledge is. This entails the possibility of knowledge being a set of truths; from which it follows that one cannot possibly give a single definition. The definition given must therefore satisfy certain desiderata , while being strong enough to demonstrate clarity without losing the reader. If we base our definition on every counter-example that disproves our original definition then it becomes ad hoc. This is the case for our current defini...
If knowledge didn’t evolve, then according to what was once ‘accepted knowledge,’ the Earth would still be flat. This evolution however, was only possible due to the inherently flawed means by which humans pursued this so-called knowledge. The statement we will be addressing throughout this essay – “That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow” – has a key word; “accepted.” When people accept something as knowledge based on unreliable principles, then it is bound to be discarded tomorrow. Because of the flawed ways of knowing, our knowledge is also flawed and therefore should always be challenged to ensure it is accurate and reflective of the objective world. Various disciplines – science and history– along with their associated knowledge claims will be examined closely throughout this essay to assess whether knowledge should in fact be discarded.
In the present day, knowledge has become a commodity as its acquirement is always associated with its application in a specific field. The nature of our expanding world seems to be causing us to forget why we began learning in the first place; it was not to train to become an office clerk who is the world champion in spreadsheets, instead, the curiosity of man has always pushed the threshold of knowledge further and further into the unknown, with this, bringing unexpected changes and implications. For this paper, knowledge is defined as knowing something either from personal experience or a third party; however, the definition also includes the understanding of science and any specific technique of achieving something. The definition allows
Nonaka and Takeuchi have different opinion regarding the TK as compared to Polanyi. They consider EK and TK are two separate types of knowledge (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). Similarly Cook and Brown (1999) agree with Nonaka and Takeuchi consider that EK and TK are two distinct forms of knowledge. Conversely, Polanyi argues, as all knowledge is TK rooted so TK is not a separate category but a dimension and it should not be viewed as the types of knowledge (Polanyi, 1966). With support of that, Tsoukas and McAdam with his colleagues agree that EK and TK are not the types of knowledge but the dimensions (Tsoukas, 2003; McAdam et al. 2007). Polanyi considers TK as personal nature of knowledge associated with the individuals. Similarly, Von-Krogh and Roos (1995) argue that it is wholly a trait of individuals, whereas, Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) consider it an attribute associated in both individual and
Kahn, P. (2005). Secret History of the Mongols: The Origin of Chingis Khan. USA: Cheng & Tsui
...r it becomes to discard. The fact that there is the possibility of knowledge getting discarded suggests that perhaps it should not have been accepted in the first place. This begs the question: is knowledge accepted too easily? More often than not, one requires an adequate amount of evidence and facts to accept something as true. However, sometimes there is no evidence and it is impossible to prove something true, yet it is still accepted as knowledge, as is in the case of many theories. This occurs mostly in the sciences, because many times it is difficult to substantiate scientific knowledge. In order to avoid this never-ending cycle of accepting and discarding knowledge, perhaps the standard of accepting knowledge as true should be raised. But sometimes when something is proven false, it leads to finding the truth, so maybe the standard should remain where it is.
Question 4: That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow. Discuss this statement in relation to two areas of knowledge.
However, because of the fact that knowledge is constantly evolving and changing, knowledge that was once considered to be fact is disproven creating a scenario where the theories that we accept today are waiting to be proven wrong in the future due to advances in areas such as technology. This is demonstrated by the changing in understanding surrounding the atom. Ideas have constantly changed surrounding the shape of the atom. This can be seen by John Dalton who in 1803, built upon previous interpretations concerning Proust’s Law by determining the Law of multiple proportions . This would have made previous scientists using the older model question what they knew was actually true and that their theories had been proven wrong and so should be discarded. From this stems an issue whereby there are factors hindering you to accept new knowledge, one may believe that we can have solid facts but by time progressing, perspectives change and with that facts can become reinterpreted due to ...
“That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge.