That Which is Accepted as Knowledge Today is Sometimes Discarded Tomorrow

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It is quite normative to assume that all contribution towards the pursuit of knowledge be of some benefit, else we would not consider it. However what happens if a new discovery holds knowledge that is of more use then the present knowledge, do we accept that progress has been made and thus reject previous information? For this to happen the “new knowledge” which we can define as the most recent knowledge must have changed in a more cohesive manner the way in which we understand a specific factor. This would allow us to accept the new knowledge instead of the previous one. In natural science where the physical world is studied, knowledge can be said to be in constant change. For this reason we see research in this field act like a chain, where new discoveries always build off of prior analysis. Therefore, to what extent can it be said that knowledge is discarded in the “tomorrow”? For the purpose of this essay we will define “to discard” as the act of disposing knowledge because it holds no use. In ethics were a universal set of moral codes is presented what we view as being “wrong” could have possibly been an orthodox in previous decades. Thus, in order for it to change the values of an entire society must be altered. Having an understanding of what previous generations believed offers a wider insight to our past and forewarns the consequences of certain actions. Is it therefore right to assume that prior information should be forgotten if proven inaccurate? It must be considered that though knowledge changes, it does not necessarily imply that it is no longer considered.
Thus to what extent can it be assumed that knowledge is temporal?

Ultimately we live in a society in which we are inevitably confronted each day with conflic...

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...discovering the answers to yet unsolvable question. On the other hand ethics influence in our lives affect our behavior. Thus the “present” knowledge that ethics advocates may replace harmful knowledge that our society was previously taught. By recognizing the negative aspect of what certain prior morals taught us, such knowledge is discarded. We are no longer drawn to believing that treating people like slaves is just. By using such example, the assumption drawn is that knowledge may be discarded with time if replaced with information that is of more benefit to our society. Whistle in science this is highly unlikely as expanding upon previous conjecture is what allows such a field to progress, in ethics discarding knowledge becomes necessary if the goal is to draw people towards morals they believe should be praised and away from ones that ought to be discouraged.

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