There’s always a new theory, experiment, or work that can prove a new stance. With the progression of time, knowledge can sometimes be discarded. But what is knowledge? And what kind of factors can impact it which leads to it being discarded? Knowledge is information centered by a concept that conveys a message and can be acquired through learning or memory. Many different factors can have an effect on whether someone accepts information as knowledge or knowledgeable. The biggest impacts are biases. Some are not able to detect their own personal biases, which are influenced by culture, gender, race, religion, etc., and therefore can discard knowledge based on their experiences. Which brings me to another factor, experience is what can change the mind of a knower. It can influence him or her to accept or not accept information. Acceptance is connoted differently than from what it used to be; just because one accepts something, does not necessarily imply that they believe it. For example, I accept that many cultures around the world believe in arranged marriages; however, I do not consider it to be an ethical act. Overall, perception can always be influenced. Today I say that being forced into marriage is wrong, the next day I could be doing the same with my own child. The point is that one will never be able to tell what they will consider to be knowledge. In this essay, the two areas of knowledge I will focus on, in agreement with the quote, “That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow,” are history and human sciences. When first reading this quote, the first idea that popped into my mind was about historical facts, and the great impact that the past can have on the future. Reason is a method used to ... ... middle of paper ... ...cepted as knowledge is the Tuskegee Experiment of 1932. That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow. Influences in one’s daily life can affect one’s perception. As I have learned all throughout my life, perception is everything. Sometimes, it may not be apparent that something or someone is judged based on how one perceives another, but it has an impact. Experiences also play a role in perception because people tend to generalize knowledge that they have acquired through learning or past encounters which they vividly recall. Works Cited Bastian, Sue. Theory of Knowledge. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2008. Myers, David. Psychology Eighth Edition. New York: Worth Publishers, 2007. “Denying the Holocaust.” The Week Publications, Inc. Last modified February 26 2009. http://theweek.com/article/index/93693/denying-the-holocaust
“Part of being well-informed means knowing something about the history of an argument. An argument’s history tells us how and why people’s viewpoints formed and gives us a context for our own views. Knowing context means knowing the current range of opinion on an issue. We have to know what other people are saying to make our own reasoning relevant.” (10)
Bibliography 3rd edition Psychology (Bernstein-Stewart, Roy, Srull, & Wickens) Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, Massachusetts 1994
"I'm interested in the way in which the past affects the present and I think that if we understand a good deal more about history, we automatically understand a great more about contemporary life. Also, there's more of the past for imaginative purposes than there is of the future."
Knowledge is something that can change day to day, which can be learned through both the natural and human sciences. Knowledge changes in the natural sciences when an experiment is conducted and more data has been gathered. Knowledge changes in human sciences when patterns are recognized in society and further tests have been conducted. Does our knowledge of things in the natural and human sciences change every day? I think that our knowledge grows everyday but does not necessarily change every day. The areas of knowledge that will be discussed in this essay are natural and human sciences. In History we can see that at one point something that was considered knowledge then transformed into different knowledge, especially in the natural sciences. However, in the past, due to lack of technology, it might have been more of a lack of knowledge that then turned into knowledge on the topic.
Each one of us lives in our own unique world of perception. As individuals, we may experience life in an entirely different way through our senses and life experiences. Therefore, perception can be tricky since it is very personal to each one of us. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, perception has three meanings; (1) “the way you think about or understand someone or something,” (2) “the ability to understand or notice something easily,” and, (3) “the way that you notice or understand something using one of your senses” (2014, para. 1). C.S. Lewis said, “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are” (n.d., para. 11). In other words,
When we are young the only authority we know is those older than us - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles - but as we grow older we realize that those of authority are anyone who has the knowledge and experience that we do not about a certain topic. We know that there are stars in the sky because we can see them, but we do not know what they are made of, how far away they are, or how old they are by just looking at them. We do know the answers however, by believing those of authority that have the knowledge and experience, that we do not, by studying space and relaying the answers to us. Most people will believe this, but there are a few who will not. Their way of knowing the world through authority is by refuting and creating their own thoughts and ideas.
"I once asked myself, how history was written. I said, "I have to invent it." When I wish as now to tell of critical incidents, persons, and events that have influenced my life and work, the true answer is all of the incidents were critical, all of the people influenced me, everything that happened and that is still happening influences me."
Where knowledge starts to lose its’ goodness, is when you acquire negative knowledge, as in things you don’t want to
In the past, as well as in current times, both historians and scientists have strived to present knowledge that is free of bias, a prejudice in favor or against one thing, and selection, the act of having a preference when carefully choosing the most suitable thing. In a nutshell, they try their best to present knowledge that is objective and impartial in nature. Nonetheless, there are times, in which the knowledge that they present to us contains certain hints of bias and selection. Hence, the knowledge is to be considered as subjective and representative. With respect to all these, the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection actually lingers in my mind. I believe that it is, in fact, possible, but, at the same time, I believe that the problems of bias and selection may limit the knowledge that we attain. I am contemplating whether there is anything wrong with knowledge that contains hints of bias and selection and whether knowledge that has been tainted with bias and selection is still worth knowing, so does subjective knowledge render the knowledge irrelevant is the knowledge issue at hand.
... thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.” I think this quote fits in with this essay perfectly, as sociologically you can teach something that has been examined scientifically to someone who has no knowledge of the subject, but trying to explain the same thing to someone who has prior knowledge, or common-sense, is not always so simple.
Much of the knowledge we believe as accurate facts today is susceptible to being exchanged for new facts in the future. In history, knowledge is considered historical facts. In the human sciences, knowledge refers to scientific findings from that are considered scientific laws, theories, and behaviors. As time progresses, more research and analysis is conducted in history and the human sciences to ensure that the knowledge we “accept” today are accurate, correct in all details. If experts in each area such as psychologists or historians find faults in “accepted knowledge” within their area of knowledge, they will decipher whether the faulty knowledge needs to be totally discarded and replaced with new facts that are evidentially supported to be more accurate. Faults in knowledge may be uncovered by scientific findings in the human sciences or a discovery of new and authentic primary sources in history. The knowledge issues that will be explored pertaining to history are “To what extent does historical knowledge need revision?” and “How might the manipulation of revisionist history restrict one from achieving accurate knowledge?” The knowledge issue to be explored pertaining to the human sciences is “Are there any theories or laws in the human sciences that have withstood the test of time?” I believe that to a small degree history is in need of revision to make sure historical knowledge’s accuracy is maintained, but revisionist history may be easily manipulated. I also believe that in order to increase our knowledge in the human sciences, we must partake in trial and error regarding psychological theories.
Edited by Raymond J. Corsini. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 1. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
...scarded is truly dependent on the area of knowledge, which has been explored through this essay. I have noticed that within the arts for example, knowledge is very difficult to be accepted in the first place due to its subjective nature. This can therefore make discarding knowledge practically impossible. In contrast, within the Natural Sciences I have noticed that, although there may be problems with the validity of the information, knowledge is readily accepted once proved. This knowledge is commonly accepted as laws of science, and once this information is disproved then the knowledge is effectively discarded, as it is no use to people anymore. Therefore I can conclude that we must observe the area in which the knowledge is a part of before we can decide whether or not knowledge can be accepted, let alone discarded, due to the subjective of the world we live in.
What is stated above happens around us all the time. Something might be proven today, but proven wrong tomorrow. Therefore I completely agree to this statement. But how do we accept something to be knowledge, and what makes one thing knowledge and the other thing just a theory? We can look at it from various aspects.