Topic 4: “That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge. Thursday, May 15, 2014 “That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge. Knowledge is a social construct, and thereby this statement is true due to human nature, but to what extent is our knowledge a product of society (and thus is always in transition) because of the drive and curiosity of humans? The revision process is simply a way of keeping ourselves in control over what we know in a systematic way. Knowledge is in a constant state of change because our ideas and thoughts change as we grow, influenced by our education and our experiences. While this statement holds true, there are a number of knowledge issues that arise due to its ambiguity, and the conditions and methods of stimulating a change in accepted knowledge must be considered. What we constitute as “knowledge” is fundamental in trying to understand this quote. Though “knowledge” is often associated with objectivity, our ways of knowing give rise to subjectivity that directly influences how humans deal with knowledge. Is practical knowledge more important than theoretical knowledge? If I learn how to solve a specific physics problem in a hands-on situation that uses my personal ways of knowing, I understand it better because I have practiced it and worked it out for myself. If Ms. Torrie were to tweak the problem by changing a step or adding variables, however, I may not be able to solve it. Learning the theories and concepts behind it allows me to apply it to a variety of problems. Evidently, k... ... middle of paper ... ...n, the shift in what is accepted and discarded as knowledge is dependent on the curiosity of humans. We revise knowledge again and again until we are content with its explanation of the world at its moment in time, and the individuals or communities who have the power to influence a change in any area of knowledge are the most likely to make it happen. Knowledge is a constructive notion that is shaped by humans, and therefore is ultimately contingent on our ways of knowing that guide us in our understanding of the world and our search for truth. Works Cited "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. Dao, Christine. "Man of Science, Man of God: Gregor Johann Mendel." Man of Science, Man of God: Gregor Johann Mendel. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2014.
Print. The. Wilson, Elizabeth B. -. " History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. " History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Smithsonian Magazine, Sept. 2006.
..." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. .
This paper will be covering what knowledge essentially is, the opinions and theories of J.L. Austin, Descartes, and Stroud, and how each compare to one another. Figuring out what knowledge is and how to assess it has been a discussion philosophers have been scratching their heads about for as long as philosophy has been around. These three philosophers try and describe and persuade others to look at knowledge in a different light; that light might be how a statement claiming knowledge is phrased, whether we know anything at all for we may be dreaming, or maybe you’re just a brain in a vat and don’t know anything about what you perceive the external world to be.
Knowledge is defined as information and skills one acquires through experience or education. There is; however, a certain knowledge than cannot be certain and is unjustifiable from the scientific perspective. Karen Armstrong, Robert Thurman, and Azar Nafisi wrote about this type of knowledge in their essays: “Homo Religiosus,” “Wisdom,” and “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” respectively. Each of these authors has a different view of what knowledge is exactly, how it can be achieved, and what it means to have achieved it, but each author takes on the view that the concept of knowledge should be viewed from a social stance. Armstrong refers to this uncertain knowledge as “myth,” Thurman refers to it as “wisdom,” and Nafisi refers to it as “upsilamba";
Blumberg, Jess. "History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. Smithsonian.com, 24 Oct. 2007. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
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...
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.
Knowledge is rarely considered permanent, because it is constantly changing and adapting as time passes and new discoveries are made. This title roughly translates into the question: to what extent is knowledge provisional? In other words, to what extent does knowledge exist for the present, possibly to be changed in the future? At first glance, one’s mind would immediately stray to the natural sciences, and how theories are constantly being challenged, disproven, and discarded. Because of this, one might be under the impression that knowledge is always provisional because there is always room for improvement; however, there are some cases in which this is not true. There are plenty of ideas and theories that have withstood the test of time, but on the other end of the spectrum there are many that have not. This essay will evaluate the extent to which knowledge is provisional in the areas of the human sciences and history.
Knowledge is but understanding. How we indulge and interpret an issue is knowledge. In the pursuit of knowledge, we, as materialistic learners and knowers, repeatedly ignore crucial procedures, pro...
...feasibility' and 'Causal' theories, and knowledge as 'warranted true belief' require us to take a certain 'leap of faith' when considering the question of knowledge at times. In order to avoid scepticism, I hold that knowledge does not necessarily need to be infallible, but rather probable. This does not mean that a proposition does not need to be true, it means that something we hold as knowledge is not one which is beyond reasonable doubt, but one which it wouldn't make sense to doubt. Yes, we have an obligation to avoid doxastic errors by reflecting on our belief-forming processes and by adjusting them in pursuit of reliability, but we also need to make a reasonable link between reality and truth to the extent that a proposition becomes senseless to doubt. So, although Gettier problems may be inescapable, this does not mean we are starved of knowledge completely.
4. “Without application in the real world, the value of knowledge is greatly diminished.” Consider this claim with respect to two areas of knowledge.
From the dawn of time, education has been in existence in one form or another. Societies knew early on that to survive knowledge and experiences must be passed on to future generations. By passing on this knowledge people could take what others learned then build upon it. One such example is of the man that invented the wheel. He probably never imagined that his idea would later become the means to assist man to soar high in the sky with the fowls of the air. This miraculous feat might never have happened if he had not shared what he knew with others.
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...
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.
Smithsonian Education - Stories of the Wrights' Flight. Smithsonian Institution, 23 Jan. 2013. Web. The Web. The Web. 8 Jan. 2014.