Knowledge Issues in Areas of Knowledge

"That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow." Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two areas of knowledge.

Our earth has crossed many phases, while passing these phases there has been introduced, found and developed many new knowledge known by theory or principle, or in some cases it is known by giving new name just by modifying an old name(further development of theory). While discovering new knowledge meantime it has also dominated or discarded what has been believed in the past. The level or degree of knowledge has been increased dramatically in this last century. In earlier times, as authorities allowed a lesser degree of critical thinking, because either the knowledge issue regarding to the subject was new or they had not enough resource or little education to find out more information. Today, development of science and technology and excess to education has made it possible to research and find out the unanswerable question from the past and hence made it possible to gain new knowledge and also able to prove, once which was accepted as knowledge issue. Thus, generally accepted knowledge is sometimes discarded. This essay will look into when knowledge is accepted, when it is discarded, and on whose authority.

Being a student of chemistry, while I was studying optical isomer in an organic chemistry, I got an opportunity to learn about thalidomide (C13H10N2O2) (or widely known as children of thalidomide). The thalidomide disaster is one of the darkest episodes in pharmaceutical research history. After researching about thalidomide I got to know about its mechanism, reason and its consequences. Thalidomide was developed as a sedative and sleeping tablet in 1950s. Researchers of that time discovered it was useful anti-nausea drug and was prescribed to patients to get rid of morning sickness. It was produced and promoted by the medical company Chemie Grünenthal as a completely safe drug for pregnant women used against morning sickness. The medical company had researched and invests millions of money in it. This drug was sold as a prescription drug in Europe, Australia, and Canada. Some countries sold it even without a prescription, with the effect that, thousands of children were born with missing their organs; some with hands, some with legs and some had abnormal internal organs such as heart and kidney. Likewise many died at birth due to their defects. Later it was found that this drug causes severe birth defects when taken by pregnant women.