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

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“That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” Consider knowledge issues raised by this statement in two 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.

Theory of Knowledge essay

Candidate number: 000416-0069
Examination session: May 2012

Word count: 1 594

“That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” This quote appears to imply that knowledge, which often results in facts and claims, might be discarded or provisional as time passes. The question asks to what extent is knowledge a subject to change over time. Therefore, often knowledge might become re-interpreted when new evidence, discoveries or technology are identified. In this essay, knowledge could be seen as a simplified map of a representation of reality. Within the essay two areas of knowledge will be investigated- human science and the arts. They seem to have opposing perspective on the knowledge issues raised by the question. Within the human science, which focuses on sense perception, logic and reason, the claim that knowledge is provision is true, as within this area of knowledge, a fact will go thought a process of experimenting and testing before it is recognized as knowledge and so it is easier to falsify an idea. However, within the arts, which is based on emotion and imagination, knowledge is easier accepted and therefore it is more difficult to falsify.

Human sciences allow ideas to be acquired as knowledge thought a vast variety of processes, for example through experiments and discoveries. However, with time, these ideas might change, because knowledge is our understanding at a given time in history. Thus, some of the knowledge is provisional as new discoveries and theorems are found. For example, in the Ancient times, the Greeks thought that Poseidon, the god of the sea, was the creator of earthquakes as well – “After all, what else could be strong enough to shake the ground?” (Isaac Asimov. "1. GODS AND



Bibliography: Isaac Asimov. "1. GODS AND AIR." How We Found about EARTHQUAKES. N.p.: Avon, February 1981. N. pag. Print. Kennedy, Randy. "Celebrating Forefather Of Graffiti." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 July 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. . Lisa Wald. "The Science of Earthquakes." The Science of Earthquakes. U.S. Department of the Interior, 24 July 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. . "Mythology - Ancient Greek Gods and Myths." Mythology - Ancient Greek Gods and Myths. University Press Inc, 2003. Web. 10 Oct. 2014. .

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