The Role of Knowledge Nowadays and in the Future - Coursework Example

Introduction In the words of Plato, “knowledge” is “truth In other words, knowledge is about what actually exists in a given situation or context about a given matter. Knowledge has two branches, scientific knowledge, which is knowledge that can be proven clearly and practical knowledge which is based on skills and expertise. However, there is a fundamental question of the perpetuity of knowledge. Is knowledge held to be true across different time horizons? This paper undertakes an enquiry into the fundamental statement “That which is accepted as knowledge is sometimes discarded tomorrow” Knowledge and Dynamism Clearly, from all indications, society is dynamic. Cultures change and people change in different timeframes. Thus, it is apparent that as time changes, what is regarded as true in one era might not be taken as accurate or correct in another generation. Culture refers to the way a group of people live and carry out their activities. Schabracq identifies that cultural change and knowledge have a symbiotic relationship2. This is because as knowledge increases in a given community or society, the way they do things and the way they perceive things also changes. This is because the worldview of a given people is based on their understanding of the world at every point in time. And this defines their values, norms and morals at every given point in time. This indicates that culture knowledge is bound to also change as the culture changes. This is because in a situation where a nations culture changes, what they define as “truth” will also change. This implies that the views and ideas of people are tied to the dominant culture and the dominant views of doing things. In the Western world today, people who were defined as deviant and illegals for their indulgence in same-sex affairs 50 years were humiliated and demeaned in the society. This is because the society had the belief that same sex activities were evil and defined as wrong by the dominant rules of the society. Many people were forced to seek treatments and others were discriminated against. However, due to changes in what these people call the “truth” or “knowledge”, the Western world has increasingly taken an acceptive approach to same sex partnerships. This shows that there is a trend towards changes and modification in a given society and this changes the definition of knowledge from time to time. Obsolescence The advances in knowledge and understanding of concepts and ideas puts an obligation on the authorities in a given sector to discard previous knowledge and take up new knowledge3. As Steve Jobs stated, at some point, the old must make way for the new. Where a view comes up and it is accepted by everyone in a given community, that concept becomes the accepted norm and the accepted view of doing things. However, with time, where a better idea or a better concept is put in place, the nation or the community will have no choice but to accept the new approach as a better way and a better method of doing things. A typical example include the concept of horses and carts and chariots. These were animal-drawn wheeled devices that enabled people to travel over long distances at times that were seen to be record times. But the introduction of the diesel engine cars provided the opportunity for faster vehicles in the early 1900s that could efficiently be used to move people from one point to another point. By the time of the Second World War, nations had realized the need for the use of tanks and other metallic vehicles that could navigate rugged terrain and also resist conventional bullets. The introduction of diesel-engined vehicles in civil use and military use provided a more efficient and a higher level of knowledge that became the contemporary and definitive knowledge in the new generation. Today, most people do not use typewriters and knowledge about typewriters are gradually diminishing. This shows that when time changes, there will be an automatic shift in the perception and view of standard knowledge. Thus, there is always a standard that exists in every generation. Where there is a change and a paradigm shift in circumstances, knowledge about the previous generation or the previous period becomes obsolete and it loses its worth and its value in a situation where new knowledge comes to force that appears to be superior and is much better and much more useful to the generation and the people. Absolutism V Relativism It has been established that social structures define relevant knowledge. And since this is dynamic, the concept of knowledge is bound to shift and be modified with the changes in the social systems and social structures. Also, it has been established that where superior knowledge is discovered, inferior knowledge naturally disappears. However, on some levels, there is no extinction of knowledge if viewed in the absolute sense. This is because where knowledge loses its potency or efficacy in a given society, it does not in any way mean that the knowledge is lost or disappears into thin air. It implies that the previous knowledge has been improved and a better idea has come to replace existing knowledge. Thus, there is no need to consider knowledge to be something that can disappear. The only exception to this argument is in the case where one piece of knowledge pronounces a previous school of thought to be negative. Thus for instance, it was believed that malaria was caused by bad air. However, in future generations, it was discovered that malaria was caused by mosquitoes and this negated and invalidated the previous findings and conclusions. Thus, in such situations, knowledge can be said to be one that can be held to be correct and valid unless another piece of knowledge is discovered that negativises it. Other Exceptions As identified above, knowledge seem to be perpetual if it can be scientifically proven. This could only be limited if a new piece of knowledge is discovered that declares what was held to be true scientifically to be false. However, in some cases, knowledge is metaphysical. Metaphysical knowledge is intuitive and it considered unobserved entities of world processes and it is based on philosophical ideas that are seen to be right even though there might be no scientific basis for it4. This include spiritual revelations and family traditions that people accept as normal and absolute. This kind of knowledge cannot be proven and they are almost always put into peoples minds based on their own emotions and desires or expectations. The implication is that there is a major problem with examining these, because such forms of knowledge are mainly subjective. Thus, in cases where there are fundamental changes and extreme loopholes found in a given metaphysical body of knowledge, people hold on to it and this allows some metaphysical knowledge forms, notably religion, to thrive for generations without being negated like other forms of knowledge. Conclusion Knowledge is about the definition of truth or what exists. Knowledge is based on the social definition of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Thus, it influences and is influenced by the dominant social and cultural trends that exists in a given society. This means that knowledge must and can be modified by what people in a given generation value and cherish. Since this changes, the basis of knowledge changes and knowledge can change from one point in time to another. Secondly, there is a general trend in which old knowledge makes way for new knowledge. In cases where one form of knowledge is seen to be superior to another, the old form of knowledge naturally disappears and the new knowledge comes up to replace it. In the absolute sense though, knowledge does not actually disappear. Where a piece of knowledge becomes obsolete, it does not disappear in the strict sense. Rather, it still exists, but it becomes less important and less relevant to the needs of people in the community or social context. Also, in the case of metaphysical knowledge, which is based on the “ought to be” matters which cannot be proven, people tend to hold on to certain “truths” that can neither be approved nor disproved. This means that in cases where there are issues and problems, such ideas and thoughts cannot be accepted or rejected. Hence, there is a general trend in the perpetuation of these forms of metaphysical knowledge. Thus, in the general sense, knowledge accepted in one time might not be accepted in the future. However, there are some notable exceptions like the absolute view which keeps knowledge going from generation to generation and the metaphysical view which allows subjective ideas to keep certain forms of knowledge acceptable in the future. Bibliography Denison, Edward Fulton. Trends in American Economic Growth New York: Brokings Institute. 2011 King William. Knowledge Management and Organisational Learning. London: Springer. 2010 Schabracq Marc. Changing Organisational Cuture Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. 2012 Sen Pitram. Axiomatic Philosophy New York: NA Publishing. 2012. Read More