There have been so many examples of the pursuit of knowledge based on what people believe. An example of which would be in the 15th century, Christopher Columbus hoped to find a path to the Indies to prove that the world was round. Columbus did this to prove that the world was round, which was the belief at this time. The queen of Spain decided to finance his expedition because of her own metaphysical beliefs not to mention her own interests as well. Isabella believed like many people that Christianity was the ‘true’ religion and she wanted to spread its message to what she thought was the far east. Since she believed that was her duty, to give Columbus the three ships as to spread Christianity to the natives, she willingly gave him those ships. Had the queen not thought it useful then she would have turned it down. King Ferdinand II thought that this mission would be worth financing simply because he was thinking of the possible monetary gain. This idea that finances may be an aid or a disadvantage to the pursuit of knowledge depends solely on the viewpoint of the pursuer is still a fact today. Scientists, must prove to financers that there experiment, or ideas may be useful in some ways, in many cases a profitable one. It is possible that even though that there is a profit in pursuing certain types of knowledge many people could pursue knowledge for more than altruistic reasons. On a personal level, I believe with the use of the internet has helped make it easier to acquire knowledge, every day more information is placed on the web. I am naturally a curious person and I am constantly searching new information in the natural sciences, because I believe that it is important to keep up with the rising technology of our world, the reason is because this technology or even experimental treatments that I read so much about could help me help other people that I know or are close to.
Another big factor of how beliefs affect our pursuit of knowledge is our code of ethics, which differ slightly from culture to culture. A person’s capability to distinguish right from wrong will determine how they interact with people. Children are taught the basics of right and wrong such as how lying is wrong, and how you should share with other children. A person’s code of ethics may be called into question if they choose the wrong path. Morals are based on the ethical guidelines that have been set by society. This plays a massive role in how we pursue knowledge.
In the course of history there have been cases where knowledge has been gained by committing crimes against humanity. The consensus is that those crimes that were committed were immoral; however what they did learn by committing crimes has increased our knowledge. A prime example of this would be the Nazi’s human experimentations. The Nazi’s made huge advances in research for malaria and typhus as well as advances for treatments for hypothermia, however there methods were far from being ethical. Knowledge has also been gained with the potential to hurt humanity or its members, but never has knowledge been searched for in hopes that it will hurt the finder of that knowledge. Another example of knowledge being found that is not the most ethical of decisions is the creation of the atomic bomb. The United States used this to protect their interests, what they believed was important to them. The hydrogen bomb killed thousands of people, because the US thought they were doing the right thing, however many people argue whether the use of excessive force was necessary to end the war. Fireworks were used for entertainment purposes in China became gunpowder and used for deadly weapons in the hands of the Europeans, which they thought was valuable. Countries that endorse the increase of knowledge that can be used to harm humanity walk on a very thin line, and must have a stringent code of ethics to make sure that people do not abuse this power. Now I have never been faced with a truly ethical decision. All that ethical questions I have been I have been introduced to is hypothetical questions from readings, and some of the programs that I watch. Many people argue that the world is corrupt; most of the world’s population is left starving and disease ridden while other countries have more food than they know what to do with. Pharmaceutical companies refuse to lower prices of certain medication to make it possible for all sick people in third world countries.
Knowledge is found in hopes that it will be beneficial to the person who is pursuing it. The basis of all knowledge is pursued based on its values and beliefs of society, the financer or even the pursuer themselves. Knowledge that society deems valuable is often knowledge that is pursued whether it is ethical or not. Those that have an avid thirst for knowledge value its acquirement and pursue it for that reason. Complex ideas have been trivialized so that the masses understand the general concept and can easily pick out right from wrong, and just how it will affect their wallets, and they also might get a slightly alternated version so that what they are learning fits in with the political leader in charge.