Christine Long

10/10/03

IB Theory of Knowledge

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        Where does knowledge come from? How is knowledge attained? Webster defines knowledge as “the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association” and “acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique.” Furthermore, it can be concluded that knowledge is attained through experience and understanding. Time is needed to gain understanding and experience something. It once was said, that “Without a knowledge of the past we would have no knowledge at all.” How valid is this statement?

        It seems to me that all knowledge comes from the past, for all knowledge must be attained over time. One does not suddenly come to an understanding about something suddenly, randomly in the present. Something that one has experienced or studied has brought him this revelation. Also, time is always changing. In reality, there is no present. All that has been said and done is all in the past. All acquired knowledge comes from the past.

        From a historical standpoint, all that is known about the past is acquired knowledge that has been attained over time. One does not suddenly wake up one day and know the entire history of the Cold War. He either knows about it because he was there, he experienced it in the past, or either he has been told about it, perhaps through a history book, by someone who experienced it in the past. All history is told by the people who experienced the past.

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        When a historian writes a history book, say on the Civil Rights movement, how does he go about writing this? His goal is to share all knowledge about the era through the medium of the writings. Probably, the historian will interview people who lived through the era and research different parts. He will look back to the past for knowledgeable information to write his book.         

        Say the writer is very young. He is only 25. He himself was not alive during the Civil Rights movement. Therefore, he did not first handedly experience the movement. Is he as positioned to ...

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