“Present knowledge is wholly dependent on past knowledge.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
This essay will explore whether present knowledge is wholly dependent on past knowledge. Throughout this essay, I will focus on how History and The Human Sciences link to the question based on historical development as the key knowledge framework. This knowledge claim assumes that our knowledge in the present cannot exist without past knowledge indicating that what we know in the present is different from our past knowledge. This raises the question: Is present knowledge entirely dependent on past knowledge? Is what we know purely dependent on what we used to know? And, in that case, can present knowledge even exist without past knowledge? I hypothesize that not all present knowledge is entirely dependent on past knowledge. Some of it may be altered interpretations of past knowledge to make our knowledge in the present. There have been new inventions that did not exist before, therefore our knowledge of them cannot exist wholly due to past knowledge. They can be inspired or influenced by past knowledge but cannot be claimed to exist entirely due to past knowledge.
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One claim that could be made is that present knowledge is somewhat dependent on past knowledge. In this section I will be focusing on the human sciences, more specifically human behavior. The real-life situation I will explore is smartphone dependence and the issues people have with it.
In recent years, people have often discussed the recent trend of depending on a smartphone, more specifically, an iPhone. There have been comparisons between behavior over decades in the past and often in the present as well. Sometimes in meme culture, it has been included as well as a humorous effect. No matter the way in which it is incorporated, the message is clear and easy to understand, people depend on the consistent usage of smartphones as a bad thing. To what extent is our present knowledge regarding the use of smartphones dependent on our past knowledge of human behavior? Do we see it as a negative thing only in comparison to human behavior in the past? Or do we dislike it based on evidence and studies that point out its issues and negative impacts regardless of past behavior?
In the modern era, there is a new trend that involves humans being more dependent on smartphones than previous generations. Often people compare this generation to previous ones to make a point about their behavior, often with negative connotations. For example, an Internet meme may compare 'people then' to 'people now' showing first a group of teenagers spending time together and enjoying themselves (from the past) in comparison to a group of teenagers spending time together all on their smartphones (in the present). The purpose of the comparison is clear: to underline how wrong this smartphone dependence is. The problems of smartphone dependence are a commonly discussed issue of our time. But are they only discussed in comparison to human behavior in the past? Is our present opinion and attitude regarding smartphone dependence affected entirely by how people behaved in the past? Let's look at the reasons why people have issues regarding smartphone dependence. One major reason regarding human behavior in the past is the fear that smartphones increase anti-social behavior and reduce human connection and interaction. Multiple cases or reports of increased isolation as a result of smartphone use have been seen. How do we know, however, that smartphones are the only cause of isolation? Equally, how do we know that similar cases of isolation were not present in the past prior to the invention and wide circulation of smartphones? Let’s consider the source of the past knowledge. Often it comes from images chosen specifically to illustrate a point. These images are very biased towards a particular point of view and often view the past through a rose-tinted lens, disregarding issues from that time period. Another source of information is word of mouth. Those alive in the decades before smartphones often compare human behavior to human behavior back then. This, again, is an unreliable source. They are cherry-picking certain pieces of information to prove a point, often one that makes their generation look better in comparison to the current generation. However, some could argue that certain basic facts can be established with confidence. In the past, smartphones did not exist. Any issues regarding anti-social behavior or loneliness that stem from smartphones are clear when made in comparison to a time when there were no smartphones. Therefore, we can conclude that present knowledge can be dependent on past knowledge but not entirely.
There is, however, a counterclaim where our present knowledge is not affected by our past knowledge at all. There have been numerous studies on smartphone dependence that consider the impact they have on individuals without any consideration or reference to previous generations. Is our present knowledge of smartphone dependence and the issues it possesses independent from past knowledge? Surely, if we never had smartphones in the past, what we know of them is entirely dependent on present knowledge and nothing else.
smartphones are known to trigger similar chemical reactions in the brain as alcohol or drugs therefore they are addictive. Research has shown that the average human uses their smartphone between 50 and 300 times a day. The sense of obsession is not considered a habit but in fact, there is a chemical that is released by the brain called dopamine in response to the function of your phone such as the digital dings and buzzes. Furthermore, changes in behavior and brain chemistry due to smartphone addiction can suffer from physical transformations. By adjusting your physical form to view the tiny screen on your phone, you can develop bad posture, strained eyesight, and text neck, a chronic condition triggered by excessive phone usage. On the other hand, smartphone and tablet users are also known to suffer from permanent nerve damage. Most young people consume more than 7 and a ½ hours of social media a day and can be seen by the physical deformations every minute of the day. Some speculation has been made saying these claims are based on false evidence. How do we know that this is false evidence? Is, however, knowledge of drugs and alcohol based on knowledge from the past? Can we only know things about smartphones and their addictive abilities by comparing them to our knowledge of addiction to other substances that we know from past research? High smartphone usage has been linked to anxiety and depression however, there is insufficient evidence to support this claim. Researchers conducted in 2017 indicated that women were more susceptible to smartphone addiction than men. Is, however, knowledge of drugs and alcohol based on knowledge from the past? Can we only know things about smartphones and their addictive abilities by comparing them to our knowledge of addiction to other substances that we know from past research?
Another claim could be that past and present knowledge exists at the same time. This claim could easily be explored by linking it to history as an area of knowledge. A real-life situation that can be linked to this claim is the 1929 Great Depression. The Great Depression was an economic crisis and period of low business activity in the US and other countries, beginning with the stock market crash in October of 1929 and continuing through most of the 1930s. Some of the major effects caused by The Great Depression include rises in unemployment rates from 3% to 25% and the US GDP was cut in half from $103 billion to $55 billion partially due to deflation. The Federal Reserve and the central bank helped create The Depression. The five main causes of the Great Depression include bank failures. The stock market crash of 1929, the reduction in purchasing across the board, America’s economic policy with Europe, and drought conditions.
A counterclaim, however, could be that past and present knowledge do not exist at the same time. As for my real-life situation, I have chosen the 2008 Financial Crash. The 2008 Financial Crash. The 2008 Financial Crisis was the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression. It occurred despite the Federal Reserve’s attempt to prevent it. First, the Great Recession occurred, and housing prices fell by 31.8%. Banks offered loans to people who couldn’t afford them. The 2008 Financial Crisis started with the mortgage lending crisis in 2007 and expanded to a global banking crisis with the failure of investment banking in September 2008. Bailouts and other measures were meant to limit the spread of the damage which failed allowing the global economy to fall into recession. The financial crisis was mainly caused by the deregulation of the financial industry. Banks began to engage in ‘hedge fund trading with derivatives’ and more mortgages began to support the profitable sale of these derivatives leading to The Great Recession. An example of this is the fall in housing prices by 31.8%.
This essay has explored whether present knowledge is wholly dependent on past knowledge. I hypothesize that not all present knowledge is entirely dependent on past knowledge. Some of it may be altered interpretations of past knowledge to make our knowledge in the present. I can conclude however that present knowledge is not wholly dependent on past knowledge, however, present knowledge is somewhat dependent on past knowledge and both past and present knowledge can exist at the same time. Nevertheless, what if present knowledge is not dependent on past knowledge? To what extent do past and present knowledge not exist at the same time?
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