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Prompt # 17: Why do we seek knowledge?                                                                      (Wordcount: 748)

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Prompt # 17: Why do we seek knowledge?                                                                      (Wordcount: 748)

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It is a widely accepted fact that humans seek knowledge and are inherently curious. Humans have been characterized as a “rational animal” because of this distinctive trait. Einstein once said that “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence” ("LIFE Magazine (2 May 1955) p. 64"). In general, human curiosity has led our race to the top of the food chain, has had a significant effect on our history and continues to be the cause of our technological advancements. Nevertheless, these are only the effects of our quest for knowledge, not the reason. To deduce a clear answer for the cause of our curiosity we need to define the terms that arise from the question.

Firstly, we need to assume that there is a cause. The idea that anything or any belief must have a reason for existing is called the Principle of sufficient reason. Furthermore, we could define knowledge as a Justified True Belief. A paradox emerges when we attempt to use the principle of reason on an explanation of a phenomenon in order to justify the explanation. This leads to a vicious cycle, otherwise known as infinite regress, making the existence of knowledge impossible. In reality we can support a claim through replication and predictability to consider something true.

To know when something is true is a necessary part of defining knowledge and thus anything else as well. In essence, we have a subconscious variable standard of what is sufficient in terms of evidence, which needs to be fulfilled along with curiosity. This standard is formed through a combination of genetic nature and influence of culture or other people. Of course, in standardized acquisition of knowledge evidence either supports a claim or not, increasing objectivity.

As communication has increased through technology this subconscious standard has been greatly affected because of undeniable, replicable evidence available to everyone. For example, we now have significant evidence that the earth is round, making the majority of the population adopt this belief. In contrast, 300 years ago, people had a much lower standard of sufficient evidence and believed in a flat earth. A great example of searching to find knowledge is presented in Oedipus’ play “Oedipus Rex”. In the play Oedipus tries to understand who his actual parents were and who killed the previous king. His standard of what evidence is sufficient was different and more progressive than his time, since he did not value divine authority over evidence that he could understand to a greater extent. He was forced to do so by his innate human characteristic of trying to find an explanation.

In order to find an absolute answer to the question we need to take a scientific approach so that we limit the uncertainty of our final answer. It is a scientific fact that in most species there are errors occurring in DNA replication during the process of reproduction. This results in genetic code and trait differences between parent and daughter cells, otherwise known as mutations. According to Darwin’s theory of evolution, the traits that prove to be helpful in one’s survival will naturally prevail and organisms that have the trait will take over other organisms that do not. The result is the evolution of all animals, slowly and steadily improving themselves over thousands of years. In the case of humans, the mutation that made Homosapiens different than homo-errectus was the cause of our quest for knowledge and answer to the question. Homosapiens wanted to explore and learn, setting the evolutionary path for modern day humans to exist with curiosity engraved into their DNA.

Finally, an example of curiosity, its use and infinite regress, is gravity and the classic story of Newton. The story is about Newton asking “why” an apple would fall down and thus coming up with the idea of gravity, the cause of his observation. He used observations through his experiments and deduced equations that could accurately predict gravity. While the fact that his equation’s results were replicable and predictable made them true, they did not explain gravity. Later, Einstein was able to define gravity as the curvature of space and time giving us a deeper understanding, but not absolute. We will always tend to and be able to question any explanation, leading to an infinite regress sequence. Therefore, absolute knowledge does not exist. In the same way we can answer the question of “Why do we seek knowledge?” as the result of evolution and a random mutation but cannot continue to provide explanations infinitely.