Confucius Theory Of Knowledge

Throughout history, human beings have had the extreme ability to expand the various frontiers of different knowledge fields. It is without a doubt that such non-quantifiable knowledge produced by individuals has had a significant impact on the existence of human beings. Knowledge, in today’s context can be defined as output that is acquired through sensory experience and education. To answer the prescribed question, two basic premises must be established. First, the question implies that some forms of knowledge are generated more “difficultly” compared to other forms of knowledge. Second, the question suggests that knowledge can be qualified based on the value it has to society. In order to proceed, two key terms must be clarified from the

Perhaps the most influential person in Chinese history, Confucius placed a strong emphasis on hard work (“Confucius 101”). Due to such influence, it is typically understood in Asia that difficulty often leads to discovery of valuable knowledge. Contrary to popular belief, there are some exceptions throughout history where knowledge was born through ‘eureka’ moments and was still highly treasured by many people. Awareness of such events inspired me to come up with a new knowledge question: To what extent should knowledge created accidentally or effortlessly be appreciated? The examples that will be explored later reveal that the word ‘only’ in the statement above is misleading and incomplete. This essay will focus on natural science and art as areas of knowledge in order to explore this knowledge claim in depth. By the end of the paper, I hope to prove that knowledge produced without difficulty can also be valued by many people and in turn, show that there is no direct relationship between the difficulty in acquisition of the knowledge and the value of

Even though Democritus’s idea was overlooked in the beginning, it was reconsidered in the 18th century. The fathers of chemistry, Dalton and Lavoisier, tested Democritus’s idea through many experiments and proved that all matter must be consisted of tiny particles (Carpi). As a result, in the long run, Democritus’s idea was greatly appreciated for his contribution to the development of atomic theory. This shows that in science, value can change over time along with accumulation of knowledge as a result of new discoveries. When data is incomplete, new or more accurate data may lead to revision of former scientific knowledge. Therefore, Democritus’s case can be a counterexample or a supporting example depending on the standards of time and perspectives of