Theory of Knowledge Essay (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Name: Date of Submission: Theory of Knowledge Essay: The Effect of Time on Quality of Knowledge in Neuroscience and Cartography The never-ending nature of knowledge acquisition has led to an apparent increase in its quality in various academic disciplines, gradually and with time. However, this principle is highly debatable due to the difficulty in quantifying the quality of the knowledge that would have been obtained at a particular given time. Neuroscience, a discipline enveloped under the natural sciences, and Cartography, a humanity usually classified under Geography, are two academic disciplines whose ‘quality’ is believed to have been increased by developments, made continuously over a long time. The quality time-dependent be defined as the ease with which obtained knowledge is applicable in a particular field and how simply this knowledge enables an academician to achieve their present objectives. This essay will highlight the effect of developments, made increasingly over time, on an academic discipline and whether or not the same usually causes an easier application of the acquired knowledge. By and large, the research carried out over a long time uncovers new information that can only raise the quality of the knowledge in the discipline. Neuroscience is viable for time-dependent quality and due to that it has been categorized under the disciple of natural science and thus depends on reason as opposed to the imagination and intuition utilized in such humanities as Cartography. Over time, research and development in the field of neuroscience have resulted in the quality of modern-day knowledge in the same field being far ahead of its stature and kind in the many years gone by. Extensive work and research by specialists in neurology have uncovered a lot of initially overlooked information that has led to the development of neuroscience as an academic discipline. A glance at the initial neuroscience misconceptions can highlight the progress so far made in this sector. It is outlined in the study of the origin of neuroscience that earlier scholars in Ancient Egypt assumed the heart was the ‘seat of intelligence and conscience’ (Mohamed 51). Only increased research into cranial issues by Roman physician Galen, who studied the effect of head injury on a patient’s mental faculties, clarified the issue, enabling all future generations to have the correct information. The time afforded for the development of the neuroscience discipline enabled the information in circulation today to be accurate and of higher ‘quality’ to prospective neurosurgeons. A review of the techniques used to treat neurological ailments can also show the increased quality of knowledge available in the discipline. This is evident to me from an experience in 2012 when my uncle suffered a hemorrhage and a stroke. Emergency surgery was sanctioned and a once fatal occurrence was resolved simply by repairing the malfunctioning blood vessel in his brain. This was only possible due to in-depth research that had been carried out over time to determine the causes of such strokes and ways in which to halt their detrimental effect on the body. If this were to happen in Ancient Egypt, where all cranial complications were attributed to pressure within the skull, crude drills would have been used to bore holes into his skull to relieve him of the aforementioned pressure, consequently also ‘curing’ him. As was mostly the case, this would have resulted in an aggravation of the injuries and probably, in death. Considering my uncle’s ordeal, it is clear that extensive research and assessment into all cranial matters has caused the development of a deeper understanding of the same. This has also resulted in the inception of more advanced neurological techniques that can not only zero in on but also eliminate any abnormalities affecting brain function. However, it can be argued that the acquisition of ‘quality’ knowledge in neuroscience was not affected by time but by the evolution of the instrumentation in use. The knowledge in the discipline changed minimally, if at all, from the ancient Egyptian misconceptions to Galen’s discovery. The only variable between their research was that the Romans had better tools to document neurological changes. It is known that a researcher is only as effective as his tools and if these same high-standard tools were availed to the Egyptians here, time would then not have been a factor determining whether or not they obtained quality information as relates to Neuroscience. Researchers, just like dogs in an adage that still goes, cannot be taught new tricks however long they but replacing the dog altogether, which represents an upgrade in instrumentation, will result in new revolutionary tricks. It is therefore clear that the quality of neurological knowledge obtained has not entirely, been dependent on the time afforded to researchers. The influence of time on the accuracy of knowledge is also evident in Cartography weathering periods of research and exploration resulting in more accurate and detailed maps. In earlier times, maps were merely rough representations of the continents’ shape and position, providing little to no information to readers (Rees, Harley, and Woodward 450). Cartographers worked off of hearsay from sailors who had been on nautical expeditions; trusting their depictions of various coastlines to map out a continent. However, with developments in the discipline, over time, including the performance of annual cartographic escapades to determine coastline orientations and actual research into continental positioning, maps, resulting from the same, became increasingly accurate and extremely detailed. The introduction of ads such as contours and isohyets onto maps also resulted in increased research into the topic, which could only be achieved by affording a certain duration of time for the researchers involved to perform their duties. My experience with maps during a short stint studying Geography in high school brought me to an appreciation of the stark difference that exists between 15th Century maps and maps drawn far later on in the 19th Century. Our teacher saw it fit for us to experience both highly detailed maps, such as the ‘Mapa deLoss Estados Unidos de Mejico’ as drawn by John Distrunell in 1847, and less precise maps, such as The Fra Mauro Map of 1450. The latter was massive in size yet all it represented was the shapes of the continents-which were at the time, all deemed to be interconnected-and the various water bodies surrounding them. However, the 1847 map exhibited extra detailing, for example indicating the national road network, international boundaries, climatic conditions, and vegetative spread of an area. This was introduced as cartography moved through time, developing mechanisms for responding to the human need for more information. These small tweaks and changes are what make me believe that, with time and appropriate research, academic disciplines develop to produce more quality knowledge. Although time may seem a key factor in the evolution of cartography, developments in the transport and photography industry were also influential elements in the discipline’s growth. The lack of quality cartographical knowledge, although a factor, was not responsibl...