DOT Essay (Michael Gwee)

Q2: ‘Over time knowledge has become more accurate’. Discuss

The progression of technology has led to the improvement of our methods of gathering raw
data and interpretation of it into the knowledge of textbooks we see today. It has come a long
way since the folklore and mystics of ancient times. The knowledge we know cannot really
be what is superlatively true but we can and have gotten closer to the truth. For example, in
the field of the Natural sciences, more precise tools and more accurate information has
allowed us to produce more accurate knowledge and improve our understanding of the
physical world. In the field of History, the availability of knowledge and improvements in
the means of mass communication has allowed our knowledge of history to be more
veracious and standardised. Both fields require more rigorous investigation to further reveal
the different facets of our past and the world around us.
The Natural Sciences have become more accurate as the instruments used to gather empirical
data and help us understand primary data are now more advanced. In the past, the Natural
Sciences did exhibit more pseudoscientific elements because the scope of feasibility people
had at that time was limited to what they saw and testaments from their forefathers. There
was no way of determining whether something was really what they thought, what was
viewed as knowledge at that time was hence rather volatile. What became knowledge was Commented [MG1]: Rephrase? Put the hence in front
swayed by emotion, faith and often irrational fear of the unknown rather than any scientific and separate sentences
method. The widespread use of instruments was often ineffective. Alchemists then, were Commented [MG2]: I don’t think its relevant…
unable to obtain pure substances leading them into believing that they could ‘transmutate’
metals. The belief was that all metals were compounds, but it is now known that they are
elements. This is owing to the impurities in the metals that caused them to react based on the
impurities present during the albedo stage of the magnum opus. However, when experimental
sciences emerged in the 18th century, methods specific to each element began to appear. The Commented [MG3]: methods specific to certain elements
natural sciences were shifting from ‘magical’ concepts where religion was deeply began to appear
intertwined, to a more secular, rigorous objective field of study. Now, what took the greatest Commented [MG4R3]:
minds of the ancient world more than their entire lifetimes to figure out can be easily detailed
by a computer. The invention of scanning probe microscopes was one of the greatest
breakthroughs in chemistry, revolutionising the way chemists viewed atoms, the particles
first theorised by the Greek philosopher Democritus in 400BC. The creation of new and
better instruments is always a significant milestone in the production of accurate scientific
knowledge. It allows for the creation of new knowledge and the discreditation of previous Commented [MG5]: the improvement of instruments is
scientific knowledge improving the accuracy of scientific knowledge. always a significant milestone…
Commented [MG6]: they? Or it
However, in the field of History, it can be argued that the knowledge of history has not
become more accurate due to the nature of the subject. The knowledge of history can be
taken as the knowledge of historical events or the understanding and application of historical
knowledge. What is defined as a historical fact is only considered a historical fact when a
historian has determined so. The significance in a historical fact is not inherent, it is bestowed
by the historian who can be influenced by politics and culture. The fragmented nature of
many historical sources and the complexity of historical events create multiple contradicting
hypotheses that can often be corroborated to no end. What is important to someone may not
be important to another. Perspectives of historical events exist because history is subjective. Commented [MG7]: this restate of the stance could just
For example, the book A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn tells history be repeating, or making your stance more solid, either way
your interpretation
through the eyes of marginalised and ostracised communities. Despite the atrocities told in
his book, he never mentioned one good event that happened throughout American history. Commented [MG8]: history in the book.
This shows he had an agenda, to represent a social aim instead of interpreting the historical
data and making it knowledge. The knowledge of history is created by human interpretation,
which is inherently biased. Disputes over what is right or wrong in history often stem from
the social aims of the historians not aligning with one another, a dispute for a private benefit
rather that the larger communal gain of more accurate knowledge of history. To refute this, it
can be said that history was revolutionised in the nineteenth century with the introduction of
empirical research and critical source analysis. Although history cannot be experimented on
directly like in the field of the Natural sciences due to its inability to be replicated, it is
incorrect to say that the knowledge of history is invented by historians and that they use their
imagination to fill in the voids. Rather than simply relying on singular sources that could Commented [MG9]: voids
have been influenced by bias and human error, professional historians also consider the
political and social context of the information and use multiple sources available to establish
their authenticity. Professional historians are skilled at uncovering the hidden meanings
behind the information presented that would otherwise go unnoticed, with more sources they
would be able to improve the accuracy of the historical knowledge as it is inevitable that the
sources would converge around a central truth. Take for example the number of deaths
estimated during the holocaust, the discovery of a concentration camp had forced the
historians to increase their estimate of the number of deaths. Similar to the rigorous scientific Commented [MG10]: errr
method, historians change their account of a certain historical event if the new empirical is this really necessary
information shows that their former was inaccurate.
To elaborate on this, majority of the knowledge we had about past events were from Commented [MG11]: the majority
secondary sources and were highly influenced by stereotypical ideas generated from the fear
of the unknown. The onset of globalisation and the availability of knowledge had created Commented [MG12]: availability of knowledge
opportunities for people from all corners of the globe to learn about other cultures.
Testaments of historical events from the past had varying and multiple perspectives
depending on the author, what was passed down as historical knowledge was heavily
dependent on the social context making it heavily subjective. Countries were not well- Commented [MG13]: you already touched on this point,
connected, resulting in accounts of other countries becoming exaggerated and often heavily this is redundant imo
fictitious, at that time humans barely understood the nature of the world around them let Commented [MG14]: errr
alone the cultures and customs of other regions. Language also played a significant role in sounds very random
hindering the spread of historical knowledge around the world as people were unable to
convey what they wanted to say to a person who spoke another language. With the invention
of the internet and other means of mass communication, language rarely poses as a barrier
anymore. The fear of the unknown is no longer a worry as global connectedness and
awareness have improved greatly allowing professionals historians around the world to not
only learn about the histories of other countries but also to be able to agree on and standardise
what is deemed as historical knowledge around the world. With more perspectives of a
certain historical event, the bias and perhaps inherent subjectivity of an event decreases and
the accuracy of the knowledge of the event increases. The knowledge of history to a student
is however how the educator wants to teach it and is very susceptible to inaccurate and biased
alterations but will inevitably become more accurate as more and more information is
uncovered.
Hence, I conclude that knowledge has indeed become more accurate through the progression
of time, through major advancements in technology or a shift in the way that professionals
verify and synthesise knowledge in their respective field to improve its objectivity and
accuracy.

Bibliography:
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Objective History is Impossible. And That’s a Fact. (2019). Retrieved 22 July 2019, from
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