Tirza Gomez
PSY 4012
December 22, 2008
Final Exam: Question 2 and 7

The Idea that knowledge really exists has been questioned throughout the years. What is knowledge and how do individuals acquire this knowledge and can it truly be reliable? These are some questions I will try to answer in explain that knowledge does exist and we acquire it thru human contact and observation. One thing that stands out to me is Descartes’ statement “I think therefore I am.” The ability to think it is a way of acquiring knowledge. If we were not able to process and store information we will not be able to think. Also how can you think if you are not knowledgeable? We have also evolved from simple minded creatures to individuals who can go to outer space and explore our galaxy. Knowledge was viewed by Locke as the agreement or disagreement of two arguments. He also tried to explain explicit and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge can be added into formal language thru grammar, mathematics because it can be explained thru numbers word and codes. While tacit knowledge seems to be more valuable because it helps individuals to relate experiences, places, things to give context to information. Another way we can see that knowledge is acquired on the way we process or think about information. Many years ago we would have assumed that many things accruing in our surrounding was do to God or Gods, but now we have learned that this may not be true depending on our believes. Our believes have changed during time and so has our knowledge. We have learned to cure illnesses thru medicine, fly a rocket to the moon, create machines to land on other planets to study its habitat, we are even close in cloning human body parts and maybe one day a scientist might play God and create a new human being thru cloning. Through the knowledge acquired from philosophers and psychologists modern psychologist are now more equipped to diagnosis a mental disability or illness and help individuals become healthier and productive in society. Although sophists believed that knowledge was impossible to acquire and broke every aspect of like into a naturalists reduction view point it does not explain how we were able to acquire knowledge. Not all aspects of life can be reduced to a reductionist view. Also if knowledge was impossible how are we to learn how to write and speak so that we can be understood by others? In ancient Greece knowledge seems to be acquired through philosophical thinking in which it gave way to how modern psychologist view and understand knowledge. From Socrates considering himself the gadfly in whom he would ask questions to individuals that might seem annoying or bothersome but he viewed it as a way of sharing his knowledge with other while gaining knowledge from them. He believed that individuals should not just live life but should questions their surroundings and everything around them to see what is beyond the eyes. If knowledge did not exist what is the point of working, going to school, writing this paper. Knowledge is possible and it gives way to human beings to do extraordinary things in life. If knowledge is not possible we would not know the difference between right and wrong, left or right, rich or poor. Knowledge is one of the greatest thing we can acquire while we are alive and it is something we can share with others, just as the philosophers before the Socratic error, after the Socratic error, teachers, parents, doctors, government and other individuals have shared with us thru manuscripts, letters, books, medicine and theories. Like I was told growing up knowledge is Power and we are knowledgeable to know that knowledge exists and can be acquired.