It Is Knowledge Produced with Great Difficulty That We Value Most

“It is knowledge produced with great difficulty that we truly value.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Alexa Sy Y12DCL

By definition, knowledge is the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject attained by the acquisition of facts, information, and skills through experience, education or other means. Knowledge can be produced in forms that vary in levels of difficulty - a relative concept that is dependent on the amount of effort put into the process, or whether producers were made to think beyond the conventions in their given field of study. The value such knowledge also varies, as some knowledge may only prove valuable for an individual more so than society as whole and vice versa. Value is defined as the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. 

Some may argue that it is knowledge produced with great difficulty should be valued more than knowledge that is produced without it. For example, despite only recent discovery, the quest for a cure for AIDS has been sought out by large groups of researchers. However, in 2007, the first reported cure of AIDS was found in Berlin Germany, where a leukaemia-stricken patient was treated for his HIV via HIV-resistant stem cells. Though this was discovered years back, the solution could only be verified as a ‘cure’ following extensive testing in the patient’s brain, gut, and other organs. Few people with HIV would want to go through the gruelling and life-threatening cancer treatment that was part of this cure. And so far, the cure has not been duplicated in other HIV-positive leukaemia patients who underwent similar treatment. Yet the discovery has transformed AIDS research and has brought scientists a step forward in finding a more accessible cure to the disease. The ability to come this far would only be possible if not for the incredible amount of research that preceded. It took years upon years of investigation and experiment in order to obtain such knowledge, as well as being a costly venture. In addition, without the difficulty endured by both the doctors (in performing such a delicate procedure) and cured patient (who had to endure and incredible amount of pain and, we would not have been provided with evidence to continue with this research. Furthermore, the defiance of existing knowledge is even more difficult to produce, however when done so successfully, is often shown to be of great value to our society. An example of this would be when Italian mathematician and physicist, Galileo Galilei went against the belief that the earth was flat, rather spherical in shape. It was because of his claims that he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and threatened with hell and damnation. Nonetheless, he continued to defend his views, and eventually, following much dispute, his theory was proven true. This information has proven to be incredibly valuable, not only in the fields of physics, maths, and astronomy, but in our everyday lives as well.

Similarly, it is believed that knowledge that is not produced with great difficulty should not be held to the same value. An example of this is common in parental encounters. As teenagers, it is natural to oppose the wisdom our parents give us – be it something as commonly heard as “sleep early” or “don't procrastinate”to advice to prevent us from making life-changing decisions (e.g. don’t have unprotected sex).  As a child, my parents have constantly reminded me of the importance to do my work as soon as possible so that it is ‘done and dusted.’ Being in primary school at the time, I ignored this, thinking they were forcing me to do more than I should given my light workload. Little did I know that they were trying to instil good time management skills to prepare me for my future, and speaking as an IB student, I cannot help but regret not listening to their advice. This example knowledge did not require much effort in its production, as my parents gave me this advice, which did not require a large amount of effort on both our parts.

Accidental discoveries support the argument that knowledge that was not hard earned can also be valuable, and is particularly common in the natural sciences. For example, Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin is a famous example of how accidents can sometimes prove to be more useful than what was originally trying to be disovered. Fleming came across a petri dish containing bacteria and found that it was not present where mold was growing, thus leading to the initial discovery of antibiotics. In this situation, the production of knowledge did not require a great amount of effort as it was serendipitous, but still holds great value to society as it has saved millions of lives and was a pivotal occasion in the development of modern antibiotics. Another discovery that occurred by chance were that of popsicles. Though not nearly as scientifically groundbreaking as penicillin, popsicles have become a popular summer treat enjoyed by many across the globe. In 1905, soda pop had recently become the most popular drink of the market, and then-11 year old Frank Epperson decided that he wanted to save some money by making his own at home. Using a combination of powder and water he got fairly close but then absentmindedly left the concoction out on the porch all night. Temperatures ended up dropping severely and when he came out in the morning he found his mixture frozen with the stirring stick still in it, and thus, the ‘popsicle’ was born.