2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

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2.3 Comparison and Evaluation It is clear that humans have developed within the concept of ‘knowledge’ throughout history, and the effects of that development are seen in local communities within today’s global society. From periods of extreme global intellectual development, such as the Renaissance, the separation of the Church and State, and the Industrial Revolution, humans have been able to develop and evolve individual intellect to the point where in today’s global community we have completely automated robots and extremely comprehensive surveillance and technological systems. For the most part, the evolution of human knowledge over history has been extremely beneficial to the human race, and has improved the quality of human life (refer to Appendix 9). However, the results of more advanced knowledge seen affecting local communities – such as government surveillance systems – raise important questions. Have we reached a point where technological and political innovations have been made available to powers that might use that to exploit us? Are we becoming trapped by our own evolved intellect? The knowledge that the human race possesses today is truly superior to that of previous years, as we have used the knowledge gained throughout history to build upon, and improve existing frameworks or technologies, and in this way can be considered an ‘evolved, supreme body of thought’. However, whilst the knowledge in itself is far more advanced, can it really be considered ‘supreme’, when it is beginning to imprison us? Throughout history, the reason mankind hungered for expansion of the philosophy of knowledge, was to improve the quality of life, and increase human freedoms. However, there are local examples of our supposedly ‘supreme’ knowledge – such as the Chinese social credit system – that suggest a global problem, being that our knowledge may be confining us more than enhancing our freedoms, and as such, is countering everything humanity has worked for over history within the philosophy of knowledge. Can this body of thought be considered as evolved and supreme? The phrase ‘evolution of knowledge’, as previously