2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

15 discussed, presumably refers to the evolution being for the benefit of society, hence why it has been an appealing venture for humans, since the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. On the other hand, however, the phrase ‘evolution of knowledge’ does not directly define whether the evolution has to be positive or negative, only that the knowledge must be developed in some way. From considering the history of the philosophy of thought, and the developments made along the way to get to the point we are at today, it is clear that there has been an evolution of knowledge. 3 Conclusion When considering historical periods of intellectual development, comparing them to our society today, and taking into account the difference of freedoms and quality of life, there is a large difference between today’s society, and that of yesteryear. In today’s age, technology has greatly improved the quality of human life. Not only mechanic inventions born from the Industrial revolution, such as lawnmowers and planes, but also medical technologies, such as x-ray machines. These innovations, born from the expansion of the philosophy of knowledge throughout history, have saved countless lives since their inventions, and have drastically improved the quality of human life. However, this intellect isn’t necessarily always maximising our personal freedoms (refer to Appendix 10). Are we looping back to where we began, only this time governed by our own inventions instead of a superpower such as the Church? This raises the impossible question – Is there such thing as an evolved, supreme knowledge? If it is our inventions that are reducing our freedoms, then surely we have a supreme knowledge, as we are the ones that invented them. On the other hand, if we are being held captive, what has changed from the beginning of intellectual development? We are creating and developing these technologies, cultural forms, and political identities as a result of being able to conceive them. This is an evolved knowledge. It