Instigator / Con
1500
rating
0
debates
0.0%
won
Topic
#6318
Is knowledge worth pursuing?
Status
Debating
Waiting for the next argument from the contender.
Round will be automatically forfeited in:
00
DD
:
00
HH
:
00
MM
:
00
SS
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 5
- Time for argument
- One week
- Max argument characters
- 10,000
- Voting period
- Two weeks
- Point system
- Winner selection
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Pro
1500
rating
3
debates
50.0%
won
Description
Knowledge has been one of the most valuable things a person can pursue for generations of different philosophy / science scholars. The stoics believed that it is one’s duty to become more knowledgeble. During the Renaissance, the humanists encouraged knowledge as a means to contribute to society. Finally, I myself have been, as far as I can remember, knowledge-oriented in every aspect of my life. Yet, I sometimes stop to ask myself: «Is it worth it though? Isn’t life easier with less knowledge? And then, if there is so much out there to know, I won’t be able to know a billionth part of it in my lifetime anyway… So why learn things? » Ironically enough, this very question is posed with the aim to gain more knowledge about whether knowledge is worth pursuing. That being said, I would like this to be more of a discussion on the topic rather than debate. I do not know the answer to this question, and whoever is interested in exploring this matter in depth is welcome to discuss it here. Thank you for reading.
Round 1
Welcome, and thank you for accepting this discussion.
I will start with some of my thoughts on the subject.
"I know that I know nothing." — Socrates
- Learning inevitably leads to realizing how much you actually don't know. Following Socrates' idea, the more you know, the less you know. I think that the overwhelming feeling of realizing how much you don't know is quite uncomfortable. Thus, the question here is, is pursuing knowledge still worth it, even though it leads to discomfort?
- Thinking further, knowledge also leads people to become aware of certain problems or issues in the society they otherwise would never knew about. Of course, not knowing here is nothing other than ignorance, but it is also true that not knowing offers more comfort. You cannot escape the burden of your knowledge once you have acquired it. However, not acquiring it in the first place offers the comfort of ignorance.
- At this point, I believe I ran into a contradiction. If knowledge burdens you and creates discomfort, while not knowing offers some kind of comfort, if you already know, there is no way back. In this context, becoming ignorant from knowledgeable is impossible. You cannot unlearn something you learned firmly. You cannot stop believing what you already believe. Furthermore, you cannot unsee what you have already seen.
- Thus another question arises: is the question of whether pursuing knowledge is worth it even relevant? I don't know.
I ended up with more questions than answers, but I think that'll do for the first 'argument'. Thanks for reading.
I now yield the floor to my opponent.
I thank the opponent for his stance. Though the description claims that Con prefers more of a discussion than debate, I respectfully remain treating this as a debate as the website suggests.
"Learning inevitably leads to realizing how much you actually don't know."
This sentence is reasonable, except this does not inherently mean that "knowledge isn't worth pursuing".
Ever since humans have begun to evolve in realms such as literature, technology, science, medicine etc.
Knowledge has always found a way to make us understand our surroundings and execute use basic materials as a source of creating tools, infrastructure, residential buildings, clothes, etc.
simply reaching the conclusion that "learning something, is realizing that you don't know the entirety of the subject" is not a valid excuse to dismiss knowledge.
With this logic, we should stop studying the human brain, due to the fact that its been proven by neuroscientists within many credible sources such as - (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10585277/), that we don't fully understand how the brain processes information.
With this logic, we should close cancer research because, "Learning inevitably leads to realizing how much you actually don't know.", and therefore, "knowledge isn't worth pursuing". As absurd as it sounds.
"Thinking further, knowledge also leads people to become aware of certain problems or issues in the society they otherwise would never knew about. Of course, not knowing here is nothing other than ignorance"
I agree with this claim by Con. This further strengthens my argument.
"but it is also true that not knowing offers more comfort. You cannot escape the burden of your knowledge once you have acquired it. However, not acquiring it in the first place offers the comfort of ignorance."
While these claims are partially true, the reason that humans may feel comfort with less knowledge is mainly due to the sense of less responsibilities.
If we do not have knowledge of how plants grow and thrive, why should we water them and place them in the sun? We don't do these tasks unless we have knowledge, but knowledge often leads to more responsibility, which can lead to mental discomfort.
Mental discomfort is not inherently a reason for knowledge to be, "not worth pursuing". This is something malleable, as most commonly human perception is a leading factor to discomfort in this case.
"I ended up with more questions than answers."
This short sentence does not prove that, "knowledge isn't worth pursuing".
In the concept of learning and obtaining knowledge, humans don't strive for perfection, but progression.
Ever since the human race has begun to evolve we have built steady progression. All the way from the stone age, to the digital age.
This steady progression has significantly increased factors such as lifespan, transportation, safety, etc.
" You cannot unlearn something you learned firmly. You cannot stop believing what you already believe. Furthermore, you cannot unsee what you have already seen."
While I agree with Cons claims in the above sentences, this does not dismantle my argument that knowledge is worth pursuing.
The concept of not being able to reverse what you already have knowledge of is unreasonable within this argument, due to the fact that knowledge doesn't lead to harm.
PTSD may have worked with this argument, as it's cannot be unseen and damages a human's well being. Knowledge however, is not a threat to human wellbeing.
If you teach a man to fish, will he regret learning it?
If you teach your son how to ride a bike, will he regret learning it?
If you teach your child about religion or politics, would you regret that they've formed their own opinion?
Most answers to these questions would be "no".
" is the question of whether pursuing knowledge is worth it even relevant? I don't know."
It seems as if my opponent has either forgotten his stance or flat out abandoned it.
However, I look forward to his attempt of rebuttal.
Round 2
Forfeited
Not published yet
Round 3
Not published yet
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Round 4
Not published yet
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Round 5
Not published yet
Not published yet