Knowledge Vs Vietnam War

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Some believe that how you are raised also has a major influence on how you pursue knowledge. I was raised in a family of immigrants, people who traveled from their country to another, in my parents case from Argentina to the United States. They always instilled in me the power of knowledge and the need for curiosity by challenging me to know what’s on the other side of the wall, and if not to find out. In that sense I have been blessed. Many people around the world aren 't given that challenge in life, to seek for the unknown, so they waltz through life without ever wondering. Though subconsciously, my parents have taught me and I have embraced the fact that your subjective perspective is essential in the pursuit of knowledge, regardless or …show more content…

For example, a previous history teacher of mine claimed that the US had indeed come out of the Vietnam War unscathed. We had various discussions from different perspectives about history, but when it came down to Vietnam there was only one victor. It is irrelevant to him that the overwhelming majority of evidence surrounding the war is in opposition of his point of view, he focuses on the hypothesis that wars were won by inflicting the most damage on the enemy. Because the definition of winning a war is so broad, his claim could be supported by evidence of casualties. In this situation, he is taking on a tunnel vision perspective and ignoring surrounding evidence therefore inhibiting his pursuit for …show more content…

Samuel Johnson, the most distinguished man of letters in English history, once said: “Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” He believed that the world could be divided into two groups, the curious and those who aren 't. Those who are curious will have that perspective and therefore have the pursuit of knowledge and internal drive necessary for them to fulfill their needs. Those who aren 't curious, on the other hand don’t have the pursuit of knowledge and therefore will not gain any. The English philosopher Antony Flew is one more who followed the theory that your perspective is essential in your pursuit of knowledge. During the 20th century, he was known as the one of the most prolific public atheists of his time publishing countless books and papers challenging the existence of a God. He claimed that atheism should be the intelligent man’s perspective until empirical evidence showed the contrary. In order to stay true to his claims, he took it upon himself to stay up to date with scientific and theological advances. Later in life, he adapted his perspective when news arose, which he classified as sufficient evidence, to believing that a divine creature did indeed exist. In this case, Flew’s perspective, to search for opposing evidence, motivated him to seek

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