The Purpose Of Knowledge In Pale Blue Dot By Carl Sagan

Knowledge, according to me, is the understanding of any subject or matter, generated through education, research or experiences of an individual or the society. This makes knowledge neutral. Knowledge is neither dangerous nor useful. The manner in which knowledge is used, makes it useful or dangerous, good or bad. Problems can be defined as situations which are undesirable. The primary purpose of creation of knowledge is to solve problems. However, sometimes the way in which the knowledge is produced, creates more problems. Problems here can be both - tangible, as in poverty or diseases, or intangible, like ethical dilemmas and human curiosity. Generally, human curiosity is not considered to be a problem. As IB students, we are encouraged to ask questions and look for answers. This …show more content…
A human is essentially an explorer in his or her own way. Early humans explored for their physiological needs while modern humans explore their internal environment to learn more about oneself. Exploration builds wisdom. In a book that I read – 'Pale Blue Dot' by Carl Sagan – the author expresses how Space research has helped humanity realize the insignificance of international quarrels and disputes. His writings convey the idea that from the space, the earth is nothing but a pale blue dot, taking up only about a pixel width. From further away, it is not even visible. There is no sign of humans when Earth is observed from space. Existence or the destruction of our nation, our continent, our planet, our solar system, or even our galaxy, will have no effect on the vast cosmos. This book made me think of all the hatred, atrocities, and torture humanity has gone through under the rule of ambitious generals, emperors and politicians; and the insignificance of these ambitions. One person of one edge of the pixel, wanting to inflict pain and control over the other edge of the