How Important is Knowledge?

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By: Olivia Large

 

In American society, it is agreed that knowledge is an essential part of life. Knowledge leads to independence, originality, and success. However, the general population has not yet rated it on a scale of priority in life. I recently set out to find where most people placed it.

 

“The American Dream” is the concept that resulted from our capitalist government. Anyone can be anything as long as they work for it. This has resulted in a general desire to be as successful as possible, just because it is possible. I decided that if people believe it is better to have knowledge and wisdom than to be successful, then knowledge is very important to Americans. I asked some respected and diverse individuals whether they agree with the statement, “Ignorance is the worst form of poverty,” and what their overall opinion of that statement was.

 

After gathering opinions, I discovered both expected and unexpected concepts. For the most part, people agreed with that statement, but most people also agreed that the answer wasn’t so black and white. 1Lt Norman Large, a commander in the U.S. army, for example said, “I believe it is better to be wise and poor. You can’t measure happiness in wealth. (There can be too much knowledge, but) being completely ignorant… that would be very sad.”

 

I also discovered that knowledge and its counterpart, ignorance, can be interpreted in more ways than one. Seth Frazer, a college student studying Apologetics and Theology, explained that his answer would vary depending on the context of the question. “The deprivation of knowledge...withholds one from the purest sense of living. However, when I hear (the question) said like that, I can’t help but feel like it sits under the presupposition that knowledge is power, which I fundamentally disagree with. I believe there is power in knowledge, but it’s what you choose to do with that knowledge (that counts).”

 

Some people decided to answer the question in a basic sense in order to provide an answer that doesn’t require so many “ifs”. Rebecca Large, a woman who believes that wealth does not define success at all, said, “Knowledge and a willingness to learn can overcome any set of circumstances. With knowledge you can meet your own needs, create wealth, and even build deeper relationships.”

Overall, it seems most people consider knowledge to be very high in priority, sometimes higher than success.