Jeydin Blevins

The prompt that I chose was “can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?” I chose this prompt because I fully believe that the answer to this question is complicated and intricate, and I would like to share my personal answer.

The first object that I chose was the sun. The reason why I chose this object is because of Nicolaus Copernicus’ theory of heliocentrism. This was the theory that the Earth revolved around the sun.QQ The theory was first published in 1543, and although it is very widely accepted by scientists today, it was widely rejected at first. The reason for the rejection of this theory was that people could not explain why the relative positions of the stars seemed to remain the same despite the Earth’s changing viewpoints as it moved around the sun. (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.) They could not understand this theory because they had not yet been given the knowledge to comprehend this idea. It was outrageous to him, and he wasn’t taken very seriously. For this reason, the people went with the geocentric model of the solar system. Over time, however, and with the help of other astronomers and new equipment, such as telescopes, this theory began to gain popularity. By the 1700’s, people wanted both the heliocentric model and the geocentric model taught in schools, and by the 1800’s, the heliocentric had become widely accepted. (Harvey) To summarize, although the theory of heliocentrism was at first rejected, with the acquiring of new knowledge, people’s beliefs started to slowly change from other models of the solar system to the heliocentric model.

The second object I chose to use was the Bible. The reason for my choosing of this object is that many people have changed their beliefs from those that they originally held, to that of Christianity. Christianity is one of the biggest and most popular religions on the planet, so it makes sense that people would shift their beliefs to it. I personally know both friends and family that originally didn’t believe in the Christian God, but due to the influence of others and through their own life experiences, have since changed their beliefs. Even though the existence of the Christian God is not 100% proven, many people choose to have faith in the fact that He exists. Why is this? Well, from the experiences from family and friends that I mentioned, this can be because of hardships that they have suffered, or the death of family members. They may want to believe that there is something good waiting for them after death. This helps them to suffer through such tragedies, and remain good people. This connects to the prompt that I have selected because due to the new knowledge they have gained, that being the knowledge of the Christian God, their beliefs have changed. They don't need proven facts to change their beliefs, they just have to truly want to believe in something. In the end, no matter how much evidence is given, it is up to the individual to sort through the knowledge they have attained up until that point, and choose what they want to believe in.

The third object I chose for the prompt is flat Earth. I chose this object because there are a small number of people who believe in the theory that the Earth is flat, not round. The amount of evidence out there that proves this theory is endless, and it is a scientific fact that the Earth is round. Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence, these people still choose to believe the contrary. Many people have attempted to show these flat-earthers proof that the Earth is round, but they seem to dismiss them without a second thought, and double down on their beliefs. It seems that no matter how hard you try to show these people that they are very likely wrong with their assessment of our planet, they will refuse to listen. This isn’t always the case, as there are people who have changed their beliefs from that of a flat Earth to that of a round Earth, but there is still a miniscule amount of people that refuse to entertain any belief other than their own. This goes to show that not everyone will change their beliefs or values, even if you give them all the evidence in the world that they are wrong. This may be because they don’t want to admit they are wrong, it may be because they truly believe in their ideas, or it may be because of something completely different, but the fact is that not everyone is going to change what they believe in.

Citations

Puttakumwong, Rapeepong. “Image of the Sun.” Discovery, Paul M. Sutter, 10 Sept. 2020, https://www.discovery.com/space/this-is-how-our-sun-will-die. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023. 

“The Holy Bible.” Westernjournalism, Kevin Probst, 24 Feb. 2012, http://www.westernjournalism.com/what-might-gods-judgment-for-a-sinful-nation-look-like/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2023.

“Flat Earth.” UNLV, Jason Steffen, Natalie Bruzda, 11 Mar. 2019, https://www.unlv.edu/news/release/round-earth-clues-how-science-proves-our-home-globe. Accessed 3 Mar. 2023. 

“Heliocentrism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 15 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/heliocentrism. 

Harvey, Ailsa. “Heliocentrism: Definition, Origin and Model.” Space.com, Space, 8 Apr. 2022, https://www.space.com/heliocentrism.