Without knowledge of the past we would have no knowledge at all Evaluate this assertion with
In order to evaluate the assertion Without knowledge of the past, we would have no knowledge at all it is necessary to first define knowledge and past. If knowledge is defined as the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by mankind(1) and past as having existed or taken place in a period before the present, every moment passing in which knowledge was acquired would be forgotten. ... However, by defining knowledge as the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association(2), and restricting past to any paradigm preceding the current one, an argument can be given. Yes, the assertion is frequently true, however, not entirely. In the realm of mathematics, we can evaluate the assertion to be true. ... Knowledge in this area is based on learning from past theorems to aid in developing new ones. ... Without the sequence of mathematical progression, solving a quadratic equation would prove impossible, if the idea of quadratics even existed. Without the basic axioms, the mathematical foundation would not exist, nor grow. It is apparent that without the knowledge of previous mathematical developments from former paradigms, there may be no mathematical knowledge at all. ... Without knowing the past mathematical concepts, it would be impossible to contrive any coherent solution to this recently solved theorem. ... In accordance with the assertion, without Mendels discovery of the underlying fundamental principles that govern inheritance and observed traits, genetics as it is today may not exist and the experimentation of inheritance may lay dormant for years.