To what extent does actively seeking out justification in fixed paradigms hinder knowledge?

Seeking out justification for knowledge is a useful exercise in determining what of our beliefs is true knowledge. However the usefulness of looking for justification hinges on ensuring that one maintains an open mind. If one is stuck in fixed paradigms and has a closed mind, then actively seeking justification can be hindering to knowledge, and can lead to the solidification of ignorant beliefs.

Due to the subjectivity and complexity of knowledge, and it’s integral role in our lives, the natural inclination is to cling to pieces of information that justify things that we hold to be true. Since knowledge is both what we believe to be true and what is objective truth, everything that we think is true must be actively questioned and justified if we are to call it knowledge. However this active justification also hinders knowledge, since it is often difficult to distinguish what is knowledge and what is belief. Rather than pursuing true knowledge, often actively seeking justifications for knowledge solidifies uninformed beliefs that we already hold. For example, a growing topic of controversy in the media today is the topic of vaccinations. While there is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence behind the benefits of vaccinations, there is still a large and vocal community of people who believe that vaccinations lead to autism and other severe medical conditions. Those who believe this often cite a 1998 study from England in which a doctor falsified results to show a correlation between vaccinations and autism. In this case, people who have fixed paradigms are hindered by their seeking out justifications, because they cling to things that justify their opinions. If they had more open minds, then they would find that their beliefs are in fact not true, and would acquire the knowledge of the benefits of vaccines. However in this case their fixed paradigms renders their seeking of justification useless.

Recognizing our paradigms is key to making justifications for knowledge useful. In IB History we are encouraged to recognize why we analyze history the way that we do, and to go a step further and analyze and argue in favor of the opposing viewpoint. This exercise enables us to not only understand history on a more holistic scale, but also adopt new paradigms that open up ideas that our original paradigms did not, therefore expanding our capacity for knowledge.

In providing a framework for thought, paradigms, however integral they may be, can lead to ignorance and close mindedness if we aren't aware of our paradigms. This close-mindedness means that when we seek justification for knowledge, we may be seeking justification for our fears rather than realities of the world. Justifications of our beliefs are how we tie our beliefs to reality, which in turn justifies them as knowledge, but in a world of so much information, they may just solidify our ignorances. The search for justification must be done in conjunction with an open mind for either to be useful in perceiving the world.