Questioning the "Truth"

As more and more information surface on the internet, people have access to documents and papers they never even knew existed before. Some information was revealed when people began to question authority, asking them to not withhold the information from public. The arrival of more information permitted people to develop a better comprehension of the world they lived in, rejecting previous accepted notion that the authority may have enforced on people.

One of the most prominent examples is with the shape of the Earth. For a long time, people used to believe that the Earth was not a sphere, but rather a rectangle. But when some sailors chose to disregard such accepted beliefs and went onto explore the regions farther, they soon discovered that the Earth had a continuous surface. Eventually, with more mathematical measurements and calculations, they were able to deduce that the shape was a sphere. Had they chosen to just accept the previous knowledge and not question the authority, we may still be living in misunderstanding shape of our planet.

The second example is the history of Native Americans. As the common saying goes, history is written by victors, not losers. So, some historians once tried to erase the history of Native Americans in North America, attempting to rewrite the history to benefit Americans. But honest historians and activists for human rights prevented such from happening, and ensured that the part of American history involving massacres of innocent Native Americans was included in every history textbook for future generation. These people will continue to fight the efforts by selective few to erase this part of the history, assuring that the deaths of Native Americans do not go unheard to the future generations.

Another example of questioning authority can be found in biology. Molecular biology has undergone major developments in past couple of decades to improve our understanding of DNA. Techniques like polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is a method to use amplify small amount of DNA into a much larger amount, have been used to prevent the authority from framing innocent people for crimes they did not commit. PCR can be used to take small DNA from blood samples found in crime to determine whether someone was involved in the crime or not. Although this method initially met some challenges, it is now one of the leading techniques used in forensic science.

Some people might try to say that oppositions to the authority can lead to riots and chaos. But, from a realistic viewpoint, the authority that faces riots and chaos is usually the one doing something wrong to its people. If there was absolutely no problem with the way the country functioned under certain authority, there should not be riots or chaos. Such actions therefore reflect negative dissatisfaction in the authority such as corruption and military suppression of people.

In many ways, there is no doubt on why questioning authority can advance our understanding of the past around the world and maintain this understanding for future generations for the years to come.