Need help with my writing homework on Theory of Knowledge. Write a 1250 word paper answering; The first example in this regard comes from Plato himself and Cornford (2003) explains Plato’s ideas about the value of knowledge by saying that while knowledge itself is valuable, opinions and beliefs may affect the manner in which knowledge is valued. While it may be entirely possible to give knowledge value through justification that comes from perception or even experimentation, personal opinion or the beliefs may form a stronger basis on which knowledge is valued. In fact, it is entirely possible that personal opinion or belief may decrease the justification of knowledge to the point that it becomes valueless.

For example, a person who holds the firm belief that there is a god may not be convinced through any measure or even evidence that there is no such entity as a god. In essence, such a person may give more value to their belief that there is a god and thus have opinions based on the presence of God rather than to look at the piece of knowledge in an objective manner. There may be no real justification for a person to believe that there actually is a god but simply by having the kind of opinion that supports the idea of god will give them valuable knowledge about the existence of God.

However, in such matters the idea of relativism remains quite strong since what is valued as justifiable knowledge by one individual may not be justifiable to another. Individual justification for knowledge may also be applied to more secular positions such as political opinions and even economic ideologies. In essence, wherever there can be a debate about the facts and even the interpretation of the facts, the value of knowledge may not solely depend on the justification provided for it but can also extend to include the opinions of the person formed by other pieces of knowledge.

This idea was explored in depth by Kvanvig (2003) who suggests that the value of knowledge may not depend completely or even primarily on the scientific and empirical justification for it. This certainly goes against the fundamental idea that factual knowledge is more important than belief itself since the argument presented by the author is that the value of knowledge may be impossible to determine. However, he does present the argument noted by Socrates that in practical terms, knowledge and belief may both be used to serve the purposes of the individual.