2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

5 the evolution of knowledge over time, and whether there is such thing as a ‘supreme’ knowledge in today’s society. The IB states that from a philosophical study, the student will develop skills, including the ability to formulate arguments clearly. Throughout this exploration, all aspects of the evolution of knowledge will be discussed, and an argument for whether it has had a positive or negative effect on society will be formulated. Exploration 2.1 Evolved knowledge throughout history History has provided multiple periods of intellectual development, contributing to the evolution of knowledge. Three specific examples include: a) the separation of the Renaissance (focussing on the origins of the movement in Florence, Italy) b) the separation of the Church and State (specifically in Europe during the Middle Ages) c) the Industrial Revolution (focussing on the beginning of the revolution, in Britain). These are three major periods of intellectual development, and all have had ongoing effects on the evolution of knowledge, that are still apparent in society. The Renaissance is credited with being the rebirth of ‘cultural, artistic, political, and economic’ factors, and allowed exploration of the mind, art, and land to flourish (History, 2019). It began the development of individual intellect, through allowing and encouraging humans to think outside traditional norms, taking ideas from literature and artistic sources, and translating them into their own thoughts. It is important to note that this was encouraging an artistic scope of thought, therefore striving to find a new way of looking at everything (refer to Appendix 2). In the local case study of Florence, Italy, there grew a movement 2