9B. Perspectives: Scholar James Burke states that the rapid increase in scientific innovation, such as the discovery of penicillin, anaesthetics, etc. has allowed for the modern world to develop even more innovative and beneficial scientific techniques. Thus, showing how past knowledge provides a basis for present knowledge to use a catalyst for development in the natural sciences.
However, scholar that contradicts the knowledge claim is the scientist Nicholson, since even though the premises of his theory were found to be incorrect, he did base it off of new knowledge. Thus, showing how present knowledge can offer significant insights without being subject to past knowledge at all.
- Real Life Example: When Watson and Crick discovered the structure of DNA, they had to use as a basis Franklin's past discovery that DNA was actually a double-helix. Therefore, showing how even though Watson and Crick's final model was much more developed and accurate than Franklin's, they did have to use as a basis the discovery that Franklin had done in the past. Thus, demonstrating how present knowledge has limitations when offering accurate and complete insights when it doesn't use as a basis an aspect of the past knowledge.