This document is a 1,399 word Theory of Knowledge essay evaluating the claim that "the possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility." The essay provides several examples from history and science to support this, such as Einstein sharing his knowledge of relativity which led to the atomic bomb, and the responsibility of scientists discovering cures or technologies to consider consequences. The essay concludes that while knowledge possession does require ethical responsibility, deciding what to do with knowledge and whether to share it depends on considering all possible consequences.

1. International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Theory of Knowledge Essay
“The possession of knowledge carries an ethical
responsibility.” Evaluate this claim.
Teacher: Dr. Volker Gillig
Title Number: 3
School Number: 1373
Candidate Number: 1373-002
Session: May 2013
Word Count: 1 399 / 1 600

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May 2013 | 2
“The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility.” Evaluate this claim
One is in control of the knowledge that he or she has; they have the power to either
keep what they know to themselves, or to share and discuss what they know with other
members in the community. Certain people may have the knowledge of being able to design
and construct a super-weapon which could wreak havoc on the battlefield and terrify foes, or
they may even have the knowledge for a cure for Cancer. The bearer of knowledge has an
ethical responsibility as to whether what they know is shared or kept secret. These problems
derive from a number of knowledge issues.
As a consequence of having or possessing knowledge, one must act responsibly with
what he or she knows, determining or deciding whether it is right or wrong to disperse certain
information to others. We take a look at two key Areas of Knowledge which establish the
importance of being ethically responsible for the dispersal of knowledge to others, those
being History and the Natural Sciences.
There are many examples in History and in the Natural Sciences (as well as the
Human Sciences) which demonstrate the importance of possessing knowledge. From history,
we have Albert Einstein and the Atomic bomb. Einstein’s ‘Theory of Relativity’ stresses the
fact that a great quantity of energy can be released from only a minor quantity of matter (the
famous equation E = mc2
; energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared). This
theory was the main influence towards the development of the atomic bomb in the United
States, during a project known as ‘the Manhattan Project’.
We have to consider that Einstein had given this knowledge to the Americans hoping
that it could turn the tide of war. His reason was that he did not want the enemy forces
building the bomb first. Was Einstein being responsible with this knowledge, knowing that it

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could affect hundreds of thousands of people? He had thought that what he was doing was the
right thing however after seeing and hearing about the huge loss of human life, he began to
feel regret.
An everyday example of this claim can be brought back to the classroom. Say for
example, you are sitting a test for a certain subject and you know the answers to some of the
questions that a particular colleague cannot answer. He or she then turns to you and asks for
your help. Is it right or wrong for you to help your colleague with this question? Are you
responsible for conveying this knowledge to him or her? It would be seen as the wrong thing
to do if you were to turn around and help this person during a class test; however (and
through personal experience) you could also argue that he or she is a friend who is struggling
and all you wanted to do was help them to understand the question.
Another way of looking at it would be to consider the affects it has on you; the
knowledge bearer. How would it affect you? How would it end up affecting your colleague?
If you were to give this information to him or her there is a chance that you might have to
deal with bulk of the consequences with the supervising professor. If you didn’t help him or
her, how would that affect the student? Would he/she start to dislike you for not helping
them? Consider a scenario where you were asked for help by a student and you do not know
the answer to the question. Does that leave you with the responsibility of trying to help this
person? Surely if it was a friend you would try to help if you could, but if you have no idea
about the answer, how can you help? What about your morals?
Going deeper into this issue we have a look at ‘Reason’ as a way of knowing. As an
advanced species, we have the ability and power to learn new principles and test scientific
hypotheses in order to justify why certain things work or operate the way they do. Scientists
strive to develop a logical conclusion as to why a certain theory or statement is true or false.

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For example if you were to set out and try to determine the color of the feathers of
Swans all over the world, you would conclude with logical reasoning that “all Swans feathers
are white.” However you then discover a black-feathered Swan later on after your excursion.
How does this relate back to ethical responsibility? Simply by the actions of the scientist in
question. Do you then attempt to change the existing theory due to your new discovery or do
you just pretend you never knew a black swan existed? Another example would be the
discovery of a new drug which could cure deadly diseases. Does the scientist who discovered
it have the responsibility of handing out the knowledge of this drug which could be a possible
cure for a deadly disease considering the side-effects that the drug may have on people?
If this cure were to be distributed throughout the civilian population there is a chance
that millions of people would be affected by mutation on the skin, and there is a chance that it
may not happen at all. Knowing of the possible ramifications of this new drug, would it be
moral for him or her to develop the drug? What if in the case of two people who discovered
this drug but only one knew of the drug’s consequences whilst the other had no idea of the
side-effects? It would then be in the hands of the scientist who knows of the consequences,
because the second scientist doesn’t know of these effects. They may both possess the same
knowledge in terms of the cure, but one holds ethical responsibility for having this
knowledge as they know of the ramifications whilst the other doesn’t simply because he
doesn’t know.
Another example for this claim would be in the case of two people, Tim and Jonathan,
who are both shopping at a popular clothing store where the clothes are produced through
child-labour and underpaid workers from foreign countries. Tim knows of the exploitation
behind the production of the clothing whilst Jonathan has no clue of it. Is Tim being ethically
responsible for buying clothes at this store anyway, regardless that he knows of the clothing’s
origin? Is Jonathan in the same position as Tim is? Does this knowledge have to be shared

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with other people? Tim has the responsibility of whether he chooses to share the knowledge
or not, but choosing not to share this fact with Jonathan or with anyone else would be
ethically irresponsible since the foreign workers would then still be affected due to the shop
still selling these items of clothing.
Possessing knowledge does carry an ethical responsibility since the type of
knowledge which they have may either have a negative or a positive effect on the rest of
society. It would be judged as morally wrong not to share a possible cure for a deadly disease
which kills thousands of people in the world. The development of newer technologies can be
seen as a good thing since it can lead to the betterment of infrastructure and the designing of
cleaner transport technologies which may have little or no impact on the environment; but it
may also be judged as a disadvantage for a community. It may lead to pollution in small
towns which come from developing cities, or the creation of weaponry which would be used
for War. We don’t have to share knowledge if we choose not to. We may be unsure or
unaware of the side-effects it may have on others, or even on ourselves. At the end of the day
we are left to decide what would be the right or the wrong thing to do with the knowledge
that we have.
In the end, it is the moral judgement of the possessor whether what they know is right
for others to know, or wrong due to the negative components associated with it. We have to
be able to consider every possible consequence before we decide what we do. After the
bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War Two, Albert Einstein said “I made one
great mistake in my life… when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that
atom bombs be made.” (Einstein on Peace, pg. 752).
END

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