Question authority Only by questioning accepted wisdom can we advance our understanding of the world

Let me first start by defining authority and accepted wisdom. Authority and wisdom are two distinct concepts. Authority is the established writ of some person, group, process or concept. This writ is generally legally and lawfully justified. Authority is a broad term that may refer to the authority of the government to rule a country and make decisions. It may also refer to an established scientific process or a concept. wisdom, on the other hand, is personal understanding of a certain issue or concept and an opinionated way of a scientific process.

Should we question authority? The simple answer to this question is: "It depends". In case of the authority of the government to rule the country, we should not question authority because if the government is a democratically elected one, they have the legal and moral right to authorize decisions that help run the country. They have gone through the process of election, climbed up the ladder to reach that position of which they are trained and capable of. Moreover, if everyone were to question the authority of the government, there would be complete chaos and anarchy in the country with no proper system and accountability. Egypt, Iraq, Syria are a perfect example of that where there are groups that defy the government authority.

However, when it comes to the authority in the academic realm, questioning authority often leads to new ideas. This objection, however, to accepted ideas and scientific processes should be done systematically and through proper channels. We don't want random people running into industries and laboratories asking to abandon their techniques and ways and claiming the efficacy of their ways. This too would create havoc and chaos. Proper way to question accepted ways would be to research and test new ways thoroughly. Moreover, after rigorously testing them, qualified personnel should be appointed for the verification of new procedures.

Furthermore, the effectiveness and significance of questioning accepted wisdom should not be neglected. Had it not been there, we couldn't have evolved in science as we did. The perfect example to illustrate this point is the history of the laws of physics. Isaac Newton laid down the fundamental physics laws in the seventeenth century and they were accepted as the ultimate truth until 1905 when Einstein challenged those laws and found flaws in it. He then gave his own fundamental laws that better explained the universe. Today, we use Einstein's relativity in many scientific processes and all this possible because Einstein challenged Newton whereas others accepted Newton's laws as ultimate truth.

To conclude I would say that questioning wisdom and authority is productive if we do it systematically. Whether it is authority we are objecting or wisdom, we should do it cautiously with optimism and progress in our minds rather than chaos and anarchy.