Is our way of knowing better than Columbus' way of knowing?

As we talked about in class during Columbus’s time people valued tradition and faith, they generally believed what they were told by people in authority. Today, people value science and proof without a doubt. While the questions may be the same I think these are two different ways of looking at the world. I’m not sure which one I would say is better though because I think there is good and bad about looking at the world both ways.

Today we are more critical and I would say a lot more cynical, which I don’t think is such a good thing for society. However, we shouldn’t just believe everything someone in power tells us. That is just as dangerous to do. Columbus did what he thought was right based on his faith and education at the time. Today, scientists also do what they think is right but because they are trying to prove/dispove things we’ve never been able to know for sure.

Not to avoid the question, but I would say that a combination of looking at the world Columbus’ way and the way we look at the world today is best. I don’t think the answer so much matters though because we will never know who is right. People years from now may wonder why we believed what we do today, they may come up with some alternate way of deciding truth.