David Fonger Persuasion against a Biblical Proverb “I no longer need to punish, deceive, or compromise myself, unless I want to stay employed.” Although humorous in nature, this motto serves as a truism in everyday life for the average human being. Throughout history, proverbs like these have been exchanged as oral traditions or in the pages of historic literature. One such example is found in the first chapter of Ecclestiastes, a book in the Bible, which states that, “For in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.” However, these adages do not reflect the actual truths of normal human existence. The Bible’s assertion about the faults of wisdom and knowledge are considerably inaccurate based on today’s standards because of the need for revision based on societies changing morals and the saying’s clouded meaning. Since the original drafting of this truism, ideals and morals of an evolving society have changed and been altered in order to accommodate the differing population. In doing so, they have rendered the biblical message useless to the modern person. In the ancient tale of Antigone, in order to sway his father and ruler, Creon, to reconsider Antigone’s death sentence in the face of strong criticism, the character Haemon alludes to the fact that a bending tree does not snap in the face of torrential floods. The purpose of the message is to show that change is a necessary step towards survival in the conflicting society. This ideal holds merit in real world situations and thus is used as the critical reasoning behind why new innovation and thinking are qualities which are held in high esteem in the modern world. Since change is highly encouraged in the post industrial society, it is very presumptuous to believe that old world values are still valid by today’s standards. George Bernard Shaw comments about this situation, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” A simple analysis of this quote reveals the idea that human development is completely attributed to change and that old ideals interfere with the natural progression of human existence. The biblical proverb cannot be interpreted correctly by today’s standards due to the fact that its faulty intentions could only harm and disrupt the progress of competent beings in the modern society. The biblical message is discredited because the in the manner it is written, it cannot justify its meaning in a rational or diverse manner. The message is not understood by the common person because of a more deeply rooted contrasting influence which is emphasized throughout today’s society. The modern view on intellect is as Jean-Jacques Rousseau states, “We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.” There is a huge emphasis on the obtainment of knowledge at this point in time instead of a dreary outlook such as the Bible states. The Bible saying when viewed against the common belief of the individual is then misunderstood and rendered irrelevant to modern society. Granted, the occasional individual is plagued by the principle behind the biblical message; this doesn’t constitute as a significant enough occurrence to classify the proverb as being comprehended by the whole. The adage is further discredited by a contradiction which is found in the same text. A line in the book of Proverbs testifies that, “Happy is the man that fineth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” The original message cannot uphold a concrete argument qualifying it based on the principle that the text in which it is found lacks any accountability in its inherent meanings. The Biblical adage is not significant in the present day society because of its outdated nature and the faulty comprehension it allows in its current state. Any well educated intellectual agrees that knowledge and wisdom should be cherished and not feared. The false negative promotion of wisdom and knowledge shown in the bible is an unfairly stated and unjustly argued opinion which degrades the image of these beautiful achievements.