The Revolution of Knowing What You Don't Know | Akparkhaj Rakhmyed | TEDxShildeg School Youth

The talk argues that the scientific revolution of the 1500s was driven less by new answers than by a willingness to recognize what is not yet known. It contrasts the pre-1500 belief that God and scripture had already revealed everything worth knowing with the curiosity that later drove people to ask questions such as why the rose is red. Galileo Galilei is presented as an example of choosing evidence over blind faith. The speaker, Akparkhaj Rakhmyed, is a physics educator, researcher and Olympiad medalist who has worked on solar energy solutions for Ulaanbaatar and mentored more than 200 students across Mongolia. He is currently building an interactive science club for high school students. The talk concludes that a personal revolution starts with asking "Why?"

• Why the scientific revolution is framed as the revolution of knowing what we do not know
• Contrast between pre-1500 certainty and later curiosity
• Galileo Galilei as an example of seeking knowledge over blind faith
• Asking "Why?" as the starting point for personal change

If a hunter from 300,000 years ago fell asleep and woke up in the year 1500, the world would still feel familiar. His head might be under the roof, but basic survival remained the same. Yet, if a 1500s farmer fell asleep and woke up today to glowing glass screens, artificial lights, and instant delivery, he would wonder if he had stumbled into heaven or hell. How did we leap further in 500 years than in the previous 300,000? Searching for that question's answer, we would land only one point of history — The scientific revolution. However, the scientific revolution wasn’t that fancy as its name, it was just the revolution of “Knowing what we do not know”. Before 1500, people believed that God and scripture had already revealed everything worth knowing, like it was carved on the stone. That small attitude killed the curiosity of the people, and left no space for asking “Why is the rose red?” In contrast, Galileo Galilei stood against what society insisted he should believe, choosing to seek actual knowledge rather than blind faith. It is because of that courage that we now enjoy the abundant world we live in today. From this, we can learn that if you want to spark a revolution within yourself, it starts with asking, "Why?" Akparkhaj Rakhmyed is a physics educator, researcher, and award-winning Olympiad medalist. From investigating solar energy solutions for Ulaanbaatar to mentoring more than 200 students across Mongolia, he is on a mission to ignite raw curiosity in the next generation. He is currently building an interactive science club to bring hands-on experiments directly to high school students. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx