Knowledge in the Dark Ages
• Knowledge was established by royal or religious decree

In the Dark Ages knowledge was established by royal or religious decree. Knowledge was valued according to the power and position of the person who espoused it. The revolutionary change in this view which is referred to as the Copernican revolution was the idea that knowledge can be gained by the individual knower, initially with astronomy, by careful observation of the heavens. In a modern context it is hard to conceive that this was revolutionary, but it was experienced as that at the time and gave rise to Modernism and the scientific method.

Modernist epistemology
• Foundation of modern science, technology and medicine
• Values objectivity and truth

Modernism was the foundation of modern science, technology and medicine. On this view knowledge is understood as building sequentially towards absolute truth. Scientific method maximises objectivity. Language is understood as a mirror of reality, to use words to describe reality was seen as in the nature of holding up a mirror, so the audience might perceive what was described objectively, as the speaker did. A primary activity is to seek causal explanations in terms of underlying structures. It has been very successful. It works. It underpins almost every aspect of our modern lives, including evidence-based practice.

Evidence-based practice
• Yielded helpful interventions
• Dependent on categorizing and labelling

Evidence-based practice is grounded in the modernist study of natural phenomena. Deducing and testing hypotheses are valued activities, with the randomized, controlled trial being prioritized. It has yielded helpful treatment interventions which can be lifesaving and have the potential to improve people’s quality of life. It is strongly institutionally supported. However, no intervention works for everybody and implementing them is dependent on labeling and categorizing and is explicitly prioritized over personal knowledge.