Learn English – it has been known that

word-choiceword-meaning

Is "known" a correct word choice in the following?

It has long been known that Fruit A contains an enormous amount of vitamin C. However, recent research has disproved this conventional wisdom.

By describing something as "known," the speaker is committed to its truth. By saying it has been "disproved," the speaker is committed to its non-truth. To acknowledge something is a truth and has been disproved is a gross incompatibility in the speaker's belief, isn't it?

I'd appreciate your help.

Best Answer

I think the problem becomes clearer when you use the simple past. The present perfect softens the problem a little.

It was long known that the world was flat.

You could put known in quotation marks to indicate irony or sarcasm:

It was long "known" that the world was flat.

But in normal expository prose without irony it would be:

It was long believed that the world was flat.

It had long been thought that the world was flat.

It had long been held that the world was flat.

Related Topic