Theory of Knowledge: Reintroduction After Struggle
Socrates (469 BC 399 BC) Considered the father of Western philosophy Known for his method rather than his ideas Believed that confusion was the starting point of gaining knowledge We arrive at truth by asking questions Never tried to hand out wisdom; instead, he tried to make others find it
Socrates explanation of his methods: It is not that, knowing the answer myself, I perplex other people. The truth is rather that I infect them also with the perplexity I feel myself.
Socrates fate Annoyed the authorities with his criticisms Accused of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens Sentenced to death Had the opportunity to escape but decided to accept the sentence and drank hemlock (poison)
Socrates on his deathbed
The IB Diploma Program Founded in 1969 Taught in 3000 schools in 140 countries The Diploma program is one of 3 courses offered by the IBO That means around 800,000 students around the world are currently enrolled
So What? The IB is the most global high school qualification you can earn Widely regarded as a challenging course Which means you are in a notable program
One reason for this is its mission, which aims to help you become Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled Open minded Caring Risk-takers Balanced Reflective (The IB Learner profile)
In TOK you will think about many questions. The most important one is: How do we know what we know? (Epistemology)
The TOK diagram
During this 2 year course, you will experience many different things, including: Confusion Frustra-on Annoyance
But hopefully, also: Enjoyment Empowerment Sa0sfac0on Illumina0on Success
But never forget the approach of Socrates, who said that to discover truth, you must constantly ask questions. He argued that if you start off certain of a thing, you will never truly understand it. So don t be afraid of your confusion it may be a sign that you are approaching TOK in the best way.
Key Question: What is knowledge? a. Starting points: definitions What is your definition of knowledge?
a. Starting points: definitions Oxford English Dictionary: knowledge noun 1 information and skills acquired through experience or education. 2 the sum of what is known. 3 awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation: he denied all knowledge of the incident. PHRASES come to one s knowledge become known to one. to (the best of) my knowledge 1 so far as I know. 2 as I know for certain.
a. Starting points: definitions Plato: Justified, true belief
b. Classifying knowledge Music: baroque, classical, jazz, rock and roll, hip hop, trance, house, etc. Animals: sea-dwelling, land-dwelling, winged, insects, birds, mammals, warm-blooded, cold-blooded, etc. Sport: with a ball, without a ball, racquet sports, outdoor sports, nonphysical sports, contact sports, etc.
Ex: this is a city, U.K. House of Parliament, the River Thames, Europe, clock tower, etc.
Types of Knowledge 1. Knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Ex: Peru has some of the best waves for surfing in Latin America
Types of Knowledge 2. Knowing how and knowing what knowledge
Ex: Whilst travelling in South America with a friend, you meet another backpacker in a bar and swap stories. He tells you about the Darian Gap, the area of road-less territory on the border between Colombia and Panama. He tells you that while he travelled across this border he was robbed on two occasions by bandits. Then he was kidnapped by Colombian rebels and marched towards a jungle camp where he was in danger of being imprisoned. Fortunately, he managed to escape and make it to the road, from where he hitched a ride to safety. He tells you that it should on no account be attempted because it is extremely unsafe.
You and your friend were planning to travel up into Central America via the Darian Gap, but on hearing this story, you have decided to change your route. Clearly, it is far too dangerous to be attempted. However, your friend doubts the story and wants to experience the Darian Gap for himself. He doesn t like to believe in something that he hasn t experienced for himself, and for that reason refuses to change his plan.
Types of Knowledge 3. Ra0onal and empirical knowledge
René Descartes (1596-1650) I think, therefore I am
John Locke (1632-1704) The tabula rasa (blank slate)
The TOK Journal
Why? The standard reasons: To help you practice reflection To get you watching the news To encourage you to read, watch films, etc. To build up a bank of ideas and casestudies for your presentation and essay To develop an understanding of KNOWLEDGE ISSUES
More importantly: Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those, who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in a human condition. - Graham Greene
What to write about: You should be aiming to write five entries per quarter (three 1 st Quarter) At least one should be a news story, one should be a film/book/piece of music, one should be a personal experience You ll be expected to present your entries to the rest of the class usually two of these five entries
Structure of Journal Entries First give the details of your story or experience Then identify a knowledge issue or knowledge problem connected to your story or experience. Try to use the language of TOK to help you frame your discussion
What are Knowledge Issues (KI) or Knowledge Problems (KP)? open-ended questions that admit more than one possible answer explicitly about knowledge in itself and not subjectspecific claims couched in terms of TOK vocabulary and concepts: the areas of knowledge, the ways of knowing and the concepts in the linking questions belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values precise in terms of the relationships between these concepts
To begin, ask yourself: How can this piece of knowledge be justified? Is it valid? What affects its objectivity? That is, consider: Possible uncertainties, biases in the approach to knowledge or limitations of knowledge, and the methods of verification and justification appropriate to the different areas of knowledge.
KI/KP Examples Real life situation: 1. The bombing of Coventry in the United Kingdom in WW 2 2. The connection between being a smoker and one s parents being smokers 3. The inauguration of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland Knowledge Issue: 1. To what extent can we use reason to evaluate two competing ethical systems? 2. How does a scientific explanation distinguish between correlation and causation? 3. What is the scope of the scientific method in establishing truths?
Knowledge Issues Examples by AOKs and WOKs History - Are historical claims restricted by language? - Is all history biased? Natural science - Do scientists have ethical responsibilities? - How certain is scientific knowledge? Maths - Does maths need language to be understood? - Is maths the most certain area of knowledge?
Knowledge Issues Ex. Cont. Arts - Does true art have to be recognized by experts? - Can art give us knowledge? Language - Do we need language in order to think? - Does language shape our thoughts? General - To what extent is faith a way of knowing? - How reliable is intuition as a way of knowing? - Can imagination be a WOK? - How far can belief be considered knowledge? - Does truth transcend culture?
Ex: Film Details Inside Job Directed by Charles Ferguson, narrated by MaO Damon
Ex: Film Knowledge Issue If the authorities have behaved in an unethical manner, should we still base our own ethical standards on theirs? To what extent should experts remain objective in relation to the area they study?
Ex: News Story : Details Brazil winning the soccer Confederations Cup
Ex: News Story Knowledge Issue Why do we identify ourselves with one particular country rather than the whole of humanity? (Plato citizen of the world) To what extent are we defined by our nationality?
Ex: News Story II Details Uruguay has just passed legislation to make the production, possession, and distribution of marijuana legal. Such a law will make it the first country in the world to take this action.
Ex: News Story II Knowledge Issue Who is best qualified to determine how we live our lives? What is the most effective way of ensuring a peaceful society?
References IMDb entry for Inside job : http:// www.imdb.com/title/tt1645089/ Brazil s performance in the Confederations Cup: http:// www.fifa.com/confederationscup/ index.html The BBC on marijuana legalization in Uruguay: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ world-latin-america-23516966