Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang
At what point do you feel that you have5.evidence to make a claim aboutsufficientabout your habits of thinking can also beCluesin how you encounter and examine thefoundoption: if you are able to do thisDiscussionwith a partner or as part of a smallexerciseshare and explore each other’s answersgroup,questions 1–5.tofollowing concepts play an importantThethroughout the TOK course and thisroleYou will have a chance to develop yourbook.of these concepts in each of theunderstandingTOK course does not provide definiteTheabout what these concepts are, butanswersprovides a range of meanings acrossratherdisciplines, intellectual traditionsdifferentknowledge communities. You may haveandformed an understanding about thesealreadyin which case consider how youconcepts,approach the following and deepen andwouldthis understanding. For now, keepingwidenmind your answers in the previous activity,ingoing on in this picture?”, consider“What’syou approach the following.howEvidence: what kinds of observations did•and others offer as evidence for youryoudiscussion with others is not possible,Ifthe online comments under eachconsiderthe pictures, in which respondents shareoftheirperspectives.What factors make someone else’s6.convincing or reliable?perspectiveWhat factors make someone else’s7.unconvincing?perspectiveCertainty: what does it take to be certain•something, for example the locationofin a given picture? What factorsdepictedwhether certainty is more or lessinfluenceTruth: were there some claims that were•dispute? What does it mean forbeyondclaim to contradict something that isaaccepted to be true? If something iswidelyInterpretation: what makes something•to interpretation? In the context of theopenwhat gives validity and authoritypictures,some interpretations but not others?towhat circumstances might it beUnderor undesirable to have multipledesirablePower: how does the relative power of•affect how we think aboutclaims-makerstruth and objectivity? What doesevidence,mean for a claim to have explanatoryitIs the power of an idea expressedpower?its influence?throughJustification: are claims justified on the•of reason, intuition, experiencebasisauthority equally valid? Does aandrequire justification in order to beclaimExplanation: how is an explanation of what•going on in a picture different from aisIII. Methods and toolsIII. Methods and toolswhat you see?claims of others.Concepts in your TOK toolkitmore convincing, what characterizes this?achievable?true now, is it true forever?chapters that follow.interpretations?considered knowledge?claims? If you thought some evidence was15
III. Methods and toolsof it? What makes for a gooddescriptionWhen is having multipleexplanation?Objectivity: on what grounds can•be claimed or doubted? Areobjectivitydifferent challenges in objectivelytherewhat is happening, how itdescribingPerspective: is being able to see and•something from multipleunderstandalways beneficial? Can aperspectivesbe “false”? When mightperspectivea consensus among differentreachingbe necessary?perspectivesopened this chapter with the map metaphorWeknowledge, which can help us think about theofof knowledge. Another metaphor ofpropertiesis a tree. We consider the implicationsknowledgethis metaphor, for example about howofis understood and acted on, below.knowledgeEuropean societies, knowledge is often picturedIna tree: a single trunk—the core—with branchesasoutwards towards distant peripheries.splayingimagery of this tree is so deeply embeddedTheEuropean thought-patterns that every form ofinhas been marshalled into a ‘centre-institutionpattern. In philosophy, for example,periphery’are certain ‘core’ subjects and other morethereperipheral … Likewise, a persistent,marginal,demonstrably false, picture of science has itandconsisting of a ‘stem’ of pure science (namelyasphysics) with secondary domainsfundamentalspecial sciences at varying degrees of remove:ofgrowing from, and dependent upon, thebranchesGaneri offers an iteration to thisJonardonusing a different kind of tree: insteadmetaphor,one with a single trunk, we might picture aoftree with multiple stems. No part is morebanyanknowledge is shared, producedhowevaluated? Is it easier to see howandcultures of others influence theirtheas opposed to how yourknowledge,Values: can knowledge be neutral? Should•be neutral? What role do your values playityour pursuit of knowledge? How doininfluence the production and sharingvaluesResponsibility: what responsibilities•you have when making claims ordothe claims you encounter?evaluatingyou agree that you have aWouldless important or fundamental, which reflectsoridea of a plurality of knowledges without athesystem. The banyan tree metaphor wascentralby Vedic philosophers millennia ago, asusedwho knows this tree knows the Vedas. Below,oneits well nourished branches straggle out;above,objects are the twigs. Below its roots proliferatesenselinked with works in the world of men.inseparably1explanations desirable, and when is it not?culture influences yours?happens and why it happens?of knowledge?• Culture: what is the role of culture inresponsibility to be knowledgeable?III.2 Varying our metaphors of knowledgeKrishna says in the Bhagavad-Gītāan undying banyan tree, with roots aboveStandsboughs beneath. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns:and(Bhagavad Gita)foundational trunk.(Ganeri 2017)16
- Page 1 and 2: THEORY OFO X F O R D I B D I P L O
- Page 3 and 4: University Press is a department of
- Page 5 and 6: ContentsCORE THEMEOPTIONAL THEMESiv
- Page 7 and 8: lucky circumstance brings you to th
- Page 9 and 10: I. Scopecan seem abstract, intimida
- Page 11 and 12: I. Scopeis complicated by power and
- Page 13 and 14: I. ScopeWhat factors limit our know
- Page 15 and 16: I. ScopeII. PerspectivesTOK we exam
- Page 17 and 18: II. Perspectivesmay have inherited
- Page 19 and 20: II. Perspectivesto Quassim Cassam,
- Page 21: III. Methods and toolsterms: NYT Ne
- Page 25 and 26: III. Methods and toolsIV. Ethics(b)
- Page 27 and 28: IV. Ethicsin TOK is about the explo
- Page 29 and 30: Knowledgeand politics 2is concerned
- Page 31 and 32: I. Scopehas been great concern, esp
- Page 33 and 34: I. Scopeadministrative systems, had
- Page 35 and 36: I. Scopethis book we engage with th
- Page 37 and 38: II. Perspectives“Overton window
- Page 39 and 40: II. Perspectivesopposed to scientif
- Page 41 and 42: II. Perspectivesobjective “fact o
- Page 43 and 44: II. Perspectives7 deals with public
- Page 45 and 46: II. Perspectiveshe adds, ‘It wasn
- Page 47 and 48: II. Perspectivesargued that interne
- Page 49 and 50: II. Perspectivesmedia users report
- Page 51 and 52: III. Methods and toolsLorde said yo
- Page 53 and 54: III. Methods and toolsShould we tes
- Page 55 and 56: III. Methods and toolsend of the po
- Page 57 and 58: III. Methods and toolsIV. Ethicsthe
- Page 59 and 60: IV. Ethicsoffence enters the pictur
- Page 61 and 62: IV. Ethicsenabled by technology. Pr
- Page 63 and 64: IV. Ethicsa 2018 article for the Ne
- Page 65 and 66: Knowledgeand technology 3does it me
- Page 67 and 68: I. Scopereach of human-made objects
- Page 69 and 70: I. Scopeterms:SearchSubmarineTelege
- Page 71 and 72: section explores what we know about
At what point do you feel that you have
5.
evidence to make a claim about
sufficient
about your habits of thinking can also be
Clues
in how you encounter and examine the
found
option: if you are able to do this
Discussion
with a partner or as part of a small
exercise
share and explore each other’s answers
group,
questions 1–5.
to
following concepts play an important
The
throughout the TOK course and this
role
You will have a chance to develop your
book.
of these concepts in each of the
understanding
TOK course does not provide definite
The
about what these concepts are, but
answers
provides a range of meanings across
rather
disciplines, intellectual traditions
different
knowledge communities. You may have
and
formed an understanding about these
already
in which case consider how you
concepts,
approach the following and deepen and
would
this understanding. For now, keeping
widen
mind your answers in the previous activity,
in
going on in this picture?”, consider
“What’s
you approach the following.
how
Evidence: what kinds of observations did
•
and others offer as evidence for your
you
discussion with others is not possible,
If
the online comments under each
consider
the pictures, in which respondents share
of
theirperspectives.
What factors make someone else’s
6.
convincing or reliable?
perspective
What factors make someone else’s
7.
unconvincing?
perspective
Certainty: what does it take to be certain
•
something, for example the location
of
in a given picture? What factors
depicted
whether certainty is more or less
influence
Truth: were there some claims that were
•
dispute? What does it mean for
beyond
claim to contradict something that is
a
accepted to be true? If something is
widely
Interpretation: what makes something
•
to interpretation? In the context of the
open
what gives validity and authority
pictures,
some interpretations but not others?
to
what circumstances might it be
Under
or undesirable to have multiple
desirable
Power: how does the relative power of
•
affect how we think about
claims-makers
truth and objectivity? What does
evidence,
mean for a claim to have explanatory
it
Is the power of an idea expressed
power?
its influence?
through
Justification: are claims justified on the
•
of reason, intuition, experience
basis
authority equally valid? Does a
and
require justification in order to be
claim
Explanation: how is an explanation of what
•
going on in a picture different from a
is
III. Methods and tools
III. Methods and tools
what you see?
claims of others.
Concepts in your TOK toolkit
more convincing, what characterizes this?
achievable?
true now, is it true forever?
chapters that follow.
interpretations?
considered knowledge?
claims? If you thought some evidence was
15
Change language