Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang
a range of issues, from economic andOnpolicy to teachers’ salaries andenvironmentalreform, measurable things informcurriculumdata-driven decision-making as well asbothand explicit value judgments. Withoutimplicitthere can be no data, no data-measurementgoal-setting or evaluation, and noinformedanalyses—all elements thatcost-benefit-styleexpression in the methodology of manyfindscience disciplines.humanknowledge associated with measurementThea huge effect on the world, for examplehasinform action in the world as well as totoevaluateit.is, therefore, very important to consider whatItcan and cannot measure: what gets leftweof the picture, what we assume to fill theoutand what has disproportionate influencegapbecause it is readily measurable. Thatsimplyis more measurable and quantifiablewhichas business profit, students’ grades and(suchgrowth) may be perceived to be moreeconomicor come to guide decisions and actionsimportantThe phrase “assessment drivesregardless.for instance, is widely used and heardlearning”education. It posits that students and teachersinfocus on what they are tested on, especiallywillthe consequences of assessment are significant,ifthe detriment of important things that are nottoThis is important because while contentassessed.quite easily assessed, skills and habits of mindisnot. are2005 and 2007, researchers atBetweenMedical School of the UniversityStGeorge’sLondon found that when the weightingofanatomy in the curriculum was increased,ofshowed dramatically increasedstudentsto learn anatomy; motivation wasmotivationand learning in medicine may beTeachingassessment-driven due to the highparticularlyand consequences of passing or failingdifficultyschool.medicalIB TOK teachers are known toAnecdotally,this at workshops and conferences, andlamentspeculate what would happen if their subjecttoworth more than 1.5 points out of 45.waswould be short-sighted and a cliché toItthe ills of summative assessment inexaggerateIt exists for good reason, within theeducation.context and constraints of educationparticularworldwide. Claims that “assessmentsystemskilling creativity” are sensationalistic andisbenefit from more scrutiny, and nuance.wouldit is also worth considering whatHowever,systems tend to assess, what iseducationand the implications of this forassessable,now to examples from governmentTurningconsider the Human Developmentpolicy,(HDI), a people-centred measure ofIndexdevelopment. Reflecting on theeconomicof the HDI, Nobel Laurate Amartya Senoriginsa conversation with fellow economistrecallsIII. Methods and toolsIII. Methods and toolsIII.4 What we measure matterspowerfully affected by weighting.What we measure aects what we do, and bettermeasurement will lead to better decisions, or at leastdierent decisions.(Stiglitz quoted in Gertner 2010)teaching, learning and knowledge.MahbubulHaq.231
III. Methods and toolstold Mahbub, ‘Look, you are a sophisticated enoughIto know that to capture complex reality in oneguyis just vulgar, like [gross domestic product]number… And he called me back later and said,GDP’you’re quite right. The Human Development‘Amartya,will be vulgar. I want you to help me to do anIndexwhich is just as vulgar as GDP, except it willindexfor better things’.standsingle most widely used economic policyTheof the last century, the GDP growth ratemetricembedded in a paradigm that considers longtermisgrowth in output and consumption asfor human betterment, despite thenecessaryresources of the planet. GDP as a measure offiniteoutput was conceived between the Greatnationaland the Second World War to estimateDepressionMarch 1968, Robert Kennedy took aim at what heinas idolatrous respect for GDP, which measuressawand jails but does not capture ‘the beautyadvertisingour poetry or the strength of our marriages’.of(conomist brieng 2016)aside, GDP (and its most widelyMarriagesform, GDP per capita) fails to measureusedof income, the quality of outputdistributionor the environmental impact ofproducedit, or any of the important indicatorsproducingliving standards such as healthcare,ofgender equality and politicaleducation,According to Steve Landefeld,freedom.of the Bureau of Economic Analysis,DirectorUnited States experimented with “green”themeasurements in the early 1990s, usingGDPcharges to account for naturaldepletiondepletion, but abandoned the initiativeresourcepolitical reasons after pressure fromforfirst Green GDP report in China, in 2004,thesubstantial losses caused by pollutionshowedreported in an article in the China Daily(as19 April 2007) and efforts at greennewspaper,one of the pioneers of GDP measurementIndeed,the 1930s, Simon Kuznets, specifically warnedin“the welfare of a nation can scarcely bethatfrom a measure of national income”inferredin Coyle 2014). Kuznets wanted to(quotedexpenses relating to war and financialsubtractand other things that “do notspeculationrepresent net services to the individualsreallythe nation but are, from theircomprisingan evil necessary in order to beviewpoint,to make a living” (Coyle 2014). With theableof the Second World War, Kuznets lost thestartit was more important to measureargument:not wellbeing.output,its limitations, GDP has grown toDespitepolitical and economic discourse,dominatein newspapers and used by statefeaturedto define their strategy and objectives.leaderscourse, economists have worried aboutOffor almost a century, and the HDI wasthisby Haq and Sen in response to thedevelopedof GDP. As recently as 2009 a report“vulgarity”by the French governmentcommissionedwritten by Stiglitz and Sen, two Nobelandwinning economists, called for an end toprizein favour of better measures“GDPfetishism”welfare. Yet GDP continues toofhumanpolicy, and its ease of measurementdominateare a number of concerns that arise whenThereknowledge we use to act in the world, ortheguide policy objectives, is defined by whattocan measure. It is important to examine theweof measures that carry over to becomelimitationsof the knowledge based on them.limitationsmeasure fails to capture something, andEachwhich is omitted risks becoming ignored orthatA measure can miscalculate, overvalueneglected.undervalue some factors. GDP has failed toorfor the environment and depleted futureaccountstocks of natural capital, and verygenerations'8GDP were subsequently dropped.(Sen 2010)the manufacturing capacity of war-time goods.measure created when survival was at stakeAlittle notice of things such as depreciation oftookor pollution of the environment, let aloneassets,human accomplishments. In a famous speechnersurely has something to do with that.mining companies (Wagner 2004). Similarly,possibly their quality of life.232
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III. Methods and tools
told Mahbub, ‘Look, you are a sophisticated enough
I
to know that to capture complex reality in one
guy
is just vulgar, like [gross domestic product]
number
… And he called me back later and said,
GDP’
you’re quite right. The Human Development
‘Amartya,
will be vulgar. I want you to help me to do an
Index
which is just as vulgar as GDP, except it will
index
for better things’.
stand
single most widely used economic policy
The
of the last century, the GDP growth rate
metric
embedded in a paradigm that considers longterm
is
growth in output and consumption as
for human betterment, despite the
necessary
resources of the planet. GDP as a measure of
finite
output was conceived between the Great
national
and the Second World War to estimate
Depression
March 1968, Robert Kennedy took aim at what he
in
as idolatrous respect for GDP, which measures
saw
and jails but does not capture ‘the beauty
advertising
our poetry or the strength of our marriages’.
of
(conomist brieng 2016)
aside, GDP (and its most widely
Marriages
form, GDP per capita) fails to measure
used
of income, the quality of output
distribution
or the environmental impact of
produced
it, or any of the important indicators
producing
living standards such as healthcare,
of
gender equality and political
education,
According to Steve Landefeld,
freedom.
of the Bureau of Economic Analysis,
Director
United States experimented with “green”
the
measurements in the early 1990s, using
GDP
charges to account for natural
depletion
depletion, but abandoned the initiative
resource
political reasons after pressure from
for
first Green GDP report in China, in 2004,
the
substantial losses caused by pollution
showed
reported in an article in the China Daily
(as
19 April 2007) and efforts at green
newspaper,
one of the pioneers of GDP measurement
Indeed,
the 1930s, Simon Kuznets, specifically warned
in
“the welfare of a nation can scarcely be
that
from a measure of national income”
inferred
in Coyle 2014). Kuznets wanted to
(quoted
expenses relating to war and financial
subtract
and other things that “do not
speculation
represent net services to the individuals
really
the nation but are, from their
comprising
an evil necessary in order to be
viewpoint,
to make a living” (Coyle 2014). With the
able
of the Second World War, Kuznets lost the
start
it was more important to measure
argument:
not wellbeing.
output,
its limitations, GDP has grown to
Despite
political and economic discourse,
dominate
in newspapers and used by state
featured
to define their strategy and objectives.
leaders
course, economists have worried about
Of
for almost a century, and the HDI was
this
by Haq and Sen in response to the
developed
of GDP. As recently as 2009 a report
“vulgarity”
by the French government
commissioned
written by Stiglitz and Sen, two Nobel
and
winning economists, called for an end to
prize
in favour of better measures
“GDPfetishism”
welfare. Yet GDP continues to
ofhuman
policy, and its ease of measurement
dominate
are a number of concerns that arise when
There
knowledge we use to act in the world, or
the
guide policy objectives, is defined by what
to
can measure. It is important to examine the
we
of measures that carry over to become
limitations
of the knowledge based on them.
limitations
measure fails to capture something, and
Each
which is omitted risks becoming ignored or
that
A measure can miscalculate, overvalue
neglected.
undervalue some factors. GDP has failed to
or
for the environment and depleted future
account
stocks of natural capital, and very
generations'
8
GDP were subsequently dropped.
(Sen 2010)
the manufacturing capacity of war-time goods.
measure created when survival was at stake
A
little notice of things such as depreciation of
took
or pollution of the environment, let alone
assets,
human accomplishments. In a famous speech
ner
surely has something to do with that.
mining companies (Wagner 2004). Similarly,
possibly their quality of life.
232