The Nature of Knowledge

TOK

ORIENTATION

• What has been a really interesting thing to learn:– (a) in school?– (b) outside school?

• Choose at least one thing from both categories

• How did you come to know it?– try to describe the

way(s) of knowing

• On what basis can you say that your knowledge is true?– try to find some sort of

way to justify your knowledge

Knowledge Claim

• An assertion that something is the case

• Any statement that can can be true or false– E.g. ”Helsinki is the

capital of Finland”, ”The president of USA is a nice guy” and ”I’m in love”

Knowledge Questions

• Questions about knowledge– Second order questions– Open questions

contestable, no straightforward answers

– General questionsnot subject-specific

TASK

• Start formulating knowledge questions!

• You may use the examples from the orientation as a springboard

• You may also choose another topic and elaborate on that

The Definition of Knowledge

• Knowledge:– Justified– True– Belief

Truth

• The correspondence between knowledge claim and reality– E.g. ”Helsinki is the

capital of Finland” is true if Helsinki is really the capital of Finland

• In practise something is true if it’s beyond reasonable doubt

Belief

• A state of mind in which a person thinks something is the case

• In order to know something, the knower must understand what he/ she knows

TASK

• Will it ever make sense to say that a computer KNOWS something?

Justification

• The way how the knowers belief is pointed to be true

• In order to be knowledge, beliefs should be supported with evidence

TASK

• Try to find different ways to justify your claims/ beliefs!

• Again, you may use the examples from the orientation as a springboard

• And again, you may also choose another topic and elaborate on that

• Try to use the ways of knowing in TOK curriculum:– Language– Perception– Reason– Intuition– Emotion– Memory– Imagination– Faith

Levels of Knowledge

• Information is order that doesn’t necessarily contain meaning, justification nor truth

• Knowledge has a subject, a knower, who forms meaningful wholes out of information

TASK

• Have you ever passed a test without REALLY understanding the subject?– What does this tell you

about the difference between knowledge and information?

Types of Knowledge

• (1) Knowledge by acquaintance– First hand knowledge

based on experience– Knowledge of

TASK

• Could someone who has never visited, say, Lapland know more about it than someone who lives there?

Types of Knowledge

• (2) Practical knowledge– Skill-based knowledge– Knowledge how

TASK

• What role does practical know-how play in the IB subjects today?– Consider, in particular,

languages, sciences and the arts

Types of Knowledge

• (3) Knowledge by description– Second hand knowledge

which comes in the form of language

– Knowledge that

TASK

• How does your knowledge by description influence your knowledge by acquaintance and vice versa?– How are the two types

of knowledge related to each other?

TASK

• Many people can speak their own language fluently, but cannot explain it’s underlying grammar– What does this suggest

about the relation between knowledge how and knowledge that?

Picture sources

• http://eng.rightscale.com/2014/09/01/importance-of-internal-knowledge-sharing.html

• http://philosophy.talons43.ca/2014/12/08/5832/

• http://marccardaronella.com/2011/03/10/how-lenten-penance-can-springboard-your-spiritual-growth/

Picture sources

• http://www.stonecobra.com/knowledge-as-a-service-kaas-a-proposal/

• http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/holding-fast-to-truth-in-a-doubting-age

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belief• https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64• http://janiczek.com/why-choose-us/evidence-

based-investing/

Picture sources

• http://www.sihd.org/getpage.php?name=information&

• https://www.flickr.com/photos/albertogp123/5843577306

• http://www.snipview.com/q/Personal_experience

• http://www.lappi.fi/lappi/tule

Picture sources

• http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/02/08/2157682.htm?site=science/Askanexpert&topic=latest

• https://sites.google.com/a/chsd117.org/cheek-chemistry/

• http://blog.voki.com/2014/10/16/i-need-a-study-buddy/

• http://biocircuits.ucsd.edu/outreach/?p=714• http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/edl/