Truth

Opinion Knowledge

Facts

EvidenceBelief

Origins of Knowledge

observation

thought

family

television

internet

books

intuition

teachers

friends

religion

etc

“What is true?”“What can I know?”

“What should I believe?”“How can I be sure?”

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

etc

Definitions: True - conforming to reality or fact; not falseKnow – to understand from experience; to apprehend clearly and with certainty

TaK – What is Knowledge?

dreams

feelings

experience

?’s

Heroin

What do you know about Heroin?

What do you think about people who use Heroin?

Origins of Knowledge

observation

thought

family

television

internet

books

intuition

teachers

friends

religion

etc

“What is true?”“What can I know?”

“What should I believe?”“How can I be sure?”

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

etc

TaK – What is Knowledge?

dreams

feelings

experience

?’s

Origins of Knowledge

observation

thought

family

television

internet

books

intuition

teachers

friends

religion

etc Mathematics

Science

Social Science

History

Arts

Ethics

Areas of Knowledge

KnowledgeTrials

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

?’s

etc

TaK – What is Knowledge?

?

feelings

?’s experience

“What is true?”“What can I know?”

“What should I believe?”“How can I be sure?”

Knower(s)

Natural Sciences

Language

SensePerception

Emotion

Reason

Mathematics

Human Sciences

History

Arts

Ethics

Ways of Knowing

Areas of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge DiagramTaK – What is Knowledge?

• Knowledge is true belief that has been arrived at by a ‘reliable process’ (by observation, experiment, reasoning etc).

• Not just ‘true for me’, but ‘true for all’(Validity of the justification – ‘poor, unreliable justification’ or ‘excellent,

reliable justification’ leading to ‘weaker’ or ‘stronger’ forms of knowledge)

Knowledge = justified, true beliefBelief-knowledge continuum

-10|

Impossible

-5|

Unlikely

0|

Possible

+5|

Probable

+10|

Certain

Belief Knowledge

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Doubt

1. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 14922. Human beings are descended from apes3. Murder is wrong4. Aliens have visited earth at some time in its history5. All metals expand when heated6. Human beings have an immortal soul7. If A is bigger than B and B is bigger than C, then A is bigger than C

Belief-knowledge continuum

-10|

Impossible

-5|

Unlikely

0|

Possible

+5|

Probable

+10|

Certain

Belief Knowledge

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Doubt

*Sceptical Easily convinced

*Scepticism: the doctrine that absolute knowledge is impossible, either in a particular area or in general.

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Sceptical

Will believe almost anything…

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Easily convinced

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Sceptical

Will believe almost nothing…

TaK – What is Knowledge?

Easily convinced

TaK – What is Knowledge?

GoodJudgement

Sceptical

TaK – What is Knowledge?

We need to find a balance between being open to new ideas that challenge our ways of thinking,

while keeping in mind than human beings are sometimes willing to believe strange things on

the basis of little evidence

Easily convinced