The limitations of sense perception in terms of the Natural Sciences are many; firstly, it is selective and depends on ones expectations and memory. If one perceives certain observations as more interesting or with more scope than the others, they are clearly more likely to examine those particular observations, and in return, ignoring the other observations that later seen as relevant to the experiment. The selectiveness of sense perception makes it easier for us to overlook factors that would affect our experiment. An example of this can be seen once again in my chemistry class whilst conducting an experiment where it was necessary to control the temperature; I did not find it necessary to count the number of people in the room. However I later realised that this factor is indeed relevant because in fact, it affects the room temperature and thus, can possibly affect the rate of the chemical reaction that I am attempting to carry out. In a similar situation, the observations made from an experiment can be biased depending on the expectations of the person who is carrying out the experiment. Expectations can influence what we see. An example of this is in the same situation with the metal and acid experiment. If I strongly believed that the reaction would produce some kind of noise, I would claim to hear some sort of a noise, even though if another person were to conduct the same experiment (without expecting any sound), they would not hear one. Although sense perception has many flaws and can often cause us to gain knowledge that is not necessarily true, when paired with other ways of knowing such as reason, the knowledge we gain is more reliable and more likely to be true.
Reason, as a way of knowing, is when we ourselves create meaning to explain what we think, by changing or improving our opinions/ideas. There are three types of reasoning: Inductive, Deductive and Informal. The two types of reasoning used in the Natural Sciences particularly, are inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning is used in order to create theories and scientific laws from generalisations already made. Scientists then use deductive reasoning in order to support these theories/scientific laws with explanations and predictions. Inductive reasoning provides more limitations than deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning only does so when it comes to whether or not the acquired knowledge is true. Inductive reasoning cannot provide certainty, although it can give sound reasons to support a conclusion. An example of reason in the Natural Sciences can be underlined in my Biology class. Once, I was doing an experiment where I thought that when I mix two liquids together, their final temperature will be X°C. However, it turned out that the actual temperate was really X-Y°C, but instead of taking it down I adjust the experiment to make it X°C, thus making it inaccurate.
Ethics also involves sense perception and reason. Sense perception in Ethics is used when people make their own moral code, which they consult when faced with an ethical decision. Ethics definitely entails sense perception, as people observe situations around them in order to be able to make a decision about what is right or wrong. I recall a situation once when I was at an MRT station. I saw someone push their friend very hard when they were in the middle of an argument, which then resulted in the person’s friend beginning to get extremely aggressive. From this, I could conclude that pushing my friend in a middle of an argument is wrong and that I should never do it, as it can lead to further conflict. The limitations of sense perception in terms of Ethics lie in the differences between peoples’ personal perception. This difference affects what each individual considers to be ethical or unethical/right or wrong. Reason is also used in Ethics; it is used through the application of two laws: ‘The Universal Law’ and ‘The Law of Respecting Others’. The Universal Law asks people to consider the question “What would happen to the world if everyone did what I am doing?”, whilst the second law simply means that one should respect others the same way they wish to be respected. An example where the first law is used is that when I was nine years old, I felt like stealing a pen from a small minimart because it was so pretty, but then I decided not to because I thought about how if everyone stole pens from the same minimart, the minimart owner would be very upset and would lose a lot of money, my nine year old ethics didn’t want the minimart owner to be upset. A second example where the second law is used is that I expect people to respect me whilst I am talking instead of interrupting, and so I don’t interrupt others whilst they are in the middle of saying something.
There are many different ways of knowing that can be used in each area of knowledge to ensure that the knowledge we gain is true and reliable. These other ways of knowing include Language and Emotion. However, Sense perception and Reason, when used together in a single area of knowledge, such as the Natural Sciences/Ethics, help make knowledge more truthful. Each way of knowing helps to cancel out the limitations of the other way of knowing that they are paired with. It would be impossible to gain knowledge, true or not if it weren’t for the ways of knowing.
Bibliography
Dombrowski, Eileen, Lena Rotenberg, Mimi Bick, and Richard van de. Lagemaat. "Natural Science." Theory of knowledge: course companion. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2007. 151-166. Print.
Dombrowski, Eileen, Lena Rotenberg, Mimi Bick, and Richard van de. Lagemaat. "Ethics." Theory of knowledge: course companion. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2007. 238-251. Print.
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